Today we will know what are VDI and DaaS, and Which is best for You? Cloud computing has become one of the breakthrough pieces of technology in recent decades. More and more cloud service companies pop up every year, each with their own unique set of services and approach to the cloud phenomenon. While initially, cloud services seemed to be the monopoly of a select few big tech companies like Amazon, Google and Apple, these days, more and more mid-ranking companies are joining the fray. Cloud computing itself has many different variations of services, and if you are not particularly computer and cloud-savvy, it can be difficult to choose between the different variations. One of the most common questions is about the difference between VDI and DaaS when it comes to virtual desktops.
Both VDI and DaaS are different approaches to cloud computing that allow users to access the desktop environment in different ways. They are sometimes mistaken for each other. Therefore, in this article, we would like to look at the difference between VDI and DaaS. First, we will define each of them and go over the advantages and disadvantages of each before comparing them and finally deciding which one best suits your needs.
What is DaaS?
First, let’s go over DaaS. DaaS is an abbreviation that stands for Desktop as a Service. Like PaaS and IaaS, it is one of the pre-configured variations where cloud services are presented to clients. As the name suggests, a provider of DaaS will provide clients with a virtual desktop environment that can be accessed through an online connection and is hosted in the cloud, of course. These virtual desktop environments are typically licensed using a pay-per-subscription plan.
DaaS already boasts a large market value; According to Future Market Insights, its market value is over $5 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to $17 billion in 2029.
The main difference between DaaS and a VPS or Virtual Private Server is that instead of hosting the server on a centralized piece of hardware, it is hosted in a decentralized manner, allowing for more resource scalability, faster connections through nodes, and greater security and backup capabilities.
There are two different types of DaaS services; These are persistent desktop and non-persistent desktop. The former allows users to personalize and modify a desktop environment to their liking. These changes will remain in place after the user logs off and will reappear when they return. This type of DaaS is used much like a remotely accessed computer that you use every day for day-to-day work. Endless desktops have more resources devoted to them. Persistent desktop, on the other hand, removes all changes and changes made by the user after each logout. They have much less dedicated resources and are only useful for online, one-off tasks that don’t require saving and reloading.
Advantages of DaaS
Here, I will quickly go through all the important benefits that a DaaS plan cloud service can get you. After I finish the advantages, I will move on to the disadvantages so that you can get a clear picture of what DaaS has in common and has to offer.
Reduced downtime
Generally, DaaS benefits greatly from cloud infrastructure, which allows it to continue operating even if part of the central server suffers an outage. That’s not all that contributes to this fact, as most DaaS providers can use the cloud’s inherent scalability to provide IT support remotely and get users out of certain bottlenecks.
Device Diversity
DaaS as a platform is incredibly flexible, allowing it to quickly adapt to the specific requirements of each platform or OS and deploy quickly for each of them. This makes it reliable both for providers, as they can offer more OS-specific services, and for clients who can use and benefit from each of them.
Costs
DaaS is incredibly resource efficient. This means that it does not require a lot of resources for each specific user at a given time, and consequently, It is much cheaper for the service provider and much cheaper for the user to subscribe to a Cloud DaaS service.
Ease of use and speed
All DaaS service packages are pre-configured desktop environments. This means that the whole setup process consists of connecting a new device to the DaaS platform using remote access. This makes it more desirable than other forms of remote access that may require a ton of configuration.
Security
All data on each DaaS platform is stored centrally in a safe and secure “data center”. This means that at any given time if there is a security threat against one of your devices, you can easily disconnect it remotely from this central data center and remove all risks posed by that particular device. You can later access all the data from other devices.
Disadvantages of DaaS
Now, let’s go over the overall disadvantages of DaaS. Understanding these pitfalls helps you better understand DaaS in general and enables you to make a more informed choice between DaaS and VDI.
Less Personalization
DaaS is typically a pre-configured environment, and while most providers consciously try to package their pre-configuration as universally as possible, there will undoubtedly be many who find certain limitations of DaaS a hindrance. To remedy this, some but not all DaaS providers choose to come with customized packages.
Lack of Full Control
The inherent quality of DaaS is that it is pre-configured, as we have mentioned several times. This means that it takes care of processes like security and implementing its own updates, which means that you have little say in what anti-malware tools and options you can implement.
Long-Term Costs
Although costs were mentioned earlier as a benefit, you need to understand that these costs can only seem lower if you consistently use the resources you have allocated. If you don’t use the package often, you can sometimes see the cost char as a result of unused resources.
Shared Resources
DaaS as a whole follows a shared resource scheme, which means while it has security and great performance, This poses a threat to your security through the potentially risky activities of the people sharing the DaaS infrastructure with you on behalf of the provider.
Regulations and Corporate Restrictions
Since the shared resources mentioned above make everything risky to deal with, DaaS providers usually put a lot of effort into making the basic structure of cloud servers as secure as possible, and some of their precautions are related to corporate policies and restrictions. For example, some of your data may not be allowed in public cloud storage, and there is little you can do to change that.
What is VDI?
Which stands for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, is more similar to DaaS than it is different. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, as a technology, uses the available means of a virtual machine or VM to virtualize a desktop environment for you. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure hosts are typically centralized servers with high security and performance capabilities, which can easily scale their allocated resources up or down depending on user needs. VDI, as a modern technology, is incredibly versatile, it can be simply enhanced with additional applications at the base level, and it can be configured to be hosted both in the cloud, as well as in hybrid clouds.
VDI has become a huge industry, with a total value of more than $12.6 billion, with an average annual growth of 19%, and is projected to exceed $33 billion in 2028.
Notably, VDI is also self-managed. This means that if you choose to deploy a VDI server for your own personal use or business, all configuration and management of the server falls under your own responsibility.
This has some advantages, such as enabling you to set up the server as you wish, and some disadvantages, such as additional steps and additional responsibility.
Compared to DaaS, it has a greater operational capacity and enables you to do more, but all this costs something.
Advantages of VDI
Here, I’ll quickly go through all the important benefits that a VDI plan cloud service can get you. After I finish the pros, I’ll move on to the cons so you can get a clear picture of what VDI as a whole is like and has to offer.
Dedicated Resources
Almost all VDI packages offered by providers come with dedicated resources, which means that your security and resource allocation will never be compromised by other users’ activities. All resources will be exclusive to you and only you, increasing both security and performance.
Full Operational Control
With VDI, you have complete control over every aspect of your server. Whether it’s hosted in the cloud or on-premise, you can configure all of its software, hardware, and security configurations. This can make things a little harder to control, but the rewards definitely outweigh the effort.
Scalability
Since VDI itself uses dedicated resources, if it is configured on a scalable cloud server, it will boast a huge scalability opportunity for users and companies with higher-than-average resource requirements. The process of scaling these resources is also quite fast and additional resources can be deployed within minutes to meet sudden needs or spikes in usage.
Security
Much like DaaS due to the fact that all data is stored centrally on a server. These servers are highly secure and near unbreakable, and if data is somehow threatened by one of the connected devices, you can quickly take it out of the active connection sphere and protect the server and your data.
Integrated Experience
VDI is highly configurable and can be customized to reflect the needs of the user or the organization employing the server. This results in a highly integrated and streamlined experience for endpoint users, who get a better user experience from VDI and can respond faster to any needs and demands of the VDI server than other approaches.
Disadvantages of VDI
Now, let’s move on to the disadvantages that VDI has as a whole. Understanding these pitfalls helps you better understand VDI in general and enables you to make a more informed choice between DaaS and VDI.
Costs
While VDI can be potentially beneficial as a long-term, cost-effective remote access cloud solution, it comes with a rather high financial cost in the setup phase. This is because you have to come up with the necessary hardware requirements, such as the hosting infrastructure, yourself.
High Learning Curve
VDI gives you a lot of freedom and configures ability, as we mentioned above. However, this freedom and flexibility comes at a cost. The server is managed centrally; Therefore, if you don’t have an IT expert or team that can handle the technicalities of server setup and maintenance, you’re in for a tough learning experience.
Latency
You will rather need a strong and capable network to access the VDI of your choice with low latency. If not, when the server is tasked with graphically intensive loading such as 3D tools and video conferencing, it will be overwhelmed and latency will skyrocket.
Maintenance
We mentioned the steep learning curve of managing a VDI server, and we mentioned the option of hiring an IT specialist or even a team. This option is not attractive as it imposes additional maintenance costs on you. You will also have to pay for damaged pieces of hardware that require replacement.
Server Proximity
Virtual desktop servers as the VDI platform of choice typically need to be placed close to where actual users live or work. Otherwise, latency can be difficult to manage. This makes VDI less suitable for decentralized workforces that work around the world, although it makes VDI better for companies concentrated in one city or region.
Differences between DaaS and VDI: A head-to-head comparison
Now that we have a clear understanding of how Daas and VDI are defined, as well as their strong & weak points of contention, we are going to do a head-to-head comparison to see which is objectively better, VDI vs. DaaS. However, keep in mind that even if one of them is objectively better than the other, your specific use case may call for employing another option. So I’ll make a final category for different types of users after comparing each of their use cases. Let’s get it right!
User Control
The first category of comparison is the amount of control that each of the VDI and DaaS platforms gives you. Typically, VDI servers bring much more control over server configuration and features to the client. There are many different things that you will have direct control over, such as server monitoring, installed programs, tool selection, data storage options, and access control.
In contrast, in a DaaS server configuration, all arrangements are predefined by the provider. This is known as a vendor-managed server. So it is important to go for a provider whose packages suit your needs for a DaaS server.
Scalability
In general, the scalability ceiling of VDI is much higher than that of DaaS. It mostly comes down to whether the platform has dedicated resources that can be instantly adjusted to reflect your needs. Of course, implementing these changes will require a manager or IT team, but overall, with VDI, you get dedicated resources that can be adjusted as your needs increase or decrease.
With a DaaS server, you also have this flexibility, but due to the nature of a shared server, you may need to purchase additional plans to increase your needs and it can be somewhat time-consuming to actually make the move happen.
Tenant Variation
This is a continuation of the scalability theme but on a larger scale. Tenant diversity is the number of people using a server at a given time. For example, VDI servers are all single-tenant; This allows for dedicated resources, dedicated servers, and a high level of scalability as mentioned. It is safer and has a more personal feel.
On the other hand, DaaS servers have multiple tenants on each server giving rise to shared resources. DaaS servers are, by default, quite secure, but those who share servers with you can compromise your security through shared IPs. Scalability exists, but not to the level of a single tenant mode like DaaS.
Costs
Cost is another major point of contention between DaaS and VDI. Undoubtedly, the cost of VDI is high. The upfront costs of deploying a server, as well as maintenance costs, are part of a centrally managed project with a VDI server, however, in the long run, relying on VDI can save some costs. user or client. In contrast, DaaS servers cost very little in the setup phase. Despite this, they may incur indirect costs of a shared server depending on the provider, and unused resources will also incur certain financial costs, which again, depending on the nature of the client, may lead to long-term cost inefficiencies. However, in principle, DaaS is cheaper than VDI.
Ease of Use
There are two aspects to ease of use; First with setup difficulty and second with actual user experience. As far as setup goes, VDI has a more complex process of configuring and tailoring server features to your needs. Whereas DaaS is managed by the vendor and is often ready to go. So in this aspect, DaaS is Win.
However, once this setup phase is completed, VDI servers have a greater degree of personalization and therefore provide a streamlined and integrated experience for clients or business employees choosing to use a VDI server.
VDI VS DaaS: Which is Right for You?
The general theme of comparisons and differences between VDI and DaaS is pretty clear. VDI generally offers much more in terms of scalability, flexibility, and user control. However, these additional capabilities come at an additional cost, more difficult management protocols, as well as personal responsibility for aspects such as security. DaaS does what VDI does on a smaller scale with less user autonomy and less options for customization. So a logical answer to this question would be to go for VDI if you have huge resource needs.
VDI is great for businesses that are centrally located and constantly scale up and down with their needs. These businesses usually have IT squads that can easily manage and operate a VDI server.
In contrast, going for a DaaS server is recommended for users who require an easy remote desktop without a lot of resources. Students, small businesses, aspiring coders and developers, and smaller retailers all fall under this category.
Conclusion
It’s clear that when it comes to the differences between VDI and DaaS, these platforms actually have more similarities than differences. They are like apples and oranges in that they cater to different parts of the online world at rather different scales Regardless of your choice, the methods that can be used to access a VDI or DaaS server are through Microsoft’s RDP or Remote Desktop Protocol.
