A new whitepaper from IDC, “The Workspace-as-a-Service Opportunity: Why Now is the Time for Desktop as a Service” is a must-read for any organization facing the challenge of delivering applications and services to employees on mobile devices. According to IDC, corporate-liable smartphone shipments will reach 110 million units in 2014. In comparison, employee-liable smartphone shipments will exceed 220 million in 2014.
The increased productivity and collaboration that mobile technologies offer businesses is substantial. The ability to access the full workspace experience anywhere, anytime, on any device gives organizations incredible flexibility and agility. However, maximizing the benefits of mobile technology comes at the cost of adding significant complexity to IT operations. Minimizing cost and risk is challenging as well, considering that many organizations simply don’t have the expertise to deploy, manage, and scale client virtualization in an efficient and effective manner.
For these reasons, IDC has determined that “it makes more sense than ever for IT leaders to consider a cloud-based client virtualization offering.” This can be achieved through remote access of a centralized virtual desktop through the cloud, commonly known as Desktop as a Service (DaaS).
The whitepaper explores key topics relating to when desktop virtualization is an option, benefits organizations can gain from cloud-based DaaS, integration challenges IT will need to meet, and important considerations to keep in mind when selecting a cloud provider.
Read the IDC whitepaper for yourself. You can also learn more about Desktop as a Service as well as locate providers offering enterprise-class DaaS tailored to meet your specific business needs.
Xander, you said “…many organizations simply don’t have the expertise to deploy, manage, and scale client virtualization…”
Choose a thoughtfully designed platform and you won’t need specialized expertise. I’ve been using the Google Apps service on a Chromebook, Nexus tablet and Android smartphone. The Google suite is a very capable offering, and works flawlessly and securely across all mobile devices.
Also, unlike many of “enterprise-grade” collaboration tools that promise to develop useful functionality, Google Hangouts is a full-featured free service that does everything you would expect, today.
Thanks for your insights David. There are many new and innovative ways to solve the virtualization and automation issues facing businesses today. I’m confident the market will endorse the solutions that best address the diversity of needs.
Agreed, Xander, there’s a huge upside market opportunity in this space, and Cisco is well positioned to address the needs and wants of informed enterprise customers.
Besides, the ongoing adoption of consumer-oriented SaaS offerings will create the demand for more CIOs and IT leaders to procure their own “approved” solutions. It’s a win-win scenario. Therefore, I anticipate new momentum during 2015, particularly from a business productivity enhancement perspective.