Are you looking to deploy Hosted VDI services?

Businesses are continually looking to adopt industry-wide smart practices for maximum impact. Frequently, these practices are tech innovations designed to increase performance and reduce expenses at the same time.

Industry leaders understand that the key to optimal business performance has to do with enabling the workforce, and that is why they (rightly) expect growth and productivity to originate with the workforce and how does vdi work

Mostly, technologies that help with performance enhancement come at a higher cost. Accordingly, businesses must choose between more output or greater savings.

But not anymore. Hosted VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is especially made to work wonders on a lean budget so that productivity is no longer expensive.

This is possible because, hosted VDI ensures both cost-cutting and greater output by optimizing workforce potential.

what exactly is Hosted VDI?

Hosted VDI enables the creation and hosting of a virtualized desktop environment on the cloud that is accessible to every employee via their personal device irrespective of their location.

By helping employees move their work to home or anywhere else, what hosted VDI solutions enforce is workforce mobility.

A distributed workforce can remotely access business workload by the simple power of a log-in. Because virtual desktops are accessible from end-user personal devices, implementing a firm wide UYOD (Use Your Own Device) policy becomes effortless.

The benefits of mobility, flexibility and enhanced productivity are fast catching on.

As more businesses adopt hosted VDI, the worldwide VDI market is set to grow at around 18.2% CAGR between 2020 and 2030 and, according to one report, should reach a market cap of 56.14 billion dollars.

Why choosing the right VDI provider is important

Choosing a VDI provider comes down to the economy of fit. The right provider offers features that best suit your business needs.

Note that just like the many providers available in the market, the requirements of your business are many. Depending on the sector and services you provide,

your business requirements are typically a mix of sector-specific regulations and features you prioritize.

Just as you should begin by assessing your needs, a comprehensive understanding of a provider’s services is crucial.

To find a fit that will hopefully work in the long run, features that can directly impact your businesses processes must take precedence.

Below is a curated list of five MAQs (Must Ask Questions) that you should ask a provider before deciding to go with them:

1. What is the level of security you offer?

For most businesses, security is the topmost concern. It means, this is an aspect many refuse to compromise with – and for good reason.

For the security of business-critical data, the single sign-on (SSO) feature in virtual desktops is vital. Similarly, the ability to manage these desktops centrally – via a dedicated central console – is also important.

This ensures that user-level access permissions to access files can be granted easily.

Cloud servers typically come equipped with physical security details such as CCTV surveillance at data centers and multi-layered digital security features such as Intrusion Detection & Prevention Software, firewalls, antivirus software, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), 256-bit data encryption, etc.

2. Do you offer flexible pricing plans?

Many providers today offer flexibility in pricing. The whole point of hosted VDI services is that they inject flexibility into workload management.

Employees can work flexibly from anywhere they are located and using any device they have.

It is only fair that the VDI services are also priced flexibly so businesses can pay only for what they end up using. Carefully examine the pricing plans and models on offer and bear in mind that the base prices should be nominal.

Providers often charge higher prices and demand an upfront charge, but these should not be the case. Although the pricing for the plan you end up with will depend on multiple factors, always start by comparing base offerings.

It is also a good idea to ask for discounts that may be available as part of long-term contracts. Some services such as 24X7 support and DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service) usually come at a greater cost. If you need these features, ask about additional costs.

3. What is the server uptime?

Server uptime determines the availability of virtual desktops. Server uptime is the necessity for a remote workforce to perform optimally.

Hosted VDI services come maintenance-free, so you need not fix server downtime. But because service maintenance is outsourced and out of your control, you must choose a provider that guarantees 99.99% uptime so that virtual desktops are available anytime.

Not only that, but the uptime guarantee must also form part of the SLA (Service Level Agreement). Along with uptime, the time for provisioning is crucial.

The time taken to provision new virtual desktops or the existing ones with apps and functionalities is the time you will need to set up your expanding team or manage an evolving workload.

4. What about desktop performance?

Just like server uptime, high-performing desktops are an absolute necessity for business to implement remote working.

Virtual desktops, like their physical counterparts, should suffer from zero latency and offer a reliable and consistent working environment for maximum workforce productivity.

Additionally, businesses with high graphics requirements cannot do without computers without considerable RAM, storage, and bandwidth requirements. The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of hard drives for

storage of virtual desktops is also becoming a standard. So, for some businesses, the knowledge of these specifications can help choose the right provider.

5. Do you offer data backup?

Data loss is a common occurrence despite the best precautions. It is also the nightmare of every business. Sometimes, technical glitches rather than malicious intrusions can result to accidental data loss.

Whatever the cause, this is one security aspect of cloud storage that businesses can ill-afford.

So automatic data backup is a must-have option. Ask if your provider offers a monthly backup plan along with a dedicated IT team to manage data restoration without the need for you to get involved.