Desktop rental is an innovation that holds promise. What are the benefits in making the switch?
The cloud-computing revolution keeps making more inroads, changing the long-established ways of IT departments. Serverless computing, content creation, and distribution, and contact center platforms are only a few of the cloud applications that are quickly becoming commonplace. With Amazon WorkSpaces, now computer workstations can be sourced, configured, deployed, and managed from the cloud.
A secure cloud-based desktop service like Amazon WorkSpaces brings advanced Fortune 500-class rapid desktop computer deployment and management infrastructure to small- and medium-sized companies. Access to technology on this level, combined with the economies of scale of cloud-based SaaS, means an organization can now employ the latest advances of the newest workstation infrastructure solution and be more productive with the IT budget and headcount it already has.
So, what can a company do with a desktop it rents by the hour?
The pay-by-the-hour concept can sometimes be a difficult thing to wrap one’s head around. The most basic use case for a bill-by-the-hour Amazon WorkSpace is an occasional-use workstation. A good example is a computer dedicated to a conference room or other presentation space. These machines can spend more time idle than in use. Why should a company pay for 24/7 availability when it only needs maybe 48 hours in an entire month?
After a small fixed monthly fee for infrastructure costs and storage, WorkSpaces billed on an hourly basis are always ready for users to access, they just time out after an admin-configured idle threshold. So, hourly billing naturally saves money on any workstations that are used, on average, less than a full working day or just some days during the course of a month.
Hourly billing is the ideal solution for part-time employees, job sharing, temp workers, team members who travel a lot, short-term projects, corporate training, or educational applications.
An organization can have a mix of hourly- and monthly-billed WorkSpaces on its Amazon Web Services (AWS) account and any WorkSpace can be switched from hourly to monthly and back again as needed. AWS also provides the handy Amazon WorkSpaces Cost Optimizer, which analyzes monthly usage and computes the optimal combination of hourly and monthly billing to arrive at the most cost-effective option for the installed user base.
No matter how they’re billed, WorkSpaces change everything
Well, almost – world peace and ensuring your cat doesn’t shred your leather couch are not precisely in Amazon WorkSpaces’ purview. Still, imagine configuring a desktop computer in real time with just the right processor, memory, and storage options. Think of the convenience of being able to do it on demand and for as many workstations as you need to deploy – down the hall or around the world.
You also would have the ability to modify them at any time with additional power or storage capacity as the user’s needs change. No more having to guess how many desktops you’ll need and how they should be configured. That would make a real difference. WorkSpaces takes the guesswork and waste out of deploying the desktops on which your team depends.
Amazon WorkSpaces will transform a company’s IT ROI
There are two big reasons we’re all seeing cloud-based anything and everything these days – advanced capabilities and cost-effectiveness. Amazon WorkSpaces enables companies to buy less hardware and software and spend less time and fewer assets to deploy, maintain, and upgrade all of it. WorkSpaces lets them accomplish more with the same IT resources, increasing their capacity to provide excellent support and greater capabilities. What better way of helping an entire organization work smarter and produce more, all with less wear and tear on hardware and humans alike.
The cloud is one bandwagon worth jumping on
See how Amazon WorkSpaces can change the way you manage your IT resources and do greater things without spending more cash. If you find you’re late to the cloud party, there is no better time than now to explore how CloudHesive can help you apply cost-effect cloud-based solutions to some of your most vexing IT challenges. You can start the process by getting in touch with CloudHesive at 800-860-2040 or through our online contact form.
