For a more cost-efficient, mobile, and manageable IT infrastructure, businesses should switch to a Hosted Desktop environment. Companies with Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDI) don’t need any expensive on-site IT hardware such as servers, storage devices, or advanced networking equipment. On-site IT personnel aren’t required with Hosted Desktops, either. The hardware, personnel, and Hosted Desktops will all be furnished and maintained by the businesses’ Hosting Provider, instead. It only costs an organization a small monthly or yearly fee for this service. Hosted Desktops can be accessed by any authorized user from anywhere with Internet-connected devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Their centralization—with many of them sharing a server with multiple other Hosted Desktops—also makes them easy to secure and manage.
It might seem like a complicated and disruptive process to switch from an IT infrastructure composed of “real” desktop PCs to one composed of Hosted Virtual Desktops, but it isn’t. For one, users don’t have to be trained to use Hosted Desktops, which appear and perform the same as a locally-installed Windows operating system. Secondly, it’s a simple process to migrate to a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure from an existing IT infrastructure. Only a few easy and painless steps are required:
- Find the Hosting Provider with the best Hosted Desktops. A Hosted Desktop has to match or exceed the performance and security of locally-installed operating systems to be effective. Slow-performing Hosted Desktops will lead to user frustration and unproductivity. Data loss will be the inevitable result of insecure Hosted Desktops. Business need to find a Desktop Hosting Provider that can guarantee the speed and security of their products.
- Determine what files and applications need to be moved from the existing IT infrastructure to the Hosted Desktop Environment. There’s no reason for most businesses not to migrate all of their files and applications to a safe and reliable Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. This isn’t true for all organizations, however. Extra-careful businesses may prefer to keep sensitive files and business-critical applications on-site to comply with data security regulations—even though well-managed VDIs can be as compliant as on-premise IT infrastructures. Organizations with newly-purchased IT hardware or ongoing non-VDI Hosted Solution contracts will still want to make use of these investments. Fortunately, it’s easy to integrate Hosted Desktops with any residual on-site or cloud-based IT assets.
- Customize the Hosted Desktops Environment. Customizable aspects of a VDI include the total number of unique, persistent Virtual Desktops; the total number of simultaneous users allowed; and the amount of data storage permitted for each Hosted Desktop. Businesses can also add new applications to their VDI at this stage (off-setting the savings of switching to a more cost-effective IT infrastructure by deploying software that they couldn’t previously afford). The flexibility of Hosted Desktop environments allows these variables to be changed at any time during the deployment.
- Migrate. Configure. Access. The selections in the previous steps have to be finalized and instituted. The files and applications designated for the Hosted Desktops have to be transferred to the servers of the Hosting Provider. The Hosting Company must now build and deploy the Hosted Desktop Environment. This final process should be quick, easy, and non-disruptive. Once the Hosted Desktops have been deployed, they should be accessible from the login page on the website of the Hosting Provider.
IronOrbit—a leader in Desktop Hosting, Application Hosting, and Virtualization Services—makes transferring to a Hosted Desktop Environment as easy and advantageous as possible. We will migrate a business’s data and set up its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure for a minimal fee. We also guarantee that the migration won’t be disruptive to a business—the files and applications of its existing IT infrastructure will be accessible to its employees throughout the migration process. IronOrbit provides the fastest and most secure Hosted Desktops on the market thanks to our patented Atomic Speed Technology and Orbital Security System. Businesses pay only a low, flat monthly fee for our Hosted Desktops—with 24x7x365 technical support, around-the-clock monitoring, automated backups, and business continuity planning all included. Additionally, any new customers that sign up between now and the end of March will also receive FREE thin clients and Microsoft Exchange, so get in touch with IronOrbit today!