Desktop as a Service: The Next “as a service” Offering

Could there be a future in which users provision their own virtualized desktops?

If client virtualization is the next logical wave of development following server and storage virtualization, can the self-service Desktop as a Service (DaaS) be far behind?

Large organizations tend to use standard user images within a given workgroup, office or operations function. Virtualizing users’ desktops, whether or not they are standardized, brings the benefits of faster provisioning and updating — and ultimately lower management costs.

A growing number of organizations are letting staff bring their own devices to work. A few are even requiring BYOD, which greatly diminishes hardware costs but can increase administration and cybersecurity exposure from the data center point of view.

One approach to these issues could be self-provisioning by users for applications and services they might need or want beyond an organization’s standard image or set of images. By keeping these additional resources within the data center, the IT department would ensure that software remains up to date and could monitor who downloads what.

But moving in this direction would require chargeback mechanisms for resources that don’t carry an unlimited site license. Procurement and buying mechanisms, rather than technology, are other potential hurdles.

For more tips and information on data center optimization, download our Data Center Optimization reference guide.

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