With the launch of 4G services and improvements to broadband access across the UK, the option to work remotely has never been more viable. Consequently, Comms-care has seen a sharp increase in requests for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) platforms that can support the adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and other cloud based services. VDI is also being used as an alternative for locally storing data because of security concerns, which is one of the biggest challenges facing channel partner customers.
Also known as client virtualisation, desktop virtualisation separates a personal computer desktop from a physical machine using the client-server model of computing. The software runs on any hardware and allows users to access their desktop – which is virtualised in a cloud server environment. When a client wants to access their desktop they can log into an application from any device and see that on any device.
“Desktop virtualisation is a massive growth area for Comms-care at the moment and we are definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting it,” says Darren Briscoe, Technical Director at Comms-Care. “Two years ago it was barely a topic of conversation. Now we get over 20 requests a week for VDI support. This will become more popular over time with the rise of big data and the need to store it, which makes this a valuable story to share on world backup day. We look forward to working with more channel partner customers as they make the shift into a virtual space.”
Comms-care is currently offering channel partners a virtualised data solution, which includes server infrastructure and a fully managed service, as well as network equipment and firewalls. Partners package the service offering and sell it to the end user with a fixed monthly fee. Comms-care also performs encryption for clients- especially for BYOD. Data is not transferred until it is encrypted to avert any exposure to risk.
“The security risks to desktop virtualisation are easy to curb, since all desktops are operated from one server,” said Briscoe. “If there’s a security problem and the business is working within a VDIenvironment, IT only needs to create one software patch to use on all of the devices. However, the biggest threats to data we see are actually coming from internal sources. Over 90 per cent of the greatest risks to data, such as - malware, viruses and hacking - are done by people taking things away on a USB or downloading them onto personal devices. This can’t be prevented but it’s always advisable to encrypt data to offer an extra layer of protection on the cloud.”