{"id":39974,"date":"2022-07-18T14:24:07","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T14:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/article\/top-daas-providers\/"},"modified":"2022-07-18T14:24:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T14:24:07","slug":"top-6-desktop-as-a-service-daas-providers-amazon-citrix-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cloudnewshub.com\/?p=39974","title":{"rendered":"Top 6 desktop as a service (DaaS) providers: Amazon, Citrix and more"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image: maslakhatul\/Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Desktop as a service is a virtual desktop infrastructure hosted in the cloud and paid for as a subscription service, usually charged for by the seat. DaaS solutions use a multi-tenancy architecture where a single application instance is delivered to multiple users, also called tenants. The third-party service provider assumes the responsibility for managing the desktop infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Jump to:<\/p>\n

Top DaaS providers<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a look at many of the major players in the desktop as a service market<\/a> and the services they offer. The service providers are listed in alphabetical order by company name.<\/p>\n

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Amazon WorkSpaces<\/h2>\n
Image: Amazon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Best DaaS Provider 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Public cloud compatibility:<\/strong> Amazon Web Services
Minimum term:<\/strong> <1 month
Minimum seats:<\/strong> One
Pricing:<\/strong> Monthly or hourly; dependent on geographic region<\/p>\n

Amazon launched WorkSpaces, its proprietary cloud desktop service, in 2013. Customers are charged for only the WorkSpaces they use and can pay either monthly or hourly.<\/p>\n

Companies can provision either Linux or Windows desktops on a wide variety of virtual hardware and storage configurations. If deploying Windows desktops, companies can use their own Windows 10 Enterprise licenses (if they meet Microsoft\u2019s licensing requirements) or pay for them as part of the WorkSpaces subscription.<\/p>\n

Amazon offers a default set of applications with each WorkSpace depending on the operating system. Linux desktops include applications such as LibreOffice, Firefox and Evolution mail. Customers can add additional software from the Amazon Linux repositories with yum. Windows 10 desktops include applications such as Internet Explorer 11 and Firefox. Customers can also add various versions of Microsoft Office Professional 2016 for an additional cost or build their own custom images.<\/p>\n

When it comes to end-user credentialing and management Amazon WorkSpaces supports \u201cSimple AD, AD Connector or AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory, also known as AWS Managed Microsoft AD.\u201d Customers can also establish a trust relationship between their AWS Managed Microsoft AD directory and their on-premises domain.<\/p>\n

Applications can be deployed to the virtual desktops via existing tools, and WorkSpaces allows customers to use their existing RADIUS server for multi-factor authentication (MFA). Users can access their WorkSpaces via a client application on a Windows or Mac computer, Google Chromebook, Apple iPad, Amazon Fire tablet and Android tablet, or through either the Chrome or Firefox browsers. WorkSpaces supports encryption root volume and user volume encryption and does not store user data on the local device. Amazon WorkSpaces also provides multiple compliance options including, but not limited to HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR.<\/p>\n

If we had to choose our favorite DaaS option, that award would go to Amazon WorkSpaces. The Amazon WorkSpaces service not only offers the ability to run both Linux and Windows desktops, but you are also only charged for the workspaces you use, and it\u2019s on one of the strongest backbones on the planet: AWS. The single-seat minimum makes for a compelling reason to choose as well.<\/p>\n

Given that the pricing is monthly or hourly depending on your geographical region, you\u2019re not looking at outrageous costs for using the service either. Because Amazon WorkSpaces can be HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR, these virtual desktops can be used when sensitive data is required. Most importantly, Amazon WorkSpaces can deploy either Linux or Windows on several different virtual hardware configurations, and with Amazon\u2019s incredible storage facilities, you can trust those environments will remain both safe and reliable.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Citrix Managed Desktops<\/h2>\n
Image: Citrix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Top DaaS Provider<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Public cloud compatibility:<\/strong> Azure
Minimum term:<\/strong> 1 month
Minimum seats:<\/strong> 25
Pricing:<\/strong> Monthly or Term (1 to 5 years)<\/p>\n

Longtime remote desktop, thin-client and virtualization provider Citrix released its desktop as a service solution, Citrix Managed Desktops, to general availability in August 2019. The company already offered a from of DaaS through Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, but this solution required companies to deal with multiple vendors. Citrix Managed Desktops is designed to be a simplified version of CVAD and a \u201cturnkey service\u201d where all costs are billed directly to Citrix.<\/p>\n

CMD uses Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop to deliver virtual desktops hosted on Microsoft Azure IaaS (compute, storage and networking) and managed by Citrix. Customers can provision a variety of Windows machines, including: Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 EVD (Enterprise Virtual Desktops) Multi-Session and Windows Server 2016 with RDSH. The operating system and application licenses can be paid for through the Citrix subscription or customers can use their existing licenses through a Bring Your Own License program. CMD will offer a variety of AD authentication options and support domain-joined and non-domain-joined desktops.<\/p>\n

Citrix Managed Desktop pricing varies significantly based on the type of service customers choose and the length of service contract When Citrix introduced CMD in May 2019, they said customers would expect to pay about $30 per user per month for CMD for a minimum of 25 users and at their Synergy event in May 2019, Citrix broke down that ~$30 monthly price for Managed Desktops even further.<\/p>\n

However, as of August 2020, CMD pricing on Citrix\u2019s website, breaks down as follows:<\/p>\n