Working from home is no longer a fringe benefit for a few employees, thanks to the pandemic. It’s the standard business procedure. Ask Google, Facebook, Netflix, or the US government: they’re all putting off reopening offices or turning to remote or hybrid work.
The desktop is also changing as a result of this work shift. For business work, we used dumb terminals connected to mainframes decades ago. Then, 40 years ago, we switched to the personal computer. We still have PCs on our desks, but we’re gradually returning to a central model.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) products like Microsoft 365/Office 365 or Google Workspace are considerably more likely to run on today’s Windows PCs than traditional office suites like Office 2019, WordPerfect Office, or LibreOffice. Indeed, according to Statista’s most recent estimate of office productivity software market share, on-premises office software scarcely counts. Microsoft 365/Office 365 has 47.5 percent of the market, with 44.56 percent going to Google’s application family.
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How to choose a Windows DaaS
Your cloud-based desktop should be guided by the business software you currently use. While a variety of big-name and small-name providers offer Windows DaaS, most Windows-centric offices will find that one of the three options below is the best bet. Check below the best managed cloud service provider:
Citrix Workspace
Since 1992, Citrix has provided remote MS-DOS and Windows desktops. Workspace works successfully because it has spent decades collaborating with Microsoft. Of course, to run it successfully back then, as well as now, you needed Windows PCs as clients.
One of its biggest advantages is that it provides end-to-end contextual security for distant systems. This is a no-trust strategy. Users, user groups, and the client platform are all secured.
Azure Virtual Desktop
Starting with Terminal Server (which was based on Citrix’s WinFrame), Microsoft has had its DaaS capabilities for a long time. Azure Virtual Desktop is the most recent version of this.
This is a comprehensive desktop and SaaS-based on the Azure cloud. It features easier management and multisession Windows 10 desktops, as well as Microsoft 365 Apps for business (formerly Office 365 ProPlus). It runs on a variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
The Azure Portal is where you control the shots when it comes to managing them. You may use this interface to install new programs, update network settings, and adjust security settings. However, setting up and managing Azure Virtual Desktop is complicated. If you’re going to do this, you’ll need Windows system administrators who know what they’re doing. Even then, you’ll have a steep learning curve ahead of you.
Windows 365 Cloud PC
What if you don’t have an Azure Virtual Desktop Specialist on your team? Finally, Microsoft offers a solution for you: Windows 365 Cloud PC.
Microsoft will set up Windows 365 for you here. You have complete control over how to scale your Windows 365 instances and monitor the performance of your Cloud PCs, but you don’t need to be an Azure Solutions Architect Expert to develop and manage your new virtual Cloud PCs. The key distinction between the two Microsoft DaaS solutions is that Azure Virtual Desktop is designed for flexibility, whilst Windows 365 is designed for simplicity.
Windows 365 pricing is also considerably more straightforward while being extremely flexible. You have complete control over the configuration. As a result, you can change the price of your monthly membership while adding or removing resources as needed.
