Not every business will benefit from a virtual desktop infrastructure. But for many small businesses with anywhere from 25-150 employees, the ROI can be significant.
So now if you’ve already determined that VDI is right for your business, how do you know which of the many VDI providers out there will meet your specific needs?
There are a lot of products on the market that claim to provide the best virtual desktop infrastructure for small businesses. Unfortunately, the formula to determine which VDI product is best for your business is not as straightforward as the VDI readiness assessment.
Who’s the Best VDI Provider for SMBs?
There are several products available, each with a wide variety of configurations for implementation that go along with them.
You will likely need to enlist the guidance of an expert to pick the right product for you to maximize your gains. This is largely based on the way your business will use VDI and the benefits you are looking to obtain.
That said, there is a proven, solid contender out there rises above the rest time and time again. This VDI product is Amazon WorkSpaces. AWS hasn’t disappointed us yet with its ease of implementation and breadth of applications that work on a variety of businesses.
Why is Amazon WorkSpaces The Best VDI for Small Business?
Amazon WorkSpaces is the VDI solution available from Amazon Web Services (AWS). It’s a cloud-based desktop computing service, from the market leader in cloud services. Amazon was one of the earliest public cloud providers, and because of this, has the most established services of the VDI products available.
Here are the 6 reasons we love it for small business.
1. Amazon WorkSpaces is Easy to Use
Amazon WorkSpaces is easy to configure, easy to deploy, and easy to integrate existing users. You can literally install this product and be up and running within an hour.
Seriously, it can be that simple. But there’s a catch.
If you have existing legacy servers with applications and data that needs to be configured and migrated, then there is a little bit more work involved. However, fundamentally, the system is designed to be easy and straightforward – and it really is.
2. Amazon WorkSpaces is Secure
Each user is granted persistent access to storage in the cloud. When users access their data in the cloud, it is compressed, encrypted, and encoded. It is a secure way for users to transmit data from any device anywhere in the world.
Related: Helpful Tips To Protect Your Data
In other words, it doesn’t matter where or what users transmit data from. It’s all secured in the AWS data center.
3. Deploying and Managing Applications is Easy
The initial setup of deploying applications and migrating data may take some configuration time. But once you establish it, it’s oh-so-simple. Amazon WorkSpaces provides a fast and secure way for you to package and deploy updates to your organization’s desktop applications.
Related: What Does VDI Really Cost?
Precious computing resources aren’t required to deploy new applications, and the cloud offers potentially unlimited scalability. This means not having to update each desktop individually, which will save your IT department a lot of time.
4. Amazon WorkSpaces Bundles the Hardware and Software You Need
Amazon WorkSpaces offers bundle packages that provide different amounts of computing power, memory, and storage that you can match closely to your business requirements.
In short, it means you don’t have to pay for services you don’t need.
However, you can scale up at any time due to their month-to-month service packaging and practically unlimited service capabilities. Another benefit Amazon WorkSpaces offers is pre-installed OS and applications such as Microsoft Office.
Related: 5 Important VDI Stats That You Should Know
You can use your own existing Windows desktop licenses or other licensed software you are using if you prefer. The benefit here is that there aren’t additional software licensing requirements that come along with the installation that you don’t need.
5. Amazon WorkSpaces Supports Multiple Devices
As we mentioned above, the biggest benefit to working in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is the mobility of it all. Users can access their Amazon WorkSpaces anywhere with an internet connection, from a variety of supported devices, including Windows and Mac computers, Chromebooks, iPads, Kindle Fire and Android tablets.
Related: How a Millennial Workforce Affects Your IT Strategy
This is perfect for companies with users that travel, work in multiple locations, or switch devices frequently. You’re not losing time getting them set up and running everywhere they go.
6. Amazon WorkSpaces Integrates with Active Directory
AWS integrates securely with Active Directory to use existing enterprise credentials to create a seamless integration with a company’s resources. Your virtual desktop will appear business as usual once configured.
It will basically be a cloud-based mirror of what users are currently running on your enterprise servers. The IT department won’t have to manage multiple servers and access to this information.
Amazon Workspaces and Your Business
You now know a little bit more about the Amazon WorkSpaces product available for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. You should still partner with a VDI expert to configure the best implementation for your business. If you are suffering from outages or outdated hardware, it may be a good time to make the switch from your existing infrastructure.
Which, speaking of… are you suffering from outages or outdated hardware?
Now’s the time to make the switch to VDI. RedNight Consulting is a licensed Amazon Web Services partner. We can help you make a clean, seamless transition to this service. It’ll help your business stay modern and up-to-speed with whatever your goals are.
Hungry for more content? Check out The Benefits of Migrating Your Company to Office 365.