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Over the last year, it became crystal clear just how indispensable the cloud is for society as a whole and especially businesses. When the pandemic forced everyone to stay at home, cloud technology kept us all connected. It also enabled companies to stay in operation through remote teams.
Prior to the pandemic starting, 24% of US employees worked from home anywhere between 3 to 5 days per week. After the pandemic, that number more than doubled to 53% (over half) of US workers being remote between 3-5 days per week.
One of the challenges with remote teams, whether they’re part-time or full-time remote is how to handle their desktop computer allocation.
Scenario 1:
New fully remote employee starts using their personal computer for work. This can cause both security issues if that device isn’t properly protected and performance problems if it does not have enough memory or processing power.
Scenario 2:
Employee is remote part of the time and in office the rest of the time. When at the office, they use their “main” desktop computer and when at home they use a personal computer, perhaps logging into the office computer for files, etc. as needed using remote desktop protocol (RDP).
This is problematic because employees don’t have a consistent workflow and leaves a vulnerability for breaches through RDP (which are common!).
Solution for Remote Teams
One of the solutions that’s been growing in popularity to solve both the scenarios above is using virtual desktops through a service like Amazon Workspaces.
What is Amazon WorkSpaces?
Amazon WorkSpaces is a virtual desktop system, also known as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS). Companies can provision either Windows or Linux desktops in minutes that are hosted on a cloud server and can be logged into from any device.
Having a virtual desktop is like having your “main computer” follow you around wherever you work, but you don’t have to lug a heavy computer around or risk damaging a laptop. When working from home, office, or even on the road, a person has the exact same experience, same settings, programs, and files. So, employees don’t have to feel hamstrung when working from one place instead of another.
Features & Benefits of Amazon WorkSpaces
Anywhere Accessibility for Your Computer
The biggest benefit of using Amazon WorkSpaces is that employees have access to their computer no matter where they are working. They don’t have to “email myself a file” to get something from an office PC to their home computer.
This ensures someone can be as productive as possible, no matter where they are working.
Enables BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
Employees can use the hardware they like to access their desktop on Amazon WorkSpaces. The performance of the computer or tablet a person is using doesn’t hold them back, because the RAM and processing power are coming from Amazon WorkSpaces, the employee device is simply being used as an access point.
This enables BYOD and allows employees to use the keyboard, screen, and mouse setups that are most comfortable for them.
Improves Endpoint Security
One of the headaches that companies face with remote teams is cybersecurity. Are employees are keeping those devices updated properly? Does their computer at home have proper antivirus?
20% of companies have experienced a security breach due to a remote worker since the pandemic began.
With Amazon WorkSpaces, you can easily apply consistent security policies across all desktop environments. You can ensure all operating systems and software are being kept updated and properly secured.
Reduces Technology Costs
Companies aren’t left with extra computers or laptops they’ve had to buy and then when employees leave, go unused. They also don’t have to purchase expensive computers with high performance and storage capabilities.
Instead, a virtual desktop can be provisioned and paid for as you need it. Companies can pay by the month or even by the hour for the resources their team is using.
This allows streamlining of IT budgeting because you’re only paying for what you use at any given time.
Freedom to Choose Your Configuration Templates
When you’re buying computer desktops the traditional way, you can be limited in the match between hardware and internal configuration because manufacturers will only offer so many options.
You can choose from a wide range of different hardware and software configurations when using Amazon Workspaces. The service allows you to choose from bundles services and allows you to create custom WorkSpaces with the components you want.
And you never have to worry about one employee not having the same configuration or computing power as another. You can save your configurations as “templates” and then provision as many of that same virtual desktop bundle as you like.
Go 100% Cloud with the Certified AWS Experts at Cloudavize!
Cloudadvize can help your Dallas-Fort Worth business make a smooth and cost-efficient transition to Amazon WorkSpaces for a better technology environment.
Contact Cloudavize today for a free consultation to get started.