The coronavirus COVID-19 has forced companies around the world to embrace remote work, and Amazon WorkSpaces is one of the tools making it possible.
And just like that, the working world was suddenly different. The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has altered work culture in the span of a single week, forcing untold thousands of American workers to work from home — many from companies that do not regularly engage in the practice.
Some businesses were “highly encouraged” to send workers home, while others were “mandated.” Time frames range from “for the next two weeks” to “until further notice.” While no one yet seems to have arrived at a credible estimate of “newly remote” workers, one thing is abundantly clear: IT departments around the country — many of whose staffers are also working from home — are learning that supporting a largely remote workforce can be rather tricky.
Things are different when almost everyone is working from home
For the average enterprise, remote workers are exceptions, and for the most part, IT staff handle their support needs as such. You have your road warriors, who often get issues solved when they come through the home office. Supporting the usually small number of long-term remote staff often involves ad hoc arrangements depending on the complexity of their work and their technological comfort level.
The anecdotal evidence indicates that many remote workers are tech-savvy by necessity or avocation, which makes the support process easier to manage.
Amazon WorkSpaces, the secure DaaS solution to a worldwide challenge
Under these conditions, unprecedented as they are, such informal arrangements are not going to work. It’s not an overstatement to say that the cloud, specifically Amazon Web Services, is coming to the rescue.
Amazon WorkSpaces is a managed Desktop as a Service (DaaS) solution that’s secure and makes supporting a sizeable remote team easy, no matter how far-flung their locations or how diverse their computing needs are. With Amazon WorkSpaces, you can quickly provision Windows or Linux desktops for thousands of workers no matter where they are.
Make sure every user has the tools they need
But as IT staffers know all too well, desktops set-ups can be very personal, specific things. They aren’t one-size-fits-all. Some users need the basics. Others, well, many of them require significant processing power and specialized graphics software.
Amazon WorkSpaces offers a range of hardware and software bundles to meet their needs. Choose from seven different packages ranging from 1 to 16 virtual CPUs (vCPUs).
What about software? Yes, of course, they have access to Microsoft Office, but more advanced setups — all the way to advanced specialized graphics suites — are also enabled. Each desktop’s storage allocation can be easily adjusted, and IT can create customized software bundles for more specific use cases.
Fast, responsive access from anywhere, at any time, on any supported device
Amazon WorkSpaces allows your now-remote employees to access the applications they need via a cloud desktop from anywhere with an internet connection using any supported device. WorkSpaces works on a variety of hardware and software combinations: Cloud desktops run directly on PCs, Macs, iPads, Kindle Fires, Android tablets, Chromebooks, and even web browsers like Firefox and Chrome.
Easy to provision and budget
Companies can provision multiple WorkSpaces at once to a standard set of hardware and software bundle specs, or they can set up one at a time as the need arises. In all cases, the Amazon WorkSpaces bundle specifies the system resources needed, the choice of desktop operating system to run, and the software to be included.
Organizations can also pick from two distinct running modes for their WorkSpaces:
AlwaysOn for monthly billing
AutoStop for hourly billing
WorkSpaces can be switched from one billing mode to the other depending on the needs of the user and the most cost-effective option at the time.
Best of all, since these are cloud desktops, providing hands-on help desk assistance to users is simple. Administrators have direct access to each workspace to address any issue the user may be having, no matter where they are.
Support remote staff while they keep the business running
As we stay home and shelter-in-place, hunker down or self-quarantine, the work must go on. Give your team the tools they need to keep the wheels of commerce turning while we take measures to combat the outbreak. Find how WorkSpaces can make the IT challenges of the moment an opportunity to shift to a real managed desktop solution that will save you money long after the current crisis ends.
Start now with no up-front costs and pay-as-you-go convenience. Learn more about Amazon WorkSpaces by getting in touch with CloudHesive at 800-860-2040 or through our online contact form.
