How Can Hosted Desktop Solutions Improve Employee Productivity?
Hosted desktops are a powerful solution that allows your employees to access the same desktop and all associated applications, platforms, data and documents from any location. From implementing remote and flexible working to enabling your employees to stay productive whilst on the move, hosted desktop opens your business up to new ways of working and provides improved employee experiences for your team. We’re going to explore how hosted desktops work and the benefits they can provide for your business. So, if you’re ready to improve your business with hosted desktop solutions, keep on reading!
What is a Hosted Desktop?
Hosted desktop, also known as desktop as a service (DaaS), is a cloud-based solution that provides a virtual desktop environment that is accessible via the internet. The virtual desktop infrastructure is hosted within a server that is stored in a data centre, allowing users to access their hosted desktop from a wide range of devices, including computers, tablets and smartphones through an internet connection. When the user logs in they are presented with a virtual desktop which looks and performs like a traditional desktop operating system, such as Windows. From here, the user can run applications, such as Microsoft Office, work on and save files and perform tasks on their chosen device, as they would on their office PC.
How Can a Hosted Desktop Benefit Your Business?
Now we know how it works, let’s take a look at what benefits hosted desktop solutions can provide for your business.
How Hosted Desktop Solutions Increase Productivity
When it comes to implementing remote or flexible working, one of the main concerns for any business owner is productivity. Teams not having access to the same computer as they do in the office, would not be beneficial for productivity. However, with hosted desktop, employees can, essentially, take their office desktop home and on the go with them, allowing access to all of the tools they need to be productive from any location.
Furthermore, if a business relies on employees to travel to customers or complete site work, those employees can access their office desktop whilst on the move. This saves time, as employees don’t need to wait until they return to the office to complete tasks. With teams being able to complete their duties from any location as efficiently as they would in the office, workflows are made more efficient and employees are more productive.
Hosted Desktops Can Boost Employee Engagement
Employee churn is a risk for any business. Having to constantly recruit and train new team members takes up valuable time and means that other team members will need to take on tasks until roles are replaced, which adds significant pressure and contributes to overall dissatisfaction. Furthermore, having a team of disengaged employees has a negative impact on productivity, efficiency and finances.
Using hosted desktop solutions means employees are no longer tethered to a physical office location, as we’ve already explored in the previous point. This means that businesses can offer more flexible working arrangements that better facilitate work-life balance, which in turn can improve employee satisfaction and engagement. In addition to this, hosted desktop supports Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), which allows team members to access their work desktop from their own device. Having the ability to work from a chosen location on their preferred device, whilst having access to the same tools as they do in the office, allows team members to work in a way that’s best for them. This can significantly reduce frustration and improve employee engagement, as they are no longer restricted by a one-size-fits-all approach to working environments.
Can Using Hosted Desktop Solutions Save Money?
First of all, if businesses are enabling employees to utilise their own devices through hosted desktop solutions, they will save the costs associated with issuing hardware, such as laptops and related accessories. Furthermore, if businesses have remote workers, they will also have to consider the costs associated with delivering the hardware to those workers. With hosted desktop, users only need to log into a pre-configured virtual desktop environment that has been created to the business’s specific requirements. Hosted desktop infrastructure can be created with bolstered security processes and solutions, so businesses have peace of mind that their users can access data securely.
Managing standard desktops can take up a lot of your IT resource. However, when it comes to managing your IT estate, hosted desktops are far simpler to manage, compared with individual devices working off local data. A business’s IT team can control the virtual desktop from a controlled, centralised location and can resolve issues remotely, for quick resolutions. Hosted desktop solutions, means your IT team can use their time more efficiently, allowing them to take on more tasks without incurring the costs associated with expanding your team. Hosted desktop is also known as desktop as a service (DaaS) which means that your provider can also offer support and maintenance as part of your solution, which further frees up the time of your IT team.
Data loss is a fear of the past. If there is a fault with the machine, data is securely stored in the cloud. This means that users can simply log into their hosted desktop on another device and access all of their data, reducing costly downtime.
Read more: What is Hosted Desktop and What Are the Benefits?
The Importance of Finding the Right Hosted Desktop Provider
When it comes to implementing hosted desktop solutions within your business, finding the right provider can mean the difference between seeing a good return on your investment and not getting the most value out of your solution. The best hosted desktop provider will have significant experience within the technology industry, as well as cloud technology and Microsoft Azure. Finding a provider who holds partnerships with big technology suppliers can be really beneficial, as they have the ability to negotiate the best deal and they are likely to hold accreditations or certifications with those partnerships, so you can be confident that you are receiving the most knowledgeable service. Furthermore, it’s important to investigate the level of support the provider can offer, including SLAs, resolution time and out-of-hours support.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Azure Virtual Desktop
Boost Productivity and Efficiency with Hosted Desktop Solutions from Netcentrix
If you’re looking to integrate hosted desktops within your business, trust the experts. We have over 20 years of experience within the technology industry and hold a prestigious Microsoft Solutions partner status, so you can rely on our specialists to create the best virtual desktop solution for your business. Our team of cloud and Microsoft experts will take the time to get to know your business and its needs before finding the right hosted desktop deployment for the job. We take the stress out of Microsoft licencing and are on hand to support you during every step of your journey from your initial consultation to implementation and beyond! Contact our specialists today or call 0333 035 4111.
