By Samuel Msiska

Agility, the need to move beyond the status core in business is a core principle of every business strategy. It is common knowledge that flexibility (embracing new changes) is a paramount characteristic an entrepreneur must possess for the growth and survival of their business. With Covid-19 changing the way businesses run, businesses have to be flexible by redesigning their business strategies if they are to grow, reach out to new customers amidst the pandemic while keeping expenses as minimal as possible. It goes without saying that this can be achieved if businesses integrate digital transformation rather than sticking to traditional ways of doing things. If implemented well, digital integration can be a significant abler in business growth. One of the components of digital transformation is the adoption of technologies that can allow people to work from home (remote working). Remote working has had a bad reputation in the past but now more companies, even the Fortune 500 companies, are adopting working from home policies. One of the Fortune 500 companies, Google, recently announced earlier this month that it will allow some of its employees to permanently work from home. There is no possible way Google can make such a major decision without assessing the short and long-term impacts this can have on its growth. The company must’ve seen the effectiveness of working from home and how this can contribute to its performance. One of the technologies that are helping in remote learning is desktop virtualization. Desktop virtualization is a technology that allows users to connect to a desktop remotely using any device. With desktop virtualization, employees can telecommunicate and work from home as though they were in their offices. Let us look at some of the ways desktop environments can be virtualized.

Remote Desktop Services (RDS)

Remote Desktop Services, previously known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 and earlier, is a feature in Microsoft Server that allows a user to connect to a remote computer or virtual machine over the internet or a local network. Using a remote Desktop HTML5 Web Client or a computer running a client desktop machine that supports Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a user logs in to a remote server. Once the credentials are authorized, the user is connected to a virtual desktop and access files, applications, and systems the same they would with a physical computer. Data packets transferred between the user and the server is encrypted using low, medium or high level of encryption to avoid malicious eavesdroppers. The high level of encryption uses 40-bit RC4 encryption.

Advantages

• Allows a user to use windows based applications on other operating systems and devices.
• Security: the data is stored on the server therefore it cannot be transferred to the user`s device
• Creates virtual channels which allow access to COM ports and other devices such as printer and disk. 

Disadvantages

• The client cannot reboot the remote machine
• Does not allow customization as the user accesses the server

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

This is a cloud computing service offered by a third-party provider, providing customers the ability to remotely connect to virtual desktops in the provider’s servers located in a data center. It also includes the delivery of virtual applications via a public or private cloud. The client can access the virtual apps or desktop via a web browser or a secure application that can run on any device such as a tablet, laptop, or phone. The DaaS provider handles everything from the maintenance of servers, security updates, data, and storage and offers its services on a pay-as-you-go subscription plan to its customers. For businesses, DaaS allows employees to work from anywhere in the world on any device as long as there is internet connectivity. 

Advantages

• Cost-effective: removes the burden of maintaining on-premise IT infrastructure and the purchase of new devices
• Flexibility: employees can access applications and files from anywhere on any device
• Increased security: since data and applications are stored on the cloud, the chances of hacking attacks is low

Disadvantages

• Requires a stable and fast internet connection for better user experience and application performance
• You really need to trust the service provider if you are keeping sensitive and private data on their servers

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

VDI is a cloud computing service that uses Virtual Machines (VMs) running in centralized servers to virtualized desktop environments. The virtual desktops can be accessed by a user over the internet with any endpoint device such as a laptop, tablet, phone, and so on. The main architecture behind VDI is a hypervisor and a connection broker. A hypervisor is software installed on a server that splits the hardware from its underlying operating system. This permits multiple virtual desktops to be deployed from one server. A user connects to a virtual desktop via a software gateway known as a connection gateway. The connection gateway is also responsible for authenticating the login details each time a user signs in. 

Advantages

• Low hardware requirements since desktop computing run on a server, not the endpoint device
• Security: data is stored on the server, not the endpoint device, therefore, preventing data loss or exposure of sensitive data if the device is lost.
• Gives the best performance when working with graphic-intensive applications

Disadvantages

• Expensive compared with RDS and Daas
• Training for first-time users of VDI is challenging
• Finding a qualified VDI architect is not easy

Final words

It is prudent for an entrepreneur to do a feasibility study before choosing which desktop virtualization technology to adopt. Every business wants to generate enough revenue while keeping investment and running costs as minimal as possible thus checking how much the business is willing to invest into desktop virtualization is another important aspect to consider.