10 Considerations for Choosing the Right DaaS Solution

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing companies to reconsider their business continuity plans. It’s safe to say that only two months ago, few organizations were thinking seriously about how to ensure business continuity if their workforce was barred from the office. Things have changed quickly.   

Tech leaders are now scrutinizing solutions for teleconferencing, collaboration, security, and even virtual workplaces. But providing remote workspaces at scale—including high-performance desktops—is a stress test that far exceeds providing a subset of employees with remote access. 

Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) is an ideal solution for this challenge. DaaS gives your entire workforce access to applications and desktops on any device and from any location. It shares the efficiencies, agility, and security advantages of traditional virtual desktop solutions, but without the complexity of managing infrastructure resources.  

There are many kinds of DaaS solutions, ranging from major cloud vendors to managed service providers that offer their own broker-as-a-service solution using traditional VDI. Below are 10 considerations for choosing the right DaaS solution for your business. 

1. Geography – Where is the solution hosted? If you have users around the world, but your solution is hosted in the US only, latency can be a problem.

2. Performance – Be sure your DaaS solution meets the performance requirements of all users, including those using demanding applications that leverage accelerated graphics.

3. Scalability – How long will it take to onboard users? This can be a challenge when you have hundreds or thousands of users. You’ll want a solution with extensive automation capabilities to accelerate this process. 

4. Elasticity – The number of users will likely vary by time and day, so avoid paying for resources that aren’t in use. 

5. Security and compliance – Some industries have strict regulations that severely penalize companies for noncompliance. Be sure your DaaS solution meets all industry requirements. 

6. Data location – This is a crucial issue. Will users access data from file servers in your data center, cloud data services or the public cloud? All of the above? For an efficient deployment, each of these scenarios require simple integration.

7. Simplicity – This is a key benefit of DaaS. A fully managed platform relieves you of responsibilities related to the guest OS, applications and user workspace. Simplicity is also key for end-users so be sure to choose a solution that is intuitive and easy to use.

 8. Availability – Make sure the vendor offers an SLA that meets your requirements. The solution should also work with your authentication, SSO and other software services, such as AzureAD, Okta, and Google. 

9. Client software – Users shouldn’t have to install software or download plugins. And admins shouldn’t be burdened with making sure these remain updated. Leading DaaS solutions use an HTML5 browser as the core platform that allows users to run any application on any device.  

10. Cloud lock-in – Avoid this also. All major cloud providers have their own distinct advantages, so ensure the solution allows you to place your applications in the optimal location to meet business and regulatory requirements. This includes on-premises as well. Hybrid cloud flexibility prepares you for today and tomorrow.  

Bonus: Cost – Prices vary widely among DaaS solution providers. Watch out for hidden costs, such as minimum terms or numbers of seats. The ideal solution allows you to pay as you grow.  

Thinking Beyond the Crisis

The right DaaS solution not only helps your organization ensure business continuity during a crisis, but it also delivers the necessary flexibility and speed to accommodate a changing workforce once the crisis has passed. 

To see if Nutanix offers the right DaaS for your organization, and to register for a free trial, visit Nutanix.com.