What Is Desktop-as-a-Service?
A desktop-as-a-service, or daas meaning, is a platform that provides virtual desktops to users. These resources are accessed remotely via a web browser or a software client. DaaS has become an increasingly popular way for businesses and organizations to enhance productivity because it can provide employees with more flexibility and reduced costs compared to purchasing and administrating their hardware.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what DaaS is, how it works, why it’s essential for business leaders to understand the benefits of this new technology, and how enterprises can get started on adopting their instance of DaaS.
Compared to other cloud computing services, DaaS is a relatively new category, but it has already proven to be an invaluable tool for many businesses. While SaaS is used for applications that don’t require software installation, DaaS differs because it’s specifically designed for applications that require the installation of software on-premise or a dedicated workstation. When appropriately used, DaaS can provide significant benefits to businesses, including:
· Increased flexibility: Because users can access their desktop resources via web browsers, they can access their information from any location and device. Employees aren’t limited by physical barriers and can access their data even when they are away on business trips or off-site meetings.
· Lower costs: Because the need to purchase, maintain and upgrade physical desktop hardware is eliminated, the prices of buying and administering a DaaS solution are significantly lower than providing users with their dedicated systems.
· Improved security: Since most DaaS solutions are hosted in centralized data centers, they provide enhanced protection — both against physical threats as well as more sophisticated cyber threats. Centralized data centers can provide access to advanced security measures like redundant power supplies and network connections that ensure critical applications remain online regardless of outages or network failures.
Benefits aside, one of the biggest roadblocks to adopting DaaS is understanding how it works. A DaaS solution can be broken down into three distinct parts:
· Virtual machines: A DaaS solution comprises a pool of virtual machines (VM) that host the desktop operating system and applications. These VMs are assigned to users based on their role, a number of users, and other data factors. Virtual desktops are typically stored in a centralized data center, but they can also be stored in public clouds when they need to be accessible over the Internet.
· Storage and backup: In addition to hosting VM-based desktops, a DaaS solution includes storage services where users’ files are saved.