After experiencing a transformation worth years in just a few months, mobility and remote working are now the new normal. However, many organizations are still trying to improve their mobility, security, scalability, and efficiency. DaaS (Desktop as a Service) or cloud VDI is the route to achieving all these.

A study by Gartner proves this – it says that 74% CFOs believe work-from-home is here to stay.  

Let’s briefly explore the benefits of cloud VDI:

• Advanced security with Intrusion Detection and Prevention 
• Multi-factor authentication 
• Cost-efficiency with scalable architecture  
• Mobility and secure remote working architecture 
• Data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity 

Although DaaS Hosting services are beneficial in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and even in the future, you need to implement them correctly to maximize your efficiency. This is why we have discussed 5 common DaaS mistakes in this post.  

What DaaS Mistakes You Should Avoid? 

Cloud-based desktops are desktops hosted on a remote cloud server, which operates on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. With that being said, we need to look out for certain common DaaS mistakes for better operational efficiency.  

 

Not Planning Resources 

When you are first implementing cloud VDI, you have an empty field that you can design in the way you want. If you push back on your actual machine, memory, and bandwidth needs at this stage, your working efficiency will decrease in place of increasing. Your cloud-based desktops would crave more storage, network bandwidth, RAM, etc., to function correctly.  

Hence, when you start using DaaS services, always decide on resources based on future needs. No business should cut back on these essential resources, as that would only lead to low performance. To eliminate that from happening, analyze the resources you need in-house and then start cloud VDI solution implementation. 

For example, check the network bandwidth, RAM, and storage consumed by every employee in the office. Add to this the requirements of your business-critical applications to find the final resource requirement. Based on this, always take some extra storage or resources to receive better performance.  

 

Not Discussing Security 

When using cloud-based desktops, businesses stop worrying about security. You get an architecture that fosters security because no end device is storing data. So, you can revoke access and secure your data and applications without any hassle.  

However, this doesn’t mean you should not do your research. When selecting DaaS services, always ask about the security of the DaaS structure, its network routing, load balancing, security upgrades, patching, etc. Understand exactly how your DaaS provider will ensure your desktop security. 

Here are the things you need to look after: 

• Multi-factor authentication to authenticate every user entering your cloud network. 
• Software firewalls for authorizing users to access your applications and data. 
• Intrusion Detection and Prevention system to monitor and eliminate hacker attack or intrusion. 
• TLS 1.3 and 256-bit encryption to secure resting and transmitting data.  
• Physical security structure followed by the cloud provider for the physical data center. 
• Regular data and application backups for business continuity and disaster recovery.  

If your provider is offering these services, then you may not face issues in securely managing your cloud VDI.   

 

Not Using Existing Resources 

It is possible for businesses to assume that they have to purchase entirely new hardware for the office when moving to DaaS. That’s not the case.  

One of the reasons DaaS is cost-effective is that you don’t need to spend on the hardware and its maintenance. The office laptops and computers you already have will work just fine unless they don’t support an internet connection. 

So, use your office computers and laptops to the fullest before purchasing new ones. If you feel there’s a need for more devices or new devices, then try enabling BYOD for a while to understand the impact of this decision.   

Assuming Every DaaS Provider as Equal 

From a safe distance, all the DaaS providers seem the same. They offer the same services and similar features at varying costs.  

To select the right DaaS services provider, you need to zoom in and check for important differences.   

Here are the factors to consider: 

• Security architecture, including multi-factor authentication, backup support, etc. 
• Uptime—which should be more than 95%. The industry standard is 99.99%. 
• Support center feasibility—the ability to answer correctly, quickly.  
• Mobility—which includes cloud VDI access anywhere anytime.  
• Scalability support—the ability to scale as and when required by the business.  

Now depending on these factors, you should consider the cost of DaaS. 

For instance, if a provider is giving 85% uptime and no resting data encryption, then their lower costs may end up costing you more money. Select a vendor offering 98% uptime with TLS 1.3 and 256-bit encryption in place of this vendor. The cost may be high, but features secure your cloud VDI. 

 

Not Educating Your Employees 

The most crucial part of implementing the cloud and migrating to cloud-based desktops is educating your employees. Before fully using DaaS, educate your workforce on opening cloud-based desktops from different devices. For example, smartphones, laptops, and tablets.  

You should also educate your employees on:

• Using multi-factor authentication. 
• Not sharing credentials with anyone. 
• Not taking screenshots of cloud data on personal devices. 
• Accessing the same file along with colleagues.  
• Informing the IT team at the time of a cyberattack. 

When your employees understand this change, they can adapt to it without any issues. Therefore, it is best to plan to educate employees when you are migrating to DaaS services.

 

Conclusion 

The most common mistake made by businesses when implementing DaaS is only thinking about the cost. While cost defines the budget optimization, it should be observed in relevance to other factors, such as user experience, performance, features, data security, etc. For instance, if you are not receiving multi-factor authentication, how would a low costing justify a lack of security?  

Every business requires features offered by the cloud in the long run. Start planning now to avoid glitches in the future. Find a DaaS provider that offers balanced pricing with optimum features.

Find out more about AceCloud here

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