Enterprise IT teams have had a long-standing struggle to find a better way to manage and secure corporate-owned PCs. Amitabh Sinha, CEO, and Co-Founder, Workspot states that it’s clear that the PC, as a physical form factor that houses productivity applications and an operating system, is a model that is ripe for disruption, but how? Let’s check it out.
For decades, enterprise IT teams have struggled to find a better way to manage and secure corporate-owned PCs. Keeping operating systems and applications patched around the world; managing access to enterprise resources for employees and contractors; maintaining and replacing PCs across remote officesOpens a new window ; maintaining security and compliance when PCs are lost or stolen; and managing secure access for a broad range of devices and operating systems Opens a new window (OS) all add up to a costly, labor-intensive burden for large organizations. It’s clear that the PC, as a physical form factor that houses productivity applications and an operating system, is a model that is ripe for disruption.
Fortunately, the maturation of public cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) have created a rich opportunity for organizations to rethink their data center and IT strategies. CIOs are increasingly adopting cloud-first mandates, as they determine that cloud services give their organization better agility to respond to business needs. More specifically, the basic cloud infrastructure necessary to run virtual desktops from the cloud are now in place to help fulfill these mandates.
High-speed global cloud infrastructures like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services; low-cost, secure endpoints;Opens a new window ubiquitous wireless networks; and software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms that make it possible for IT to quickly provision and manage virtual desktops around the globe mean that it’s finally possible to deconstruct the PC as we know it. Key functions of the traditional individual PC can now be reorganized and redistributed into four separate layers – leveraging the cloud to dramatically reduce the burden of enterprise PC maintenance and management, while improving security, supporting end-user mobility, and reducing cost.
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Layers of the Perfect PCThe “perfect PC†is going to look different for every organization, but we believe it can be configured from the same essential layers or elements: a secure, low-cost endpoint, ubiquitous high-speed wireless networks, a solution for provisioning and managing virtual desktops in any region of the cloud, and a globally available public cloud. Let’s look more closely at each of these layers and outline what end-users must consider at each level to maximize productivity with respect to their specific needs.
1) A low-cost endpoint – The good news is that there has never been more flexibility and choice both for IT and for end-users when it comes to low cost, secure endpoints.
Microsoft Surface Go, Chromebook, and a broad range of Android tablets and phones are all good candidates. End users should be able to use virtually any endpoint—or multiple endpoints—to securely access their cloud-based “PC.†When at the office or home, these devices are easily connected to a keyboard and multiple monitors for large-screen productivity. It’s no longer necessary to lug a laptop everywhere. Users can access their desktop from anywhere, leaving “home†devices at home, “work†devices at work, and smaller form factor devices for on-the-go.
2) The Wireless Network is the Next Layer of the Perfect PC
Any wireless network, such as WLANOpens a new window , 4G or in the future, 5GOpens a new window is fine, as long as it’s configured securely and trusted. Today, inside the office or home, most users have access to high performance, low latency networks via their cable modems or DSL. In the future, 5G networks Opens a new window will further improve operations, by delivering high performance, low latency connectivity everywhere.
3) A Virtual Desktop is a Way End-users Experience OS and Applications With the Perfect PC
A number of platforms exist – from Microsoft’s WVD to AWS Workspaces to Workspot – to deliver various flavors of desktops to meet organizational needs. IT managers should weigh considerations as they evaluate cloud desktop solutions.
- Do they want to DIY or do they need a turnkey solution?
- Does their organization require native Windows 10 or is a Windows 10 experience adequate?
- What performance is required for the end-users?
- Do they need persistent desktops or shared desktop infrastructureOpens a new window ?
- Does the system need to support the company’s corporate image, security stack and management tools?
The answers to these questions can help identify the right solution for your organization.
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4) The Final Layer of the Perfect PC is an Elastic, Global Public Cloud Infrastructure
Legacy data centers could never deliver the high-speed, low-latency connections needed to support users on virtual desktops distributed around the globe. But with the right cloud desktop solution, modern public cloud infrastructures Opens a new window like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform can provide the foundation that gives almost every user access to a cloud region with very low latency. Evergreen infrastructure combined with centralized management enables IT to rapidly adapt to changing requirements and ensure maximum productivity for every user in the organization.
By breaking the architecture of the end-user computing experience into four layers, enterprises receive significant benefits for not only the end-user but also IT and the entire organization. For one thing, IT no longer has to deal with the expense and complexity of doing a PC refresh; the team can provision less-expensive endpoints that don’t need frequent replacement. In addition, the enterprise realizes greater agility because IT can bring new users online easily in just a few minutes, regardless of their location.
Further, by creating a central hub for desktops in the cloud and using multi-factor authentication from a secure, stateless endpoint, the enterprise more easily meets compliance and security requirements. Finally, because enterprises and their employees can now access a robust collaboration framework, evergreen hardware and new use case possibilities, the cloud’s boundless scalability opens the door to new business opportunities.
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