Debunking the Top 10

Cloud-Hosted Desktop Myths

Mythbusting DaaS Page 1

 Summary Desktops as a Service (DaaS) is the delivery of a virtual desktop
offered as a hosted service by a service provider. DaaS has the
potential to radically change the way desktops are purchased and
managed. However, as is typical with such emerging, disruptive
technologies, there is a good deal of confusion about what is and
isnt possible with DaaS.

This paper exposesand debunksthe top 10 DaaS myths,

which range from supposed cost, user experience and security
issues, to ease of use, licensing and integration limitations. It
shows how, by consuming virtual desktops as a cloud-hosted
service, businesses can deliver high-performing desktops to users
on any device in minutes, easing IT management burdens and
reducing the total cost of desktop ownership.

Mythbusting DaaS Page 2

 1
S U n d e r Microsoft Licensing
You Can t D o D a a
ibility of
re ce nt ly ab ou t th e difficulty or imposs
of noise way given the
There has been a lot nic all y via ble and cost-effective
marke t in a te ch
offering DaaS to the to offer DaaS
icr os of t lic en sin g. Not only is it possible
by M Powered service
challenges imposed VM wa re Horizon DaaS
wa re an d ot he r ing it.
successfully, but VM po rtu nit y an d or ga nizations are consum
oving on this op
providers are also m
ovider runs
ow s 7 cli en t de sktop: The service pr
W ind t VDA
For a full dedicated er an d th e en d cu stomer uses Microsof
r each custom eady own
dedicated servers fo th e W ind ow s desktops. If you alr
ss) licensin g fo r
(virtual desktop acce s you to
d us er de vic e, it inc ludes VDA and allow
on the en atform can be
Software Assurance on Da aS multi-tenant DaaS pl
sktop. Th e Ho riz
access the virtual de ement, shared
en t lay er, re du cin g the costs of manag
agem
leveraged for the man
g.
storage and networkin s can be
d W ind ow s Se rv er OS: Windows Server
dicate In this case, VMware
For a shared or de er license agreement).
(se rv ice pr ov id rver
licensed using SPLA rv ice pr ov id er s ca n rent a Windows Se
DaaS Powered se can
or VMware Horizon e Ho riz on Da aS multi-tenant platform
onthly basis . Th ers. This
to a customer on a m an d sh are it with multiple custom
partition a se rv er
provide the ability to te da ta st or es and VLANs per cu
stomer,
providing se pa ra
is done securely by te resources.
to ac hie ve 10 0% fulfillment of compu
provid er
allowing the service

2
Only Shared Session-Based Desktops Can Be
Used for DaaS
Many believe that you can only use a shared desktop technology like terminal
services to deliver DaaS. This is true when looking at traditional VDI technology.
However, VDI technology with true multi-tenancy like the Horizon DaaS Platform,
is capable of delivering full featured VDI desktops. A dedicated virtual desktop
delivers a user experience that surpasses that of terminal services. This makes
the DaaS user experience consistently strong regardless of how many people
concurrently access their desktops. A dedicated desktop allows users to work
with their desktop in the same manner they work with their traditional physical
PC. They can customize it and install applications.

Even if shared desktop technologies could be rigged for DaaS, they wouldnt
necessarily be appropriate for all users for the simple reason that they do not
allow local installations. Commonly used online services, such as WebEx, Skype
and Dropbox, would be off limits, rendering the solution ineffective.

Mythbusting DaaS Page 3

 3
DaaS is Too Expensive
While traditional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can be expen
sive, requiring
a hefty upfront cash/CAPEX investment, DaaS offers an alternative
approach.
Traditional VDI requires purchasing and supporting new infrastructur
e, such
as servers, networking and storage, whereas DaaS has no upfron
t capital
expenditures and lower ongoing OpEx. Thats because rather than
providing
your own infrastructure, youre utilizing VMwares or a VMware Horizo
n
DaaS Powered service provider environment. And, since you only
pay for the
resources you need, not only are the costs associated with DaaS
predictable,
you benefit from the buying power of large service providers.

On an ongoing basis, DaaS is an affordable alternative for those

daunted by the
upfront investment required with VDI. Provisioning efforts and related
expenses
are dramatically lower because there are no physical machines to
rollout; you
simply click on the Horizon DaaS portal to order and configure virtual
desktops.
Decommissioning is just as quick.

DaaS also minimizes time-consuming, expensive help-desk suppo

rt. Repairing
a desktop is as easy as refreshing it with a new virtual machine (VM).
There is no
downtime, no lost productivity because of users waiting for deskto
p to be fixed,
and no lost revenue.

4
DaaS Delivers Poor User Experience
better than, a rich
The Horizon DaaS user experience is as good, if not
d terminal services
client experience, and significantly better than a share
based desktop.
may be physically far
Horizon DaaS enables rapid servicing of users who
ize performance by
away from the VDI datacenter. With DaaS, you can optim
desktop providers. That
partnering with VMware or other proven cloud-hosted
where proximity to users
way you can take advantage of global data centers
econd latency. Horizon
and world-class infrastructure results in sub-20 millis
se best-fit protocols for
DaaS Powered service providers also allow you to choo
match depending on the
task workers, graphics and video needs, and mix and
use case.

Mythbusting DaaS Page 4

 5
DaaS Security is Lacking
risk. This is
Some businesses are concerned that DaaS will put their data at
where data
an unjustified fear. DaaS can be more secure than traditional PCs,
resides locally and can easily be lost or stolen.
(see
With DaaS, each employees data resides in the corporate data center
g
Myth #6) not on the users device and not offsite at the cloud hostin
level of
provider. Even if a users device is lost, the data is protected. A high
s and policies
security is ensured by maintaining your corporate security feature
have to
(i.e. with firewalls and Active-Directory controls). No longer do you
rk.
worry about viruses from local desktops infecting the corporate netwo

6
DaaS Wont Work with
Your Onsite IT Assets
Many believe that becaus
e their desktop is now in
IT assets located onsite. the cloud, they cant ac
Horizon DaaS is designe cess
any IT asset. This includ d to securely work with
es resources that are on virtually
offsite at your Horizon Da site at your organization
aS Powered service, su or
Directory and enterprise ch as shared storage, Ac
applications. Horizon Da tive
can also integrate with oth aS Powered service pro
er cloud services for an viders
Users will be able to use enhanced overall offering
their cloud-hosted desk .
their old physical PC. tops exactly how they us
ed

Mythbusting DaaS Page 5

 7
DaaS Does Not Support Cons
umerization of IT
Not only is consumerization of
IT supported, but DaaS also
easier to implement and manag makes it much
e. DaaS is ideal for bring you
(BYOD) approaches, since em r own device
ployees can get their Windows
whatever hardware they choose desktops on
, including iPads, Macbooks,
Android devices and more. Chromebooks,

Horizon DaaS virtual desktop

users can easily segregate wo
life without having to carry two rk from personal
devices. IT wins with DaaS too
desktop, you can ensure sec . Inside the virtual
ure, policy-controlled access
network. Everything outside the to the corporate
corporate virtual desktop can
discretion of the users, who sup be at the
port their own personal device
and software.

8
Migrating Users to DaaS is Hard
cially when you compare migrating
Its actually a lot easier than you think, espe
rs can customize their desktops to
DaaS users to replacing a PC or laptop. Use
also install their own applications
look and feel exactly as theyd like. They can
al desktops can connect to
and data. And, because Horizon DaaS virtu
ers and monitors, employees can
peripherals such as local and network print
. Its simple, fast and requires
use their desktops just as they have in the past
multi-tenant platform can also
little to no user training. The Horizon DaaS
e it with multiple customers. This
provide the ability to partition a server and shar
stores and VLANs per customer,
is done securely by providing separate data
provider to achieve 100%
allowing the Horizon DaaS Powered service
fulfillment of complete resources.

Mythbusting DaaS Page 6

 9
DaaS Requires Lots of Bandwidth
will be
This is a misconception because people erroneously believe they
is more
downloading a desktop every time they use DaaS. Average DSL
than sufficient to accommodate DaaS.
is
When you connect to your Horizon DaaS desktop, the entire screen
that
initially painted. However, as you continue working, only the pixels
the
change are transmitted back to the endpoint. As a result, most of
d from the
bandwidth is downstream since changes to the screen are pushe
idth
virtual desktop to the endpoint. This matches up well with how bandw
tude
is provisioned, as download bandwidth is usually on orders of magni
greater than upload bandwidth.

10
The Disconnected Use
Case is a
Deal-Breaker
Cloud-hosted desktops,
as well as traditional VD
device to be connected I, require the users
. However, this is not a big
In fact, Wi-Fi and 3G/4G issue for businesses.
has become so prevalen
any instances where thi t, we havent heard of
s prevented an organiza
reaping substantial bene tion from adopting and
fits from cloud-hosted de
sktops.
The reality is that most us
ers dont need continual
disconnected access. Ma or even frequent
ny people who need to
generally want it at ad ho be connected
c times for email, and the
easily with wireless and y can do that pretty
Wi-Fi, and devices like sm
The few users who do ne artphones and iPads.
ed continual connections
with rich laptops. can be provisioned

Mythbusting DaaS Page 7

 Conclusion DaaS has rapidly gained momentum with businesses of all sizes
because it delivers tremendous benefits without an extensive
upfront investment. Although not intended to be the solution for
every user in your organization, the fact that DaaS is so flexible,
secure, manageable, inexpensive and high-performing, makes it
ideal for the majority of workers.

We encourage you to explore cloud-hosted virtual desktops with

VMware Horizon DaaS. VMware Horizon DaaS enables companies
to deliver virtual workspaces to their end usersincluding full
Windows Client desktops, shared desktops and applications
as a monthly subscription service. VMware enables a risk-free,
incremental evolution of the next generation workspace. It
provides a complete virtual workspace from the cloud, delivering
desktops and applications as an easily managed, integrated
cloud service. Enterprises can rapidly provision desktops and
applications to users on any device, anywhere. And virtual
desktops are transformed from the CAPEX outlay inherent in
enterprise onsite desktop virtualization and physical PC refreshes,
into a predictable, easy to budget OPEX item.

To learn more about VMware Horizon DaaS:

www.vmware.com/go/daas

VMware, Inc.
3401 Hillview Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 USA
Tel 877-486-9273 | Fax 650-427-5001 | www.vmware.com

Copyright 2014 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected
by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware
products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.
com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware,
Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names
mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Item No:
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Mythbusting DaaS Page 8