Everything you need to know about Cloud Desktops as a virtualization solution

Everything you need to know about Cloud Desktops as a virtualization solution

About Leostream Leostream offers the ultimate hosted desktop solution for organizations of all sizes. No setup fees. No contracts. As low as $10 a month. Small Business Users Available anytime, anywhere, from any device Personalize and customize Inexpensive and hassle-free Easy to manage Enterprise Users Advanced pooling Flexible resource management integration with existing infrastructure Educators Create secure testing environments Deploy persistent or pooled desktops varieties Resellers Earn a healthy margin Reduce customer management time Build a recurring service revenue stream Build your brand

Cloud desktops recreate the way organizations of all sizes deliver computing resources Introduction Desktop virtualization, and specifically cloud desktops, may well turn out to be the most disruptive innovation to hit the technological market since server vir 1 tualization in the 1990 s. Cloud desktops recreate the way organizations of all sizes deliver computing resources while streamlining IT management and im proving employee productivity and financial outcomes. This whitepaper sets the foundation for everything you need to know about cloud desktops as a virtualization solution.

Chapter 1 4 Trends that Spawned Cloud Desktops What is causing the cloud desktop revolution you ask? In this chapter, we ll discuss how at the intersection of the consumerization of IT, BYOD, mobile device-crazed consumers, and flexible work environments you find a need for cloud desktops.

1 2 Consumerization of IT Consumerization of IT, a phrase used to describe the cyclical nature of information technology adoption, is all about I want--what I want--when I want. Technology emerges in the consumer market first and then permeates into organizations. This cycle is largely a result of the workforce using emerging technologies and devices at home and then introducing them to their place of employment. BYOD The BYOD movement in the workplace is the result of the consumerization of IT. This popular trend is used to describe employees who bring their own computers and mobile devices to the workplace, often times without the explicit permission of IT. They connect to corporate networks on these devices, and store both personal and work related data. Although encouraging BYOD provides some serious cost-savings, CIO s often lose sleep over security concerns.

3 4 Mobility The unstoppable rise of smartphone and tablet usage drives the demand for desktop access on mobile devices. For most businesses smartphones and tablets will not entirely replace PCs, but the ubiquity of smartphones and the increasing popularity of tablets are changing both the way consumers embrace devices and business device strategies, according to Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. With 13 million tablets predicted to be purchased by businesses in 2013 the mobile trend will enhance flexible work policies. 2 Flexibility Flexibility is the mantra of this decade. Companies are rebuilding their work environments, and they are doing it in a much more flexible manner. With an increase in flex hour policies and telecommuting, employees are no longer tied to their workstations between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Additionally, organizations are hiring more consultants and temporary workers who need to get up and running fast with fully loaded work stations. Cloud desktops provide a safe and secure platform that not only supports these trends, but enhances the user s experience.

What is a Cloud Desktop? Historically, a user s regular desktop has been tied to the specific hardware running the underlying operating system. A cloud desktop, on the other hand, is a virtual machine running in a data center and accessible from a Web browser. Each cloud desktop behaves like a physical desktop in that users can customize it however they like (installing applications, changing background images, what have you). However, unlike physical desktops, a cloud desktop is no longer tied to a particular physical device. It goes wherever the user goes. With a cloud desktop you can run complex applications that are traditionally not supported by your device. For example, you can access Photoshop on your ipad or demo a product that is specifically designed for a PC on a tablet. Desktops as a Service The specific offering provided by cloud desktop vendors has been coined Desktop-as-a-Service or DaaS. DaaS companies offer hosted desktops on a monthly subscription model or a pay-asyou-go model, allowing customers to trade capital expense for operating expense, lowering the total cost of ownership for the entire IT infrastructure. While there are many vendors offering desktops as a service, a key differentiator between all these vendors is where they host their desktops.

DaaS in the Semi-Private (or Hybrid) Cloud The majority of DaaS offerings are provided by companies who build a semi-private cloud in their data center. The DaaS company takes on the cost and complexity of implementing the virtual desktop infrastructure, and then, in a sense, rents out a portion of this infrastructure to its customers. Vendors that build their own data center typically use well-established virtualization platforms, such as those by VMware or Citrix, and offer Microsoft desktop operating systems, such as Windows 7. The costs associated with building the data center and providing the Microsoft operating system place the price tag for this type of DaaS too high to push DaaS into the mainstream. In addition, most DaaS companies require significant commitments for desktop usage, further increasing the price tag for semi-private DaaS solutions. DaaS in the Public Cloud To overcome the cost hurdles associated with semi-private clouds, DaaS vendors turned to the public cloud as their hosting provider. Public clouds are managed by respected enterprises, such as Amazon and HP, and provide highly available and secure platforms for hosting desktops. In addition, public clouds include built-in Microsoft operating system licenses for Windows Server 2008, which can be used along with a Microsoft RDS CAL as a lower cost cloud desktop operating system. Not all users needs can be satisfied by a public cloud desktop. But, in many cases, cloud desktops provide a unique and ideal solution for rapidly and inexpensively providing desktops to users. Organizations may consider desktops in the public cloud when they need to: Quickly provide desktops to new employees, to give instant access to corporate applications Support temporary or seasonal workers who need access to desktops for a limited length of time Build an inexpensive disaster recovery environment Create an environment for legacy applications that are shared by multiple users Support a mobile workforce

Leostream Cloud Desktops The Leostream Cloud Desktops service is built on the public cloud and leverages Windows desktops using the 32-bit Windows Server 2008 and 64-bit Win dows Server 2008 R2 operating systems provided by Amazon or HP. Amazon Web Services and HP Helion offer scalability and flexibility at loca tions within the United States. In addition, global customers have the choice to create their cloud desktops in any of the following Amazon regions: Australia, Brazil, California, Ireland, Singapore, Tokyo, and Virginia. In choosing the region that is closest to your physical location you receive lighting fast desktop speed and optimized performance.

Chapter 3 Cloud Desktop Commonly Asked Questions Many commonly asked questions may rise to the surface when considering cloud desktops. In this chapter, you may find answers to your most pressing inquiries.

What is the user experience like? Critical to the success of any technology is the end-user experience. Cloud desktops bring together the latest in Web technologies to provide users with streamlined desktop performance. The unique value proposition of a cloud desktop versus other hosted desktop solutions is the ease-of-use, availability of the programs, and responsiveness of the applications. Because cloud desktops support HTML5, a specific client installation is not required and all viewing can be done within the browser. The user simply logs into their cloud desktop from any device and receives access to a variety of open source applications, Web applications and any installed programs. How difficult is it to migrate a workforce over to cloud desktops? Rolling out cloud desktops to employees is relatively simple. Users can customize their desktops to have the same look and feel as their current PC or laptop s desktop. Cloud desktops are completely personalizable and users can install any applications they like to enhance their experience. Getting your workforce up and running on a cloud desktop is easy because they require little to no training. What is the security like with cloud desktops? And are they reliable? Cloud desktops that are built in the public cloud like Leostream Cloud Desktops are extremely secure and reliable. The Amazon EC2 service is committed to a 99.95% availability, and provides a variety of mechanisms for securing your desktop. HP Helion is supported by world-class cloud infrastructure. Although no hosting provider can provide 100% uptime, by utilizing the public cloud a DaaS vendor has a team of experts working to resolve any issues that do arise. On top of that, many providers like Leostream offer secures desktop login by using an encrypted, single-use token to authenticate users into their desktop. Users enjoy the benefit of single-click sign-on, while ensuring the security of their desktop in the cloud.

How do Cloud Desktops and Traditional Virtual Desktop Infrasturcture (VDI) Differ? Although the rate of VDI adoption continues to increase, the cost and complexity associated with implementing VDI may inhibit it from being a viable solution for many businesses. To date, mostly larger and well-funded organizations implement in-house VDI, typically in industries where data security is paramount (healthcare, finance, etc). In the mainstream, VDI has not realized its potential or followed the growth trajectory previously predicted by analysts. Organizations want to reap the benefits of VDI (lowering IT costs, securing data in the data center, allowing users to bring their own devices to work, etc), but are blocked by the cost and complexity of building VDI in their own data centers. Cloud desktop services give these organizations all the benefits of VDI without the high price tag and hassle. Each Leostream Cloud Desktop is a fully functional, personalizable, and persistent that is built in seconds, without the cost and time associated with obtaining hardware, configuring operating systems, or building traditional virtual desktop infrastructures. Leostream gives users secure, reliable access to their desktops from any device of their liking, for a low monthly fee. Traditional VDI Easy workstation provisioning Centralized IT management Secured data Anywhere access Cloud Desktops Easy workstation provisioning Centralized IT management Secured data Anywhere access + Hassle free set up + Built-in Microsoft OS licenses + Simplified desktop creation/management + Changes CapEx to OpEx

Who uses cloud desktops Organizations of all sizes and across a wide spectrum of industries use cloud desktops. For the Small Business Small businesses can have large IT needs, especially when it comes to optimizing desktop resources for a mobile savvy workforce. Cloud desktops put SMBs at the forefront of an emerging technology with their low costs, scalability, and ease of deployment. For the Enterprise Customers with more complicated use cases require additional management capability and control settings. Leostream has taken cloud desktops a step further by integrating its industryleading connection broker technology for pooling resources, and advanced policy management. Educators Cloud desktops provide a unique and ideal solution for rapidly and inexpensively providing desktops to students and can be used to satisfy the following use cases: Quickly provide desktops to new students, to give instant access to training applications or course materials Standardize and control access to applications for a limited length of time Create an environment to securely share information among multiple students Provide students with anytime, anywhere access to classroom materials For the Reseller Managed Service Provider, have several options for providing feature-rich, but expensive, cloud-hosted desktops to customers with the expendable resources to pay for them. But, what about the potential customers who want hosted cloud desktops, but simply can t afford the tranditional cost? For those customers, there s cloud desktops-an inexpensive, easy-to-use service for folks who don t need all the bells-and-whistles of expensive solutions, but do want the benefits of a hosted desktop solution.

Chapter 4 Virtualizing your Workforce: 7 Key Consideration Before implementing cloud desktops, or any desktop virtualization solution for that matter, make sure to ask yourself a few basic questions.

1 Do you really need cloud desktops? A few reasons you might consider cloud desktops include: You find yourself wishing you had full desktop functionality on your mobile device. Some applications just aren t designed to run on a mobile device. You love your tablet, but occasionally need access to a desktop application. Cloud desktops can provide an entire workforce 24/7 access from almost any endpoint device with internet connectivity including laptops, locked-down PCs, thin clients, Chromebooks, Androids, RIM Blackberry / Playbook, and more. You re tired of the hassle of maintaining your desktop. Keeping your desktop in tip-top shape and virus-free can be a fulltime job. Let Leostream do it for you. Your workplace needs an instant-on VDI solution. Setting up traditional VDI is costly and complicated. End of story. By deploying cloud desktops, you reap the benefits of VDI (better security, anywhere access, easy resource management) without the hassle and cost of actually building the VDI in-house. You encourage BYOD and you need to provide business desktops for these users. Encouraging employees to use their own laptops for work can be a cost-saving advantage. There are cases, though, where you want business data to stay off of personal machines. Cloud desktops provide users with a secure business computer that keeps personal and business data separate. Your business occasionally employs extra workers and you need to provide them with desktops. Temporary workers keep many businesses running smoothly, especially during surges in business. During these times, you can save time and money by deploying cloud desktops. Avoid purchasing, storing, and maintaining desktops for these workers by easily creating and deleting desktops in the cloud.

2 3 4 5 6 7 Are you getting into any long term contracts? Due to the high cost of carving out a section of the data center for a particular customer, DaaS vendors lock customers into long-term contracts and charge more per desktop. Make sure you know what you are getting into. Leostream has no long-term contract or up-front costs. Leostream allows customers to use desktops for as long or as little as they need, and charges the customer only for how long they use the desktop. Is there a minimum number of desktops? Some DaaS vendors have minimum orders on the number of desktops, inhibiting cloud desktop adoption for smaller businesses. Leostream has no minimum desktop requirement. Leostream can provide desktops to customers who need any number of desktops, from a single desktop to thousands. What is the pricing structure? All DaaS vendors in the cloud desktop market except for Leostream host desktops in their own data center, meaning they incur the costs for hardware, software licenses, and real estate that Leostream avoids. Leostream uses a public cloud for hosting, which eliminates the costs associated with building, managing, and maintaining the data center hardware and virtualization software. Leostream passes these saving onto customers and is the most affordable solution on the market today. What is the vendor s experience in the virtualization space? Does the DaaS vendor know the biz? Leostream has been in the business of making VDI a reality for enterprises around the world for over 10 years. They understand the use cases and know how to solve them. Can You Test Drive the Product? One great advantage of cloud desktops is you can trial the service before you buy! What are you waiting for? Request your FREE 7 day trial of Leostream Cloud Desktops at.

Request a Free Trial Rapidly create, assign, manage, and delete desktops in a few short clicks.

Citation 1. Lomas, N. (2012). Gartner: 1.2 Billion Smartphones, Tablets To Be Bought Worldwide In 2013; 821 Million This Year: 70% Of Total Device Sales. Tech Crunch, http://techcrunch. com/2012/11/06/gartner-1-2-billion-smartphones-tablets-to-be-bought-worldwide-in- 2013-821-million-this-year-70-of-total-device-sales/. 2. wrhambrecht + co. (2008). Disruptive innovation and the future of server virtualization market. http://wrhambrecht.com/research/entsoft/ir/index.html.