CF20: 2023's 20 Top DaaS Providers You Should Know
With DaaS, the focus for many now is balancing simplicity, experience and cost.
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Forrester’s William McKeon-White said Microsoft is among top DaaS providers for its Microsoft AVD and Microsoft Windows 365.
Last month, Microsoft unveiled Copilot, a suite of AI tools that work together to create a digital personal assistant. It spans across all of Microsoft’s applications and experiences, including Microsoft 365, Windows 11, Edge and Bing. With Copilot, users will be able to get AI assistance in virtually every aspect of their workflows on the different Microsoft applications. Just like other modern AI assistants, the tech is based on generative AI and large language models (LLMs).
McKeon-White cited Amazon Workspaces among leading DaaS.
“The pandemic and the wider use of tools like Zoom have made customers more demanding in their ability to use platforms/tools that enable them to be more productive,” said Omdia’s Roy Illsley. “This change has a twin impact, end users want a more mobile phone-like marketplace experience, while employers need control and management as the surface area to protect has expanded. Therefore, customers now expect the workspace to be fully customizable, offer security and privacy, while not preventing them from doing their day job. As the place of work has changed, so has how people work, and we are seeing a shift in the priorities for people when looking for employment, the flexibility aspect is now more of a driver, as people want to be able to work from anywhere.”
Citrix is among leading DaaS solutions, McKeon-White said. Citrix DaaS, formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service, provides virtualization solutions that give IT control of virtual machines, applications and security while providing anywhere access for any device. End users can use applications and desktops independently of the device’s operating system and interface.
McKeon-White counts VMware Horizon among top DaaS solutions. Organizations can build a hybrid and multicloud desktop and app virtualization architecture, deploying Horizon infrastructure both on-premises and in the cloud, managed through a single pane of glass using cloud management services. IT can also configure automations leveraging Horizon Cloud’s APIs, Workspace One Intelligence and Freestyle Orchestrator workflows, and real-time app delivery with Apps on Demand to further simplify management.
McKeon-White counts ATSG among leading DaaS solutions. It streamlines automating, securing and fully managing the entire DaaS technology lifecycle. The ATSGOne DaaS solution natively includes the ATSGOne Cloud Manager. Utilizing this purpose-built cloud manager, clients and partners can provision, automate, deploy and manage virtual desktops and applications from a centralized cloud console. In addition, ATSG also provides this DaaS solution as a fully managed digital workplace-as-a-service offering.
Expedient Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is among top DaaS solutions, McKeon-White said. Expedient Enterprise Workspace offers virtual desktop infrastructure-as-a-service that enables a distributed workforce to be productive and secure from anywhere with the same consistent experience and none of the heavy upfront purchase requirements.
McKeon-White counts Alludo Parallels among leading DaaS solutions. This month, Alludo announced the general availability of its end-user computing solution, Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Version 19.3. The latest enhancements deliver key new provisioning, automation and security features designed to deliver a better remote work experience for both end users and IT administrators across enterprises of all sizes.
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Secure Desktops is a managed service in OCI that provides a centrally controlled deployment of virtual desktops running Oracle Linux or Microsoft Windows for the operating system. Secure Desktops enables users to select a virtual machine shape to match their desired performance and capacity. They can rapidly deploy desktops from golden images to support increasing demand. As an edge service, no VPN is needed. Users directly connect to the Secure Desktops service from their location. Secure Desktops supports from 10 to thousands of virtual desktops.
Workspot is among top DaaS solutions, McKeon-White said. In August, Workspot announced that Workspot Trends is available to its customers. Through this new offering, the company enables organizations to make data-driven decisions that help deliver improved performance to end users.
NetApp Virtual Desktop Service (VDS) allows users to deploy, manage and optimize virtual desktop environments through a SaaS-delivered global control plane for both on-premises and cloud environments—providing both control and the flexibility to get the most from an organization’s VDI strategy.
V2 Cloud is a fully integrated DaaS solution that enables small to large businesses to securely host and access applications in the cloud. Key features include multifactor authentication (MFA), screen sharing, while-labeling, HTTPS encryption and bidirectional copy-paste.
McKeon-White said an effective DaaS solution:
Connects into existing endpoint management tools.
Is simple to manage, deploy and monitor.
Offers automated cost optimization recommendations.
Includes a low cost per user.
Itopia‘s cloud automation and orchestration software enables organizations to deliver DaaS to thousands of workers located across the globe. The rapid provisioning process of Microsoft RDS environments is made possible by Itopia’s intuitive control panel in the browser.
“I tend to only cover the major players, but I have seen more new names appear in the past 12 months than I noticed before,” Illsley said. “This could be for a number of reasons. They could be new startups or they could just be promoting themselves more in the current climate. I have yet to see any revolutionary new concept/idea, which is not surprising as the desktop/workstation is something all of us use, and inertia is slow because we do not like change.”
This month, Leostream announced the latest version of the Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, giving enterprises more features to set up, configure, provision and manage virtual desktops. Leostream 2023.2 offers multiple enhancements for provisioning VMs in the cloud or in on-premises virtualization platforms. Administrators can schedule multiple actions to perform on newly provisioned VMs such as taking snapshots, joining a machine to a domain, or powering down the VM.
Evolve IP’s Managed DaaS is a new way to manage and deploy secure, cloud-based work environments that meet the demands of modern users. It is a tailored desktop solution that delivers the technology, support, management and expertise needed to fully embrace hybrid work on Evolve IP’s cloud or Azure.
Cisco DaaS solutions provide cloud-based service essentials to deliver performance, scale and security, including: on-demand consumption, service assurance, multitenant architecture, capacity at scale, orchestration, security at scale, and technology partners like Citrix, VMware and more.
Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD) platform provides a secure, easy and cost-effective cloud desktop solution that enables users to deliver all apps – legacy Windows, Linux, internal web, and SaaS – to any device without the need for legacy virtual desktops or VPNs. Cameyo is a cloud-native virtualization solution that delivers any application to any device without delivering the Windows OS.
IT Vortex DaaS centralizes management, providing scalability, and ensuring rapid deployment. It revamps operational processes. The DaaS solution also paves the way for green IT, minimizing e-waste and optimizing resource utilization. With a focus on user experience, it aims to boosts productivity and overall performance.
Ivanti User Workspace Manager allows IT to centrally set up, secure, manage and personalize any desktop across physical, virtual and cloud platforms to: simplify desktop deployment and management, improve user experience and secure endpoints, and reduce IT infrastructure costs.
Cloudalize‘s Cloud Workstation is a managed DaaS solution that transforms any device into a “high-powered computer” using advanced graphical processing units (GPUs).
“An effective DaaS offering has to match capability, performance and manageability with cost and availability,” said S&P Global’s Eric Hanselman. “User experience has become paramount, but that has to be delivered with an ability to manage desktops efficiently. The main use case for DaaS has a strong security component, and the ability to securely operate the environment is critical to the value of any service. Licensing continues to be a defining factor in the cost of offerings. Bring-your-own-licensing options offer an option, but are more constrained than they have been in the early days of VDI.”
Cloudalize‘s Cloud Workstation is a managed DaaS solution that transforms any device into a “high-powered computer” using advanced graphical processing units (GPUs).
“An effective DaaS offering has to match capability, performance and manageability with cost and availability,” said S&P Global’s Eric Hanselman. “User experience has become paramount, but that has to be delivered with an ability to manage desktops efficiently. The main use case for DaaS has a strong security component, and the ability to securely operate the environment is critical to the value of any service. Licensing continues to be a defining factor in the cost of offerings. Bring-your-own-licensing options offer an option, but are more constrained than they have been in the early days of VDI.”
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) providers have had to adjust to changing customer demands and expectations that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue today.
The rise of remote work and the need for flexible work arrangements have been big drivers for the DaaS market. DaaS solutions allow employees to access their virtual desktops and applications from anywhere, accommodating remote work experiences.
Our latest CF20 focuses on DaaS providers. This is our first CF20 list highlighting DaaS providers. Analysts with Omdia, Forrester and S&P Global Market Intelligence weigh in on the latest DaaS market trends and what it takes to be a successful provider.
According to Custom Market Insights, the global DaaS market should grow from nearly $6.2 billion in 2023 to $18.7 billion by 2032, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21%.
Expectations of DaaS Providers
Forrester’s Will McKeon-White
Will McKeon-White, senior analyst with Forrester, said the focus for many now is balancing simplicity, experience and cost.
“Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments as a whole are straightforward to manage when the environment is static,” he said. “The pandemic forced organizations to move to dynamic environments, which DaaS and cloud VDI lent itself well to. However this often proved to be much more variable in cost, as it forced customer to adjust to a variable consumption model, pay for what you use instead of pay for a limit. The result is organizations have to not only manage VDI more, but continuously try to optimize their environment without tanking the environment. Its an extremely tricky balance to walk, but exacerbating this is all the solutions that make it easy to manage can cost three to four times more per user.”
Customers increasingly expect cloud-hosted, easy-to-manage VDI that improves on the security of their existing environment and saves them money, McKeon-White said.
“We’ve yet to see a single solution take the lead in this,” he said.
Fundamental Drivers Remain
S&P Global Intelligence’s Eric Hanselman
Eric Hanselman, principal research analyst at 451 Research, a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, said hybrid work is here to stay and the need for DaaS isn’t going away anytime soon.
“The requirements have evolved, but the fundamental drivers remain,” he said. “Whether it’s a security need for a managed execution environment for applications or a protected workspace for sensitive data, virtual desktops are a useful way to address them. DaaS is an effective way to gain access to virtual desktop benefits without the need to build out VDI infrastructure. The cost of deployment for VDI has been a limitation, historically. There has been growing acceptance of off-premises desktop hosting, as enterprise understanding of the security models involved have matured.”
Managed desktops can be an effective way to secure the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools while limiting the possibility that sensitive information is exposed, Hanselman said.
“If the desktop is isolated from sensitive information, there’s greater certainty that sensitive data isn’t included in prompts,” he said.
What Successful DaaS Providers Recognized
Omdia’s Roy Illsley
Roy Illsley, chief analyst for IT operations with Omdia, which shares a parent company with Channel Futures (Informa), said DaaS was pre-pandemic seen as a way to simplify the management of the desktop PCs, applications and operating systems.
“This was back when we were mostly office based with a small percentage of mobile and home workers,” he said. “The pandemic bought the challenge of all the office-based staff being remote, and hence we saw DaaS become a popular solution to dealing with the complexity. However, the most important lesson from the pandemic was the desktop is not what it used to be. Fewer apps are installed on the device as most apps are SaaS-based. The successful DaaS providers recognized the shift and identified the value proposition of DaaS was more than simplification of the management. It was about making the workspace (how people now see what we used to call the desktop) fit for purpose in a world where staff are more mobile, home and office, and have less definition between personal and business life. The use of streaming services for business and in personal life has exploded, and the endpoint (laptop, mobile, desktop or thin client) has become a window to many worlds.”
We’ve compiled a list in slideshow above, in no particular order, of 20 top DaaS providers. It’s based on analysts’ feedback and recent news reports. The list, by no means complete, includes a mix of well-known providers as well as lesser-known ones making strides in DaaS.
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