But the enablement of remote work is only one side of the coin. It’s coupled with a growing awareness that IT has to be more vigilant than ever when it comes to cybersecurity. The number of ransomware attacks has skyrocketed. Industry statistics now hold that 1,200 organizations around the world fall victim to a ransomware attack every single week. In May 2022, Illinois-based Lincoln College announced that it would close its doors for good after 157 years of operation, in part because it couldn’t recover from a debilitating ransomware attack.

What can organizations do to strike that delicate balance between flexibility and security? How can they maintain an outstanding user experience for remote workers without putting their corporate network and data at risk?

Option #1: Virtual desktops in Google Cloud

One possible answer to those questions involves deploying virtual desktops within Google Cloud Platform (GCP). According to Google, there are several benefits to leveraging their own cloud services for virtualization solutions.

The first of these is security. With Google Cloud, organizations can choose among Google Workspace, Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP), or Active Directory for user authentication and authorization. Desktop services are delivered via encrypted streams.

The second benefit is flexibility. Google has partnered with some of the most well-known partners in the virtualization industry and has named three of those vendors – Cameyo, Citrix, and VMware – as Chrome Enterprise Recommended partners globally. The Chrome Enterprise Recommended designation indicates that those three vendors have been through extensive technology validation and integration to ensure that they meet Google’s standards. 

And the third benefit has to do with future-proofing. By moving their desktop infrastructure into the cloud, organizations can increase their agility and enjoy some of the advantages of cloud computing, such as simplified operations and a smaller on-premises hardware footprint.

The three main approaches to GCP virtual desktops

Google Cloud offers additional choices in how organizations decide to put their virtualization strategy into action. These choices are aligned with the three cloud desktop approaches we’ve described in detail before: virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), desktop-as-a-service (DaaS), and virtual app delivery (VAD).

• VDI: This is the “classic” method of delivering productivity tools to remote endpoints. Through a complex system of virtual machines (usually some version of the Windows operating system) hosted on a data center server, VDI equips end-users with a desktop-style workspace. This approach is often hindered by complexity, cost, and security concerns. 
• DaaS: As a hybrid of VDI and software-as-a-service (SaaS), DaaS moves more of the desktop infrastructure into the cloud while still retaining VDI’s focus on the Windows operating system. Because of its cloud computing roots, DaaS usually offers more APIs and the ability to automate some aspects of workspace provisioning. But it still focuses on delivering the Windows desktop to users, meaning it comes with the cost and complexity of managing and securing those Windows desktops. 
• VAD: VAD is a fully cloud-native virtualization technology that departs from traditional approaches. Although VAD leverages the next-gen capabilities of cloud services like GCP, it has evolved past the Windows operating system to provide users with secure, simple Cloud Desktops that deliver a seamless, optimized user experience on any device. Rather than delivering the Windows OS, VAD enables true Cloud Desktops that give users ultra-secure access to all of the apps & data they need to do their jobs from anywhere & any device.

Some end users will have workloads that still require full Windows-based virtual desktops, and in those specialized instances, VDI or DaaS may be the right choice. However, even with all the advantages of Google Cloud, both VDI and DaaS can be subject to issues with latency and complexity of orchestration. Those issues can negatively impact users’ day-to-day productivity and increase the resources that IT departments have to dedicate to managing their remote work solutions.

Option #2: Truly cloud-native desktops with Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD)

Solutions that follow the Windows virtual desktop model end up hanging onto a lot of VDI’s legacy complexity, but VAD has the unique ability to provide a Windows-independent cloud desktop via Google’s proven platform. By shifting the emphasis to apps rather than the operating system, VAD enables organizations to leverage the security benefits of Google Cloud while eliminating the historical dependence on the Windows operating system.

Not sure whether a Windows-independent cloud desktop approach is right for you? Here’s what Brian Stopinski, Corporate IT Operations Director at Community Hospital Corp. (CHC) had to say about how his organization came to select Cameyo after evaluating Citrix, VMware, and Nutanix first:

“When I first started my conversation with Cameyo, my mentality was that we had to deliver full Windows desktops. It’s simply the byproduct of 25 years of experience with Windows desktops, and I think a lot of people are still stuck in the same mentality that I was,” said Stopinski. 

“It wasn’t until I saw Cameyo in action that it fully clicked that I did not need to present the entire Windows desktop. I realized that the desktop brings a lot of inherent baggage with it. There’s unnecessary stuff the user doesn’t need which actually complicates their workflow. There’s all this white noise on the Windows desktop that doesn’t make them more productive.” 

“With Cameyo, I finally realized that the user doesn’t need to see the Windows OS. As an organization, we always ask ‘What is the value add?’ whenever we’re evaluating something new. So I applied that question to something old – Windows desktops – and it became obvious that the added value was zero.” 

“In fact, the real value add is the elimination of the Windows desktop, because I don’t have to deal with all the complexity and all of the security concerns that Windows desktops bring. I can also deliver a lower cost solution because I don’t have to license Windows OS, I don’t have to license a Windows Terminal Server, I don’t have to support all of that infrastructure just to deliver the Windows desktop,” said Stopinski.

And no one does virtual app delivery better than Cameyo. After all, we pioneered and refined this technology to make it as secure, flexible and user-friendly as possible.

Cameyo’s cloud-native VAD platform allows users to access their apps via any modern HTML5-capable browser (such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) or as Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which provides a user experience that feels like the app is installed locally on the device. This provides a true cloud desktop experience that isn’t bound to any one operating system on the client side. Chromebook, Linux, Android, iOS and Mac users can all access the apps they need right from their desktop, laptop or mobile device. Every session is HTTPS-encrypted, and Cameyo uses multiple technologies to safeguard data without sacrificing a seamless user experience.

Furthermore, while Google Cloud brings amazing benefits, we recognize that different organizations have different needs. Some might want tight integration with Google Docs, whereas others might have a custom pricing agreement with a different provider. That’s why Cameyo lets you use your preferred cloud service provider, so you can pick from popular solutions like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS) too.

If you’re looking to strike that elusive balance between security and flexibility—while also delivering the most seamless end-user experience—Cameyo delivers on all counts. Remote users as well as IT admins value its ease of use and transparency. To see how our cloud desktops offer a more streamlined, secure and cost-effective alternative to virtual desktop solutions based on VDI or DaaS, sign up for a free trial of Cameyo today. And if you’d like more details on how exactly Cameyo integrates with cloud service providers like Google, feel free to request a demo.

The post Delivering Secure Google Virtual Desktops appeared first on Cameyo.

But there’s still some confusion about what the basic concept of a cloud PC does and doesn’t entail. Can it be broadly applied to any virtual desktop solution? Is it Windows-specific or does it extend to every operating system? How does it factor into the trend toward hybrid and remote work?

The answer is both more straightforward and more nuanced than you might think.

At its heart, a cloud PC is any solution that enables people to access all of the apps and data they need to be productive on any device. That’s it in a nutshell.

However, there are different ways to achieve that, and not all of them utilize the cloud to the same extent. As we’ll also see, their differences have implications on cost, security and ease of use.

Diverging paths to virtual desktops and apps

There are three main approaches to delivering cloud PCs. One is virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). The second, which grew out of conventional VDI, is desktop-as-a-service, or DaaS for short. The third—and the most modern evolution of virtualization technology—is Virtual App Delivery (VAD).

Let’s take a brief look at each one of those with a particular focus on the digital workspace experience they offer end users.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

VDI is a legacy desktop virtualization solution that’s used to recreate a classic desktop environment on remote endpoints. Because it was developed several decades ago, it predates cloud-based computing and is therefore not cloud-native. When it comes to popular VDI solutions, Citrix is the most traditional example.

VDI implementations are complex and involve many moving parts. Basically, they rely on virtual machines (VMs) that contain operating system images. In most use cases, the operating system is Microsoft Windows (although Linux is also an option), and the VMs are hosted on a hypervisor server located in an on-premises data center. The operating system images are assigned to remote clients when they connect to the server through some sort of provisioning and authentication mechanism like Active Directory.

The purpose of VDI is to mimic the desktop environment of a local PC, but retaining this familiarity can come at the expense of the broader user experience. For example, users are often expected to negotiate with virtual private networks (VPNs) to get behind the organization’s firewall. VDI performance is also subject to latency and bandwidth issues. 

Desktop-as-a-service (DaaS)

DaaS takes the VDI template and moves key infrastructure into the cloud. Some form of dedicated cloud solution will be used for the hosted desktops and authentication, and the pricing generally follows the subscription-style model common to many SaaS solutions. As a result, DaaS is more in line with what people have in mind when they’re talking about cloud PCs.

Unlike classic VDI, DaaS is usually a managed service, which enables organizations to offload some of the administrative responsibility and technical support. DaaS also brings some of the benefits of cloud infrastructure, such as improved scalability and location-based server optimization when users establish a remote desktop session.

But, in keeping with its pedigree in desktop virtualization, DaaS is very Windows-centric. It’s primarily designed to deliver a user experience that mirrors the traditional PC—even when users are connected via mobile apps with an Internet connection. So while it’s true that DaaS is more in keeping with the popular idea of a cloud PCs, it still revolves around the Windows operating system (Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 365 Cloud PC, etc.) and is better thought of as a Windows virtual desktop in the cloud.

Virtual App Delivery (VAD)

VAD, like DaaS, is cloud-native, but its aim is to streamline the cloud desktop experience and decouple it from the operating system. Instead of trying to replicate Windows OS on endpoint devices, VAD prioritizes providing users with all of their critical apps, regardless of which device they’re using.

The result is a true, platform-agnostic cloud desktop that’s easier to use, more secure and better suited to most workflows. Virtual App Delivery allows users to work with the same Windows desktop software they’re accustomed to, yet it enables them to access that software seamlessly and on demand from a Chromebook, Apple Mac laptop, Android smartphone, iOS mobile devices (e.g., iPad, iPhone) or even a Linux desktop. Any device with a modern HTML5 browser.

And because VAD was designed for the cloud computing era, it takes full advantage of high-performance cloud infrastructure for better scalability, optimization and security than VDI or DaaS.

Cameyo: A versatile, cost-effective cloud pc

As the innovator of Virtual App Delivery, Cameyo freed the cloud PC from its reliance on the Windows operating system. The result is an ultra-flexible, Windows-independent cloud desktop that users can access from any device.

With Cameyo, users are able to connect to select applications via an HTML5-capable web browser, such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox. Although the connection is HTTPS-encrypted and secured through multiple technologies, for the user it’s as quick and as straightforward as clicking on a web bookmark (or an app icon, using Caemyo PWAs). They can then work with the desktop versions of their applications in real-time. That’s how Cameyo makes it possible to run CPU-intensive applications like the Adobe Creative Suite and AutoCAD on a Chromebook.

If you want to empower your people with the right tools they need for remote and hybrid work but you don’t want to drag all the legacy issues of the Windows operating system into the cloud, then VAD is the cloud PC experience you’re looking for. Sign up for your free trial of Cameyo today and discover why it’s more effective (and far more cost-effective) than complex VDI or DaaS implementations. Or, if you’re still wondering whether VAD is right for your use case, request a demo to have one of our engineers take you through the specifics.

The post Simple, Secure Cloud PC for Productivity on Any Device appeared first on Cameyo.

With the success of your virtualization strategy potentially resting on your choice of service provider, it’s not one to be made lightly. That’s why it helps to review your options and your goals, even if you’re a seasoned IT professional who’s already done some background research on DaaS.

In this post, we’ll start by talking about what exactly desktop-as-a-service (and by extension, a DaaS provider) is. Next, we’ll suggest a few questions that an IT team or CTO should ask themselves prior to evaluating a DaaS solution. We’ll then briefly touch on some leading DaaS solutions. Finally, we’ll close by looking at some emerging alternatives to DaaS that could provide you with better security, pricing, superior performance and easier provisioning.

What Is a Desktop-as-a-Service Provider?

DaaS itself is an evolution of traditional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for the cloud computing era. It allows for desktop virtualization through some form of cloud hosting—think Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud—instead of an in-house data center.

Like most cloud services, DaaS follows a subscription pricing model, which potentially makes it easier for organizations to budget and scale. DaaS also shares the advantages that are common to most cloud infrastructure—namely, lower upfront and CapEx costs because it sidesteps the need to procure and maintain on-premises IT infrastructure.

When thinking about DaaS as a desktop solution, it’s helpful to split it into two basic parts. There’s the managed desktop side of things, which is the desktop virtualization solution itself. Some examples include Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Windows Virtual Desktop or VMware Horizon Cloud. And then there’s the hosting side of things, which is the cloud provider. 

A DaaS provider is a company that offers either the first or both of these services. So, at a minimum, there will be a DaaS platform that allows your end users to access various cloud desktops, usually grouped according to different operating systems like Windows 10 or Ubuntu Linux. That same DaaS platform will typically be hosted by one of the many cloud providers mentioned above. 

Sometimes the DaaS provider will bundle hosting with the DaaS service in the form of end-to-end hosted virtual desktops. Other times it’s left up to the customer to choose a service solution themselves depending on their business needs or existing cloud service agreements.

Questions to Ask Before Evaluating DaaS Providers

Although every organization should ideally have a long list of internal questions about the suitability, scalability and sustainability of any technology solution, there are three fundamental questions that can help guide decision-making when considering desktop-as-a-service.

1. Does my organization really need virtual desktops?

This might seem like an odd question if you’re already contemplating a cloud VDI solution. But think about it: In most cases, end users only need access to their business-critical apps, making full desktop services totally unnecessary. Solutions like virtual application delivery (VAD) could prove much more suitable, which is why more and more organizations are opting for VAD over traditional VDI and hosted virtual desktops.

2. Are virtual desktops secure enough for my organization? 

Remote desktop solutions might serve an identifiable need, but they also pose real threats to data security. As we’ve pointed out in posts on the rise of ransomware attacks during the pandemic and the security risks of the hybrid workplace, malicious actors can exploit vulnerabilities in the remote desktop protocol (RDP) or virtual private networks (VPNs) to compromise devices and gain lateral remote access to all or part of the corporate network.

VAD has the ability to eliminate those loopholes and add further layers of security with a Zero Trust security model – all while providing a better user experience. As a result, VAD can enhance data security while better enabling remote work across a variety of endpoint devices.

3. Does the cost and complexity of DaaS make sense?

Like most software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings, desktop-as-a-service has been praised for its more predictable seat-based pricing models and leaner IT infrastructure requirements. But some of the savings that DaaS brings in one area can be offset by less visible expenses in another, such as the time that goes into provisioning and ongoing management. And a virtual desktop environment could still end up being more complex and costly than a more streamlined solution like VAD, which allows better optimization for most use cases. By and large, most employees only need remote access to their apps, not entire virtual machines.

Leading DaaS Service Providers

If you’ve asked yourself those questions and still decided in favor of DaaS, the next step is to pick a service provider.

Some of the leading DaaS service providers include Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop, Amazon WorkSpaces and VMware Horizon Cloud. Each offers different configurations for different workloads, scalability and use cases. Within their available service plans are also options for private cloud and public cloud deployments, Windows and Linux desktop environments and remote desktop services that are either fully or partially managed.

Choosing one DaaS provider over another will come down to your unique set of priorities as well as the current feature set and pricing, both of which change frequently in response to market demand and industry competition.

Scalable, Secure, Cost-effective Alternatives to DaaS

As we’ve seen, DaaS isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. After assessing your needs, weighing your options and seeing what DaaS providers are offering, you might decide that a mix of VDI and VAD would be much more useful to your end users. Or you might decide that your organization doesn’t need VDI at all.

Cameyo customers have faced that question themselves and chosen our VAD platform for its simplicity, tighter security and clear cost-effectiveness. The fact that their end users can securely access full desktop applications on any device—including Android/iOS smartphones, Macs or Chromebooks—through an HTML5-capable web browser like Safari, Chrome or Firefox has proven transformative to their operations. With Cameyo, they can maintain seamless business continuity, even when their end users are working from a variety of remote environments on bring-your-own-device (BYOD) endpoints.

“We were not willing to adopt any solution that added complexity, hindered our employees’ productivity or sacrificed security in any way,” said Mario Zúñiga, an IT director at Sanmina, a Fortune 500 integrated manufacturing services leader. “We decided that [Cameyo’s] Virtual Application Delivery approach to Digital Workspaces would provide the best experience for our employees, especially as we migrated to Chrome devices.”

At Moblize, a leading provider of cloud-based AI and Big Data solutions for the oil and gas industry, CM\EO Amitt Mehta “needed to take … legacy desktop apps and bring them into a cloud environment so that anyone, from anywhere, can access them on any device – even tablets and non-Windows laptops.” That anywhere, anytime flexibility ruled out many desktop-as-a-service solutions.

After reviewing several virtualization approaches, “Cameyo proved to be the best platform for enabling third-party apps to scale globally,” said Mehta. Moblize deployed Cameyo company-wide in just “a couple of days.”

The testimonials don’t stop there, as you can see from our portfolio of case studies across multiple industries. If you’d rather see Cameyo in action, sign up for a free trial or schedule a one-on-one demo today. Opting for VAD over desktop-as-a-service could be the most important choice you make.

The post What to Look for When Evaluating DaaS Providers appeared first on Cameyo.

But for organizations that are new to VDI deployments or are trying to make a detailed argument for one digital workspace strategy over another, it’s not always clear what sets the two apart. For example, is DaaS just VDI in the cloud? Does one promise a better user experience than the other? Are virtual desktops necessary to provide end users with remote access to apps?

With those questions in mind, this post provides an overview of both DaaS and VDI. By highlighting some of the key differences between them, we’ll get a better fix on what each brings to the table. We’ll close by going one step further and considering alternative virtualization solutions like virtual app delivery (VAD), which might be a much better fit for most organizations when accounting for cost, complexity and security.

What Is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)?

Virtual desktop infrastructure is a technology that abstracts the desktop computing environment from the end user’s physical endpoint device.

In your standard VDI configuration, there will be a centralized server—typically situated on-premises or in a data center—that is running one or more virtual machines. This server is called a hypervisor host. Each of these virtual machines is essentially its own desktop environment based on an operating system (e.g., Windows, Linux).

Using a remote desktop software client, end users connect to these desktop environments and interact with applications just as they would if the software were running locally on the machine in front of them. However, the local endpoint is basically just an interactive window onto the remotely hosted desktop session.

Depending on the VDI solution and the nature of their business needs, IT departments will be able to manage and configure various aspects of the virtual machines, the desktop environments and the user experience. One important aspect is whether the desktops are persistent or non-persistent—which is to say, whether they continue from one virtualization session to the next (persistent) or whether the session is erased along with any sensitive data when it ends (non-persistent).

Some of the top vendors of VDI technology are familiar names in IT circles. They include Citrix, VMware and Microsoft. Solutions like Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and VMware Horizon View have been around for years and are used in many enterprise environments.

Potential Issues with VDI

VDI has existed in pretty much the same form for decades, but it’s still valued in use cases where IT teams need to enable remote work among pools of employees.

Unfortunately, one of the major drawbacks of virtual desktop infrastructure is right there in the name: infrastructure. There are significant CapEx costs associated with VDI, largely on account of the servers needed for hosting virtual images, data storage and connection brokering. And that’s just on the backend. On the frontend, VDI end users need to be equipped with dedicated devices like zero- or thin-client laptops. There are also licensing costs for the VDI solution itself as well as the operating systems.

On top of that, desktop virtualization solutions have to be managed and maintained. Enterprise-scale VDI deployments typically require dedicated IT teams to oversee them and ensure that desktop environments are being provisioned correctly to end users. That complexity naturally raises OpEx costs.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, VDI carries several inherent security vulnerabilities. Accessing VDI sessions commonly takes place through virtual private networks (VPNs) and the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). However, both of these technologies create the potential for brute-force attackers or credential thieves to gain complete control of the corporate network behind the firewall. RDP in particular has played a major role in the rise in ransomware attacks during the pandemic, and is the primary attack vector for 50% of ransomware attacks globally.

What Is Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS)?

Desktop-as-a-service, or DaaS for short, takes the VDI framework and adapts it to the cloud computing model. Instead of relying on an in-house server for data storage and hosting virtual machines, this infrastructure is shifted to a cloud provider. DaaS deployments therefore turn VDI into a fully or partially managed service, with the DaaS solution provider now handling most of the heavy lifting.

The advantages of DaaS follow on from this key difference. With little to no on-premises infrastructure required to get up and running, IT departments don’t have to allocate massive CapEx funds toward a desktop virtualization initiative. That makes DaaS quite a bit more cost-effective at the outset, especially for smaller organizations. Many also find it easier to budget for the subscription fees that DaaS providers charge relative to the open-ended expenses of traditional VDI.

By adopting the service provider paradigm, DaaS has more than pricing in its favor. Whereas VDI is mostly single tenant, DaaS solutions generally follow a multi-tenant model. This means that, for example, a large global enterprise could have a unique DaaS deployment for each of its daughter companies, sub-brands or regional locations, yet it would be able to manage each of those tenancies from a single console.

Furthermore, unlike VDI, DaaS upgrades tend to roll out regularly and automatically because they come bundled with the subscription pricing.

Most DaaS providers allow some choice of cloud service to pair with their desktop virtualization solution. Customers are generally able to select between cloud providers like Amazon Web Service (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud or even their own private cloud to host their DaaS deployment. Likewise, many global cloud providers have developed their own DaaS solutions: Azure Virtual Desktop and Amazon WorkSpaces are just two examples. Not surprisingly, classic VDI vendors also offer dedicated DaaS counterparts, such as VMware Horizon Cloud.

Potential Issues with DaaS

When comparing DaaS with VDI solutions, it might seem like desktop-as-a-service is the answer to all the pitfalls of virtual desktop infrastructure. But that’s not entirely accurate. DaaS still falls victim to a few of the same shortcomings as VDI plus some new ones.

For instance, DaaS is VDI at its heart, which entails the same degree of provisioning and management. And just because DaaS charges subscription fees doesn’t mean that it’s cost-effective. The costs of cloud computing infrastructure are included in that pricing, which can fluctuate based on market rates.

Another thing to be aware of is that the DaaS multi-tenant model also extends to the DaaS providers themselves. Therefore you could find that the performance of your desktop solution suffers because you’re sharing the same backend cloud services with dozens or even thousands of other organizations.

The security of DaaS is also worth bearing in mind. Even in the cloud, RDP can still be subject to the brute-force attacks that threaten traditional VDI. And if end users get lax about authentication mechanisms or the cloud provider fails to patch an underlying exploit, there’s every possibility that endpoints could be compromised.

That issue raises a related question: Which endpoints does each DaaS solution actually support? Can end users access their virtual desktops with bring-your-own-device (BYOD) tablets and Chromebooks, or will they have to be equipped with dedicated devices at the organization’s expense?

So, while DaaS might seem like a modern, scalable virtualization approach to enable remote work and solve for different workloads, it does come with a couple of important caveats.

Alternatives to VDI and DaaS

Even if VDI or DaaS were completely bulletproof, user-friendly and affordable, that wouldn’t stop them from being overkill in most use cases. Desktop virtualization by its very nature is designed to give end users remote access to full-fledged desktop environments. Yet, what most end users really need is intuitive, secure remote access to the apps that they need to do their job and be productive from anywhere.

Virtual application delivery (VAD) is quickly becoming the solution of choice for organizations that want to maintain secure, cost-effective business continuity by giving their end users flexible access to the apps they need from any device. With VAD, there’s no need to invest resources in provisioning hosted desktops or maintaining a VDI solution for end users who don’t require all that extra functionality.

Cameyo takes VAD to the next level with a platform that adds multiple layers of security while enhancing the user experience for remote workers. To access their business-critical apps with Cameyo, all end users need is an HTML5-capable web browser. Whether they’re using a smartphone, tablet or BYOD laptop, they can then work securely and remotely and enjoy full productivity with the full desktop versions of those apps, running the browser. Meanwhile, IT departments get complete control over which users have access to the published software.

Baldwinsville Central School District in upstate New York replaced its DaaS deployment with Cameyo’s VAD-based digital workspace to facilitate access to Windows apps on Chromebooks for their students. “Ultimately, we realized that a virtual desktop approach simply wasn’t a good fit for us. We knew there had to be a simpler, more cost-effective alternative—so it was time to make a switch [to Cameyo],” said John Cerio, the district’s network administrator.

Henrique Netzka, CEO of Brazil’s Tático ERP, also chose to move away from VDI-style virtualization. “When we first saw Cameyo in action, we quickly realized that our users wouldn’t have to download, install, or manage anything in order to use our suite. It was like a dream come true,” he said. Tático ended up abandoning its Citrix VDI solution in favor of Cameyo’s flexible, right-sized VAD platform.

For more real-world accounts of organizations justifying VAD over VDI and DaaS, check out our portfolio of case studies. And if you think Cameyo might be right for your use case, don’t hesitate to reach out. Simply sign up for a free trial or schedule a one-on-one demo to see how our virtual application delivery solution can optimize your digital workspaces.

The post VDI vs. DaaS: A Guide to the Differences and Alternatives appeared first on Cameyo.

As we’ll see, that isn’t a rhetorical question. Full-fledged virtual desktops aren’t always necessary (or advisable) for the modern hybrid workplace because most users’ work hinges on apps, not operating systems. Solutions like Virtual App Delivery (VAD) are therefore often a more streamlined, cost-effective approach than on-premises or cloud VDI. But to fully evaluate and determine which approach is best for you, it’s important to understand the use cases and limitations of VDI as a cloud service.

What Is Cloud VDI?

The concept of cloud VDI can initially be a little confusing because it goes by different names. While some solution providers call it “cloud-based VDI” or “VDI in the cloud” depending on their preferred virtualization approach, it’s also often described as desktop-as-a-service (DaaS).

Naming aside, all DaaS implementations stick to the same general framework: End users access a remote computing environment—one that’s powered by a data center or cloud infrastructure—via a client on their machines. The client acts as a window through which they can view a familiar desktop-style workspace and interact with software applications as if they were running locally.

The use cases for VDI, cloud-based or otherwise, range from equipping specialized workforces to supporting flexible workplaces. Some of the more common use cases include:

• Remote work: Microsoft Windows remains the world’s most popular desktop operating system, which naturally puts it at the center of many users’ work ecosystems. Organizations that want to keep out-of-office employees productive see Windows virtual machines as a way to provide those employees with familiar workspaces, even when they’re working from home or hot-desking.
• GPU-intensive computing: The manufacturing, life sciences, architecture, engineering, digital effects and construction industries all require high-performance computing that’s performed by top-tier graphics cards (GPUs). If those demanding workloads aren’t supported by their field laptops or thin-client endpoint, VDI lets employees tap into an on-premises or cloud infrastructure that offers the raw compute power they need.
• Disaster recovery: Given the rising number of ransomware attacks and severe weather events, more organizations are creating contingency plans to ensure business continuity in the face of an emergency situation. A VDI solution can be a part of that disaster recovery strategy, as it provides end users with a backup desktop environment (though this is often cost prohibitive).

How Is Cloud VDI Different from Classic Virtual Desktop Infrastructure?

Conventional VDI is essentially the forerunner of cloud-based desktop virtualization. The key difference between them is that desktop-as-a-service, like most cloud computing initiatives, transfers the hosting backend from an on-premises or in-house data center to a cloud provider like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure.

One of the obvious benefits to this approach is that it shifts the maintenance and oversight of VDI’s extensive, expensive IT infrastructure onto the cloud service’s shoulders. This move to VDI as a cloud-native managed service also introduces a little more flexibility into VDI deployments. With DaaS, an organization can choose, say, Citrix or VMware as their VDI solution but host it via their preferred third-party cloud service.

Additionally, these cloud solutions can offer desktop virtualization that’s optimized for different workloads. For example, instead of having to limit their desktop environment to Windows, organizations can look for a DaaS solution that allows them to mix and match. They can then provide select end users with alternative operating systems, including one of the many specialized Linux distros.

At least one drawback that cloud VDI shares with conventional VDI is complexity. Yes, the backend IT infrastructure may be transferred to the cloud, but the VDI deployment itself still has to be managed by professional IT staff. On the frontend, the user experience can suffer from cumbersome authentication procedures, high latency during a VDI session or basic incompatibilities between the remote access client and devices like their smartphones.

Modern Virtualization Alternatives to Cloud VDI

With such a clear need for a seamless user experience, secure access and a digital workspace that’s optimized for remote connections from anywhere and on any device, the market is shifting away from VDI or DaaS and towards the adoption of Virtual App Delivery (VAD).

Unlike VDI technologies, VAD isn’t about desktop virtualization, which is designed around hosting virtual machines that put entire operating systems in users’ hands. Instead, like its name suggests, VAD focuses on securely delivering apps to end users.

This approach is much more right-sized in the vast majority of use cases. When a remote or hybrid employee works mostly with SaaS applications but also a handful of Windows-based apps (like their CRM suite, ERP solutions, etc.) equipping that employee with a complete Windows desktop environment is simply overkill. A VDI deployment creates unnecessary work for the IT staff and saddles the employee with more functionality than they need, and it often introduces security risks. And when you tally up all the pricing and oversight that factors into the true cost of DaaS and the true cost of VDI, VAD is consequently more cost-effective too.

On the whole, VAD’s on-demand app-centric virtualization model results in faster deployments, reduced costs and better security  than VDI or DaaS—not to mention a smoother user experience and effortless scalability.

Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD) Approach

Cameyo maximizes all the intrinsic benefits of VAD. With Cameyo’s Virutal App Delivery solution, it’s now possible for end users to securely access ALL of their business-critical apps via any HTML5-capable browser. That means they can easily work with the full-featured desktop versions of their standard productivity software from anywhere and on any device—even an iPad or a Chromebook. And provisioning is a breeze for IT staff. Whether you choose to use Cameyo with a cloud provider or on your own on-premises servers, all it takes is a few clicks to publish an app and grant a user access rights.

To learn more about Cameyo and how virtual app delivery can prove the more secure, more budget-friendly solution to DaaS in most deployments, sign up for your free trial or schedule a demo today. We also recommend checking out our case studies to see how organizations across multiple industries have leveraged Cameyo to equip their end users with the apps they need on demand.

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To that end, cloud computing has sought to help reduce cost & complexity within the field of virtual desktops. Just like everything from digital file storage to Microsoft Office apps, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model has been extended to virtualization and digital workspaces too. Organizations that don’t want to invest in all the infrastructure and oversight of conventional VDI now have the choice of implementing a desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution instead.

With the reduced upfront costs of DaaS, its subscription-style pricing and the smaller footprint of cloud infrastructure, it’s not hard to see why it might appear to be an attractive solution (at first glance) for organizations that want the functionality of end-user computing without the initial investment.

Yet, as we’ll see below, the suggested cost savings of DaaS comes with multiple asterisks. Let’s take a look at the true cost of DaaS, and what alternatives exist for a simpler, more secure, more cost-effective digital workspace. 

How Is Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) Different from VDI?

DaaS, sometimes referred to as hosted desktop services, is the cloud-based counterpart to on-premises VDI. DaaS is therefore better thought of as a subset or variant of virtual desktop infrastructure than a unique offshoot of it, which is why so many of the major players in VDI—companies like VMware, Citrix and Microsoft—also offer a DaaS solution of some kind.

There are, however, some basic differences between DaaS and conventional VDI. Here’s where DaaS services tend to stand apart:

• Pricing: Rather than paying upfront hardware costs for servers to host the virtual machines (VMs) and handle licensing, DaaS customers pay a periodic fee to a third-party service provider. Like many SaaS solutions, this fee is usually based on “seats,” or the number of users.
• Cloud infrastructure: VDI requires organizations to supply and manage their own hardware and software infrastructure, which is housed either on-premises or in a data center. DaaS, by contrast, is a cloud service. This means that a third-party—whether it’s the DaaS service provider or a separate cloud provider—is responsible for all the backend infrastructure.
• Control: The architectural differences between DaaS and VDI have implications for visibility and control. By moving infrastructure under the service provider umbrella, organizations also cede a certain amount of control over their DaaS solution. For example, customers may end up sharing server resources with other DaaS tenants. Customers are also reliant on the DaaS service provider to address any security issues.
• Flexibility: DaaS providers are usually able to accommodate evolving virtualization demands better than classic VDI. This means customers can select digital workspaces depending on their use case. They could choose different operating systems, for instance, or opt for a DaaS solution targeted at high-performance workloads. These choices also allow for more cost-effective, responsive scalability.

What Is the True Cost of DaaS?

As a cloud service with subscription pricing, DaaS deployments require almost no CapEx for backend equipment. This removes one of the most significant financial barriers to virtual desktop implementation. The DaaS provider and/or a third-party cloud solution shoulders all infrastructure purchasing, operation and management costs.

Where CapEx does factor in is with endpoint clients. Depending on their DaaS solution and their virtualization use case, organizations might have to purchase dedicated devices that are compatible with each of those variables. If we take Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops as just one of many examples, customers have the choice of Microsoft, AWS or Google as their cloud service provider. But to make full use of the service, end users need to run the Citrix Receiver on their client device, and the availability and device requirements of that app are up to Citrix. That could prove challenging for organizations that have adopted more cost-effective BYOD (bring-your-own-device) policies.

It’s also important to remember that DaaS and other cloud solutions don’t provide hosting infrastructure for free. They’ll offset their own CapEx through the pricing of the ongoing SaaS-style subscription fees. And when it comes time to migrate to a more high-performance tier or increase the number of users, the subscription fees will rise accordingly.

All of that, incidentally, comes on top of the “hidden” consulting costs, support costs and management costs that plague DaaS.

Is the DaaS Cost Worth It?

There are a lot of moving parts at play here. Whether or not the cost of DaaS makes sense compared to VDI ultimately comes down to your individual use case and everything that feeds into a particular DaaS solution. Here are some questions that will help you evaluate whether or not DaaS is a viable solution for your organization:

• Is the ongoing subscription pricing of DaaS easier on our long-term budget than the upfront costs of VDI?
• Are we willing to sacrifice some of VDI’s control and visibility for the sake of scalability and cost savings?
• Will we be able to retain BYOD policies and avoid purchasing new endpoint devices to get the workspaces we need?
• Can our DaaS solution support our preferred operating system(s) and give our end users access to critical software, including legacy Windows apps?
• Does DaaS remain cost-effective even if our remote users encounter authentication and user experience issues that hinder their productivity?
• And perhaps most importantly – Do our users truly need a full virtual desktop environment (VDI or DaaS) at all, or do they really just need ultra-secure access to all of the apps they need to be productive on any device (which does not require a desktop)? 

If the answer to each of those questions is yes, then DaaS might possibly be a more budget-friendly alternative to VDI. This is often the case for small to medium-sized businesses that are still figuring out what sort of virtualization works best for their preferred workflows and their workloads. Large organizations with disparate desktop virtualization needs might also prefer DaaS for the options it provides when it comes to operating systems, virtual machines and cloud services.

Digital Workspace Alternatives to Virtual Desktops

When you’re considering virtualization strategies, it’s easy to get caught up in the binary choice of on-premises VDI or cloud-hosted DaaS. But both involve desktop virtualization, which means limiting your potential solutions only to what virtual desktop infrastructure has to offer. Your options are actually much broader!

Virtual Application delivery (VAD) is a next-gen virtualization approach that equips end users with the apps they need to stay productive – all without the need for virtual desktops or VPNs. From remote & hybrid work to distance learning, VAD presents a secure and cost-effective alternative to providing users with entire desktops when all they need (or want) is secure access to all of their applications.

Cameyo takes the inherent optimization of VAD even further by enabling end users to access full-featured desktop apps on any device—up to and including iOS and Android mobile devices as well as Chromebooks. Cameyo achieves this by delivering all of your apps – legacy Windows, internal web, and SaaS – seamless via HTTPS. That means any user with a modern HTML5-capable browser such as Firefox, Chrome or Safari (on macOS or iOS) can utilize desktop versions of Microsoft Office, the Adobe Creative Cloud suite or legacy Windows ERP/billing software. Even a small-footprint, high-performance cloud solution like Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop doesn’t offer the same streamlined, versatile and right-sized virtualization as Cameyo’s VAD platform.

“Cameyo is by far more cost-effective compared to the other solutions we tested,” said Amitt Mehta, CM\EO at Moblize. His company leveraged Cameyo in combination with AWS to smoothly cloud-enable Windows-only AI and Big Data software for a number of users in the oil and gas industry.

“Not only is Cameyo’s pricing more attractive, but where we really see the cost savings is the overall reduction in complexity and the time required to manage the solution on an ongoing basis. I’d say Cameyo reduces total cost of ownership related to integration complexity and management by at least 25 percent.”

Compared to both VDI and desktop-as-a-service, Cameyo’s digital workspaces could offer your organization superior scalability, more cost-effective pricing, a simpler user experience and effortless integration with Chromebooks as well as BYOD iOS and Android devices. Take advantage of our free trial of Cameyo to see just how VAD supports remote users without the need to provision entire VMs. We also encourage IT managers to request a quote to better estimate Cameyo’s cost savings versus the total cost of DaaS or VDI.

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But VDI represents a significantly costly investment for most organizations due to the hardware requirements, software licensing, and network infrastructure needed to deliver the solution.  Since organizations are pivoting to the cloud for other services, many are now looking at Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) services and the newly announced Windows 365 (Cloud PC) from Microsoft. Let’s look closer at these new cloud-based VDI – also known as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) – solutions. And then we’ll discuss when those solutions are appropriate, and when it’s best to utilize virtual application delivery (spoiler: sometimes organizations can benefit from a mix of both).

Advantages of cloud VDI

Cloud VDI technologies such as Azure Virtual Desktop and the newly announced Windows 365 appeal to many organizations who have already migrated many solutions to the cloud, including storage and email. So why are some customers considering cloud VDI/DaaS over traditional VDI environments when looking at provisioning remote & hybrid work environments?  

Traditional VDI environments are notoriously expensive and complex to provision, manage, and troubleshoot.  Especially for smaller organizations, it often takes weeks or months to provision a VDI environment. However, cloud VDI solutions such as Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 aim to provide businesses a more streamlined approach to VDI.  

With cloud VDI solutions from Microsoft, such as Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365, the traditional management and technical overhead entailed with VDI on-premises aims to be simpler for the customer.  The complicated infrastructure still exists, but Microsoft manages the underlying infrastructure components such as gateways, brokers, diagnostics, load balancing, and others, so the customer does not have these to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot. Instead, they simply consume the cloud-based infrastructure as a service.

Azure Virtual Desktop vs. Windows 365 (Cloud PC)

Due to the similarities between these two different DaaS technologies, many customers may wonder which solution is a better fit for their business.  Both Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD) and Windows 365 offer similar capabilities, but with significant differences of note that may cater to different use cases. 

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is relatively new, and Windows 365, announced just a week or so ago at the time of this writing, is released in the first part of August.  Microsoft’s AVD and Windows 365 provide Desktop-as-a-Service solutions that allow businesses to have cloud desktops available to end-users with the infrastructure managed by Microsoft.

Both aim to abstract the complexities of VDI from the end-user and offload management from an organization’s IT teams.  While both are similar infrastructures, there are technical differences between the two to note.  Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD) is a service that utilizes the customer’s Azure subscription to deploy virtual desktops to the end-user and is charged based on usage.  

Windows 365, slated for availability August 2nd, 2021, is a service based on an idea floating around Microsoft for some time, “Cloud PC.” It is delivered to customers using a Microsoft-managed Azure subscription and charges customers based on a fixed price Windows 365 cloud PC license.  Between the two, the Windows 365 service abstracts even more of the management of the environment as IT admins don’t see or manage the VMs running in Azure as they do with Azure Virtual Desktops. 

With the Windows 365 solution, customers can configure two types of desktops, Enterprise and Business.  Enterprise desktops require additional licensing since they also leverage an Intune license.  So, each user assigned a cloud PC license must also be provisioned with an Intune license. In addition, the Enterprise Windows 365 desktop network “plugs into” the customer’s Azure vNet.  So, there are network egress charges for the Windows 365 Enterprise desktop since it exits from the customer’s Azure network.  

The Business Windows 365 license is more for SMB markets and companies that typically buy a standalone PC for business use.  The Windows 365 Business license does not require Intune and has no costs associated with network traffic since it entirely lives in the Microsoft-managed Azure subscription.  However, there are fewer possibilities for management, such as assigning a static IP address or controlling inbound and outbound traffic.

Azure Virtual Desktops have more “enterprisey” features for customers to take advantage of, including auto-scaling and reserved instances as examples. In addition, with AVD, admins can customize desktop storage like the OS disk storage size and types, including auto-scaling storage.  

Cloud PCs by way of Windows 365 have a fixed-disk size and type that cannot be customized since the service is a fixed price.  Customers also cannot auto-scale storage, and FSLogix is not used with Windows 365.  Cloud PCs powered by Windows 365 also store Windows profile data using standard Windows profiles located on the C: drive of the Windows 365 PC like a traditional PC.  

Azure Virtual Desktops make use of FSLogix profile container technology.  It allows multiple users to have their profile data dynamically attached to the AVD virtual machine to access their data easily.  While this removes the additional complexity of managing the centralized profile storage, it reintroduces the challenges of moving users from one Cloud PC to another using Windows 365.  

Both of the Microsoft DaaS technologies can make use of Active Directory in varying ways.  Azure Virtual Desktops require you have an existing Windows Active Directory infrastructure in place.  Azure AD join is not currently supported, but it is expected very soon.  Windows 365 Cloud PCs are natively joined to the Microsoft-managed Azure AD environment and do not support traditional Active Directory using a hybrid join or joining Azure ADDS PaaS service.  

But, is VDI the best solution for you?

There is no question that cloud-based services such as Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 make the VDI provisioning and management experience easier for organizations looking to provide desktop infrastructure for remote end-users. Additionally, these cloud-based DaaS solutions can potentially offer real benefits to organizations wanting to deliver remote desktops to end-users.

And don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of use cases where full virtual desktops make sense.  Usually full desktops make the most sense for power users in any given organization – typically engineers, graphic artists, developers, and others who need constant access to heavy graphics processing power with GPU acceleration. But the reality is that for a majority of users, they don’t need a full desktop – they simply need ultra-secure access to all of their business-critical applications on any device.   

Which is why with AVD and Windows 365 – and any other DaaS solution – organizations would do well to start by examining the actual needs of end-users. As mentioned, cloud-based VDI/virtual desktops can be overkill for remote end-users who only need access to a handful of business-critical applications.  Their interaction with a virtual desktop only serves to launch the applications they need, but the virtual desktop is not needed to deliver those applications.

As seen with the pivot to remote work at the onset of the pandemic, many businesses found that accessing applications was the actual need of most office workers.  Virtual Application Delivery is a secure remote access technology that presents applications to the end-user instead of full desktop sessions.  It provides many benefits for application access use cases over traditional VDI and even cloud-based DaaS solutions like Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD) and Windows 365 (Cloud PC).

Enter Virtual Application Delivery

Even with the simplified delivery of VDI desktops offered by AVD and Windows 365, these can still be overkill for pure application access. Virtual application delivery solutions, such as Cameyo, allow businesses to quickly and securely provide remote access to applications from any device, from the browser.  

Cameyo is simple (can be deployed in minutes instead of weeks/months) and provides foundational, native Zero Trust security.  And in addition to being a more simple, secure, and cost-effective alternative to virtual desktops, Cameyo is also the most flexible solution. Organizations can utilize Cameyo as a fully-hosted service in their choice of Google Cloud (GCP) or Azure, or they can self-host Cameyo in any environment including any cloud, hybrid, or on-premises. 

With Cameyo, no VPNs are required, and no other software client is required to access the Cameyo-powered digital workspace. In addition, users can access the full Windows desktop version of all of their applications on any device, in any modern browser session.

As you evaluate your organization’s needs, you may find that you need a combination of full VDI desktops (for a subset of power users) with Virtual Application Delivery (VAD) delivering ultra-secure access to business-critical applications for the remainder of your user base. 

Wrapping Up

The cloud has revolutionized the way businesses today deploy infrastructure.  With new Desktop-as-a-Service offerings by the likes of Microsoft and others, this even includes VDI.  Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Windows 365 are new offerings from Microsoft that aim to simplify the complexity of VDI for organizations looking to deploy virtual desktops for end-users.

But even with cloud-based Desktop-as-a-Service solutions like AVD and Windows 365, full virtual desktops are typically overkill when providing secure access to applications is the end-goal.  Virtual Application Delivery solutions like Cameyo provide simple, secure, cost-effective and flexible delivery of your applications to end-users without the need for full desktop sessions.  This approach reduces cost, complexity, and your attack surface.

Like tools in a toolbox, specific tools fit certain jobs.  VDI is an excellent tool for the subset of power users in any given organization who may still require a full desktop.  However, when it comes to delivering secure access to applications to the majority of your people, Virtual Application Delivery is often the better choice. Which is why third-party data from the 2021 VDI Like a Pro survey shows that more organizations are shifting from virtual desktops to virtual apps. 

Want to learn if Virtual Application Delivery is a good fit for your organization’s use cases? You can get started in 5 minutes or less with a free trial of Cameyo here, or you can book a demo and we’ll be happy to show you the platform in action and discuss whether or not it’s the right fit for your org. 

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