4.1 Amazon Workspaces
Amazon Workspaces is a Desktop-as-a-Service product which runs under the company’s subsidiary brand Amazon Web Services (AWS). Launched in May 2014, Amazon Workspaces has seen continued development. Now with monthly and hourly billing options, the product has become fully integrated with several other virtualised services offered by AWS, including its alert and monitoring product Cloud Watch.
4.2 Cisco
Cisco’s DaaS is a cloud virtualisation software for hosting desktops specifically geared towards medium to large businesses. Cisco provides this service in tiers as a modular cloud infrastructure, meaning it is totally customisable and scalable, and makes for easy budgeting. Cisco’s DaaS also supports application hosting, meaning there is shared access to apps without having to use the storage of each device that requires to use them by saving them individually.
4.3 XenDesktop
XenDesktop is the name given to the suite of desktop virtualisation programmes developed by Citrix. Creating an early version of XenDesktop in 2000, the product was released commercially when developer Ian Pratt founded his own company, XenSource, in 2004. The product name was changed to XenDesktop after Citrix acquired XenSource in 2007, with Citrix releasing software updates each year that continue to enhance the user experience.
4.4 dinHVD
dinHVD is a complete hosted virtual desktop product developed by cloud company dinCloud. With a relatively easy setup, dinHVD is ideal for smaller businesses that may not have the resources for an entirely virtualised environment managed in-house. The software offers both type 1 and type 2 storage, giving peace of mind in knowing that files can be accessed offline.
4.5 VMware Horizon
VMware Horizon is a virtual desktop solution developed for commercial use by VMware Inc. It gives users remote access to their desktop operating systems, usually Microsoft operating systems, via VMware’s virtualisation technology. VMware offer Horizon in different tiers and different price plans dependent on volume and budget requirements.
4.6 Azure
Formerly released in 2010 as Windows Azure, Microsoft Azure is a computer virtualisation service developed and managed by technology and computer conglomerate Microsoft. Azure provides several virtualisation options, including Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Software-as-a-Service, and Platform-as-a-Service products.
4.7 Desktop Monster
Desktop Monster is an award-winning hosted desktop solution developed in 2014 by office technology sales and service provider Midshire. The virtual product provides customers with a desktop that can be securely accessed on any device by using the Citrix platform.
