What is Desktop as a Service (DaaS)?

DaaS is highly scalable and cost-effective. It enables organizations to adhere to strict security and compliance measures while providing secure remote access and allows for bring-your-device (BYOD) policies.

DaaS solutions are even cloud-friendly, allowing organizations to use the public cloud, stay on-premises, or take a hybrid approach.

How does DaaS work?

DaaS is leveraged via private or public cloud services. DaaS infrastructure is multi-tenant, allowing multiple users to access virtual desktops in the cloud environment.

In a DaaS setup, a third-party cloud provider generally hosts the back-end infrastructure of a VDI or virtual desktop infrastructure.

Learn more about what Parallels DaaS means.

The provider creates virtual desktops and delivers them over a cloud network. Providers are also responsible for hosting the storage, network resources, and the entire DaaS infrastructure.

Organizations can purchase virtual desktops through a subscription model; the pricing typically depends on the number of users.

They can access the services and the files via a secure endpoint application or an HTML-based web browser through an internet connection.

Organizations generally have the responsibility to manage the desktop images but are spared from upfront operational costs.

What is the role of DaaS for organizations?

A DaaS solution is ideal for organizations that prioritize security and flexibility when providing access to applications and data.

Some typical scenarios where DaaS can be advantageous include:

• Users with multiple endpoints. Some roles, such as software development, may require a user to work from more than one device. Rather than switching between many devices or multiple OSs on a single PC, a user can access several distinct virtual desktops with DaaS.
• Contractual or seasonal workers. DaaS can help IT admins provision virtual desktops for a seasonal or contractual workers in minutes. They can also decommission such a desktop quickly when the employee leaves the organization.
• Mobile and remote workers. DaaS provides secure anywhere, anytime, and any-device access to corporate resources. Mobile and remote workers can leverage these features to enhance productivity in the organization.
• Onboarding, offboarding, and mergers and acquisitions. DaaS simplifies the provision and deployment of new desktops for new employees, allowing IT administrators to unify an entire organization’s network quickly after a merger or acquisition.
• Educational institutions. IT administrators can provide each teacher or student with an individual virtual desktop, complete with necessary privileges. When such users leave the organization, their desktops get decommissioned with just a few clicks.
• Healthcare professionals. Privacy is a major concern in many healthcare settings. With DaaS, IT administrators can easily customize desktop permissions and rules based on the user. This allows individual access to each healthcare professional’s own virtual desktop which only permits them to see relevant patient information.

How does DaaS differ from other models?

DaaS is essentially VDI which is managed by a third party. DaaS offers all the advantages of VDI, with the reduced need for management. It differs from

PaaS vs DaaS

A DaaS setup provides users access to a virtual desktop environment, while PaaS or platform-as-a-service provides tools or a platform for building and managing applications.

IaaS vs DaaS

A DaaS solution provides users with virtual desktops and the associated virtual infrastructure that permits users to access their desktops remotely from any device, while IaaS or infrastructure-as-a-service provides virtualized resources like servers, storage, and networking.

SaaS vs DaaS

While DaaS and SaaS or software as a service both provide end users with access to applications and data via the device(s) of their choice, DaaS offers a complete virtual desktop experience while SaaS delivers only individual applications.

What is the role of DaaS in cloud computing?

At its most basic, DaaS is a way of delivering complete cloud-based virtual desktops, over the internet.

Typically, organizations leverage the DaaS model through a third-party service who manages the DaaS solution composed of virtual desktops and the underlying infrastructure. This third party is referred to as a DaaS provider.

How does DaaS differ from VDI?

From the end user’s perspective, there are no noticeable differences between applications and desktops delivered by DaaS and those delivered by VDI.

However, for the organization paying for the DaaS service or solution and for the people in charge of managing the DaaS environments, there are some important nuances.

DaaS serves a similar function as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) but it is hosted and managed by a third-party provider in the cloud.

Instead of deploying and maintaining the physical servers and infrastructure needed to host virtual desktops, organizations outsource this task to DaaS providers who manage the backend infrastructure.

Multi-tenant vs single tenant

DaaS environments follow a multi-tenant model meaning resources are shared among multiple customers/organizations.

On the other hand, VDI environments usually follow a single-tenant model, wherein all resources in a VDI environment are consumed by a single organization. Although some VDI solutions do have multi-tenant capabilities, the feature is used to deliver DaaS to customers.

Infrastructure construction and management

DaaS customers don’t need to build, deploy, and manage the underlying infrastructure, which may consist of an on-premises data center, networking apparatus, physical servers, storage devices, cooling systems, hypervisors, the VDI control plane, and more.

These responsibilities are all absorbed by the DaaS provider. With VDI, customers handle these responsibilities. That said, there are VDI solutions that can be deployed in the cloud.

For these, a substantial portion of the aforementioned infrastructure responsibilities are typically handled by the cloud provider. Deployment, administration, and maintenance of the VDI control plane are still covered by the customer.

OPEX vs CAPEX

DaaS costs are based mostly on operating expenditures (OPEX), while VDI costs are based mostly on capital expenditures (CAPEX). Accordingly, DaaS customers often have more ongoing costs, while VDI customers have greater upfront costs.

Digital asset control

Since DaaS environments are managed by third parties, customers don’t have complete control of your digital assets. In contrast, VDI environment deployed on-premises means that the organization’s IT administrator may know exactly which rack the VDI solution is running on, or which storage device holds the most sensitive assets.

Scalability and flexibility

Like most cloud environments, DaaS environments are highly scalable, and organizations can expand and contract their fleet of virtual desktops on-demand and with ease.

VDI environments are not as flexible, unless they are deployed in the cloud. Although the VDI solution itself might be scalable, that scalability can be limited by the underlying physical infrastructure like physical servers and storage systems.

Persistent vs nonpersistent desktops

A persistent desktop is a virtual desktop that retains unique user-specific settings, preferences, and data across sessions.

This means that every time a user logs in, they are returned to the same environment they left, with the same desktop configuration, settings, files, and applications.

Files saved by the user are kept intact and can be accessed in future sessions.

Persistent desktops are Ideal for users who need a stable, customized environment or require a persistent workspace, such as developers, IT admins, or designers.

They do necessitate higher resource consumption and more complex management for administrators, as updates and patches need to be managed per user or virtual desktop.

A non-persistent desktop is a virtual desktop that does not retain user data, settings, or preferences between sessions.

Every time the user logs in, they are assigned a fresh desktop with a default configuration.

The user experience is not personalized, and users lose any locally saved files, installed applications, or other changes made when they log out.

The desktop image is shared among multiple users, and individual user changes don't affect others.

Nonpersistent desktops are ideal for tasks that don’t require personalization, such as temporary office work, kiosks, call centers, or temporary workstations for contractors or freelancers.

Nonpersistent desktops can be reset easily, making it easier to maintain security and compliance as no sensitive data persists between sessions. Management is simplified, since administrators only need to manage the base image or template.

What are the advantages or benefits of DaaS?

DaaS offers many advantages or benefits to organizations seeking a secure way to seamlessly deliver desktops (and their associated applications and data) to remote, on-site, or hybrid teams.

That’s likely why almost 50% of IT professionals working for these companies are planning to implement DaaS, and nearly 40% have already have and plan to keep using it according to our Hybrid Cloud Report.

Security

DaaS allows for more robust security measures managed by the provider, such as data encryption, access controls, and regular updates.

It also eliminates the risk of sensitive data on individual user devices (which can be lost or compromised), instead centralizing everything in the cloud.

Cost-efficiency

DaaS solutions are often pay-as-you-go or offer subscription pricing, which lowers the upfront costs.

They also reduce the time and effort required from IT staff, since the DaaS provider typically handles the infrastructure maintenance, updates, and security.

Flexibility

DaaS allows organizations to quickly scale up or down based on workforce demands or business requirements.

IT admins can add or remove user access to desktops as needed without physically managing hardware.

Management

Using a DaaS solution simplifies management because the desktop infrastructure is centralized in the cloud.

Data redundancy

DaaS solutions allow for data redundancy since data is stored in multiple geographically diverse data centers, reducing the overall risk of data loss.

Employee experience

With DaaS, employees or end users enjoy easy access to a consistent work environment from the device of their choice.

This access and consistency simplifies onboarding, eliminates much of the need for local hardware management, and enables BYOD programs.

Self-service tools

A DaaS solution allows for self-service because end users have secure remote access to their web-based virtual desktops and apps.

This self-service frees up time and reduces the barriers to productivity.

Increased productivity

Opting for a DaaS solution enhances productivity by allowing users to get their desktops up and running quickly from any device with an internet connection.

It enables remote work, offers flexible access to applications, and streamlines management for the IT department.

What are some challenges of DaaS?

While these solutions offer many advantages, DaaS poses some challenges as well.

Network connectivity issues

DaaS solutions require a consistent internet connection, so areas with unreliable internet access, low latency, and regular outages may lead to less than stellar virtual desktop performance.

Vendor lock-in

If an organization grows dependent on a particular DaaS provider, switching to another provider may prove too complex, expensive, or otherwise difficult.

Ongoing costs

DaaS typically has low upfront costs, but ongoing expenditures can add up.

These include subscription costs for both the DaaS solution and any necessary software licenses, network infrastructure, and hardware costs (where applicable).

Application compatibility

Not all applications are optimized for or otherwise fully compatible with DaaS solutions.

Accordingly, not all software will function seamlessly within the virtual desktop environment.

Some potential conflicts are incompatibility with the chosen operating system(s), specific configurations, or other dependencies not supported by the DaaS solution in place.

Data reliability

Since opting for DaaS often means that an organization is relying on an eternal provider, there’s potential for inconsistencies and general concerns about data quality.

What are some everyday use cases for DaaS at businesses or organizations?

Data security

Organizations dealing with high volumes of sensitive data across multiple locations or have a dispersed workforce (or both) may prefer the data security inherent to DaaS.

Since sensitive data is centralized within a secure cloud environment only accessible to authorized users (and often with encryption and other robust access controls), the risks associated with local data storage or individual devices are mitigated.

Business continuity

DaaS solutions protect the ability for teams to access critical data and applications via secure remote access from any device with an internet connection, even during a catastrophic event or natural disaster.

This capability helps ensure business operations can continue with minimal disruption and downtime, enabling remote work and overall productivity.

Regulatory compliance

Organizations that handle sensitive data (e.g., healthcare providers or financial institutions) need to manage and centralize that data in a secure environment that adheres to the relevant industry regulations.

A DaaS solution can include features like access controls, data encryption, and automated updates that help businesses meet legal obligations related to data privacy and security across different jurisdictions.

Hybrid work model

Organizations use DaaS solutions to provide remote and distributed workforces with consistent secure access to their desktops, applications, and data, regardless of their location or device.

How do you do deploy DaaS at your organization?

Ready to try Parallels DaaS at your organization?

Sign up and register your Parallels DaaS account

Create your My Parallels account and add a DaaS license key to access the DaaS service.

Connect your Microsoft Azure subscription to host resources.

You’ll need to configure your subscription and link it to Parallels DaaS to utilize its cloud computing power.

Configure your virtual desktops

Set up your virtual machines with the required operating systems and applications.

install required line-of-business applications

Make sure your teams have the applications they need, right on their virtual desktop. Utilize your existing Golden Images or start fresh.

Invite your teams to access their desktops

Set up and share their login credentials and more through the Parallels DaaS portal. You can help them get started with the Parallels DaaS user experience guide.

You can manage the deployment and maintenance (including inviting and removing users) through the Parallels DaaS management portal all while leveraging your existing Azure subscription for the cloud infrastructure.

If you want more information on how to deploy Parallels DaaS, check our Parallels DaaS Administrator’s Guide.

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