What to Look for in a DaaS Provider

As DaaS (Desktop as a Service) has finally matured enough to meet the original promises of VDI's enhanced productivity and optimized management of IT infrastructure, companies are now actively implementing virtual desktops. As cloud infrastructures are also growing, and offer similar benefits, this is the best time for companies to start implementing their high performing DaaS through a cloud solution provider.

Given the complexities involved in creating an in-house DaaS solution, companies are considering the option of outsourcing. If this sounds like you, here are a few key points to keep in mind as you research your options:

As you will be outsourcing, your internal IT team will not be able to step in should something go wrong. In these instances it is important that you have a support team that has your back, no matter the day or time. With that in mind, make sure you pay careful attention to the kind of support a DaaS provider offers.

DaaS is still a somewhat new industry, meaning the solution has still not been strictly defined. Without this clear definition, many companies claim to be DaaS providers but offer an infrastructure or platform solution, rather than a DaaS solution.

If you genuinely want to outsource your virtual desktops, choose a DaaS provider that provides initial setup and post-setup support as part of their fully-managed services (not as an added line item or self-serve help center).

Supporting Solutions for End Users Most cloud solutions are designed to make end-user computing (EUC) simpler, flexible, and easier to manage (application publishing, cloud storage, file share, desktop hosting, etc). Since most of these solutions are complementary, some DaaS providers have more solutions that can be easily added into your contract, reducing the number of providers to evaluate, negotiate with, pay and then manage.

If your company is putting an increasing emphasis on DaaS solutions (and many are), consider a single provider who can satisfy multiple needs. The fewer vendors you need to manage, the smoother the process will be for you.

While End User Computing solutions like cloud storage and file sharing are complementary, a DaaS solution provider must-have a disaster recovery and data backup plan. We all know a business can be put in jeopardy if sensitive data becomes inaccessible (that's why ransomware attacks are so active!). If you lose your data entirely, the consequences can be dire for your business.

To avoid disasters such as these, you can either go for an on-premise or cloud-based solution (Desktop As a Service can accept both), or work with a DaaS provider that also offers dependable data recovery and different backup solutions. Either option will provide you, and your company, peace of mind.

To meet the needs of everyday users and businesses, DaaS technology solutions now need to be able to run more robust and sophisticated programs – which means the solution needs to be integrated and compatible with your current system.

If your use cases call for GPU-intensive applications, custom application hosting, video chatting, or softphone integration, be sure to ask DaaS provider's how they maintain these characteristics and if they can provide a demo. The last thing you need is finding out that you have to switch your hardware (like headsets) or applications in order to make the new desktop initiative work.