Overview:
By 2024, remote workers will represent 30% of all employees worldwide, roughly 600 million employees, increasing the challenge for securing data - Gartner.
Remote work is here to stay, and with the increased need for mobility and scalability, cloud-based virtual desktops are rising in popularity. With companies encouraging their employees to work from home and increasing security vulnerabilities, the time is ripe to embrace Desktop as a Service(Daas). DaaS solutions not only make remote working possible but also provide control over applications and data.
Cloud4C is a leading DaaS provider. With our Managed Amazon Workspaces offerings, we simplify and automate desktop management. We help in configuring and deploying Amazon Workspaces, thereby reducing TCO, ensuring data security, and relieving you from the stress of organizational-wide DaaS deployment.
According to Gartner, DaaS adoption is expected to grow at 44% by 2023
AWS WorkSpaces is preferred as it provides multiple compliance options including, but not limited to HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR
Why Amazon WorkSpaces?
Amazon WorkSpaces simplifies desktop delivery to employees. Traditional desktops/laptops are rigid, difficult to manage, and prone to vulnerabilities. Amazon WorkSpaces rises above these limitations. Amazon Workspaces provides a secure and managed cloud-based desktop environment that can be provisioned seamlessly. Amazon WorkSpaces also reduces the stress on procuring, deploying, and managing a large amount of inventory.
With Amazon Workspaces, IT infrastructure expenses can be significantly brought down without compromising on the infrastructure capabilities. You can also pay for what you use by the hour. This helps companies mitigate IT expenditure for temporary demand, which can quickly turn into a dead investment.
Amazon WorkSpaces provides a comprehensive security cover that helps companies mitigate security threats. Additionally, Cloud4C offers a comprehensive role control mechanism allowing companies to have tight control over their data and other digital assets.
By letting go of physical assets, companies do not risk losing any control over their IT infrastructure. Amazon WorkSpaces provides a feature-rich provisioning service that can help create, provision, or delete a large number of workspaces within minutes. This, coupled with Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD), can give a lot of control to the IT staff without compromising their security or breaking the bank.
Amazon WorkSpaces does not restrict from using any software or hardware. Users have the flexibility to choose OS, hardware, and software. In fact, users can even save some amount on the Amazon WorkSpace bill if they bring their own licenses. You can deploy thousands of Microsoft Windows or Linux desktops in the AWS regions close to your users within a few minutes.
Organizations can control the deployment of several thousand AWS Workspaces across the globe through a single-view AWS console. IT staff no longer need to spend a substantial amount of time on maintaining hardware inventory, OS updates, patch rollout, etc. With Amazon Workspaces, they can now focus more on the core functions.
AWS WorkSpaces is compatible across multiple devices like Chromebooks, Windows and Mac computers, Fire, iPads, and Android tablets. It is also compatible with any browser of your choice.
AWS VDI pricing models include hourly and monthly billing cycles. Hourly billing is ideal for part-time workers with a limited number of hours during the month. With monthly billing, your enterprise would be paying a fixed monthly fee for unlimited usage during the month, which is ideally suited for full-time workers.
Reach out to our AWS experts for customized pricing for Amazon workspaces as per your enterprise demands
Cloud4C’s Managed Amazon Workspaces Offering
While AWS WorkSpaces is a great DaaS solution, clients still have to build their preparedness to adopt it. This includes choosing the right tier of AWS offering, creating the right kind of WorkSpace to suit their requirements, and managing the offering. Cloud4C team has more than a decade of experience in building and maintaining virtualized desktop environments, including Desktop as a Service.
Powered by Windows Server 2012
Flexible Accessibility
- Access over Direct Connect / IPSec/VPN / P2S VPN / Internet
- Secure Deployment as per organization compliance need (Copy / Paste from local PC, Time based access, location based access control, Outbound access control)
We deploy and manage virtual Windows or Linux desktops based on various use cases and types of users (Value, Standard, Performance, Power, PowerPro, Graphics, GraphicsPro, and Custom bundles). We assess the organization's needs and prepare a blueprint that aids in creating the required desktop experience.
We build the landing zones and set up the AWS account in the required AWS regions. We leverage AWS Well-Architected Framework, our Cloud Adoption Framework, and Amazon Workspace Application Manager (WAM) to deploy desktops and applications to the end-users.
As a part of our AIOps based managed services, we automate desktop/patch management, enable identity & access management, and monitor the Amazon workspaces continuously to ensure data security and adherence to compliance requirements.
- Windows and Linux Virtual Desktop
- AlwaysON (Monthly) pricing or AutoStop hourly pricing models
- Dedicated Virtual Desktop
Value, Standard, Performance, Power, PowerPro, Graphics, GraphicsPro and Custom bundles
- Assessment Discovery Deployment/ and DaaS
- AIOps based Managed Services
- Requirement gathering and blueprinting
- AWS Account readiness
- AWS Landing zone building
- AWS Active Directory connector setup or Active Directory Integration
- User profiling & bundle Creation
- Secure Image Creation with applications
- Custom WorkSpaces Image and Bundle building
- Automation, Security, control and Scalability
- AWS Well architected framework and Cloud Adoption Framework, CCoE governance & compliance management
- High availability, and disaster Recovery planning for the DaaS Solution
- Runbook Creation
- Automated problem, change & incident management policies deployment
- Desktop management
- Patch Management
- Security tools / AV Management
- Data protection
- Identity and Access Management
- Compliance Validation
- Resilience Design
- Infrastructure Security
- Update Management
- Monitoring and Fault detection
- User experience management
- Security & Compliance control monitoring and management
Our Service Coverage
Cloud4C has developed an industry-leading, scalable and flexible desktop virtualization solution that is cost-effective yet offers the ability to simplify and automate desktop management. Cloud4C helps in desktop deployment and takes the lack of predictability and stress out of it.
Workshop to discuss use cases, requirements and recommend roadmap, design, and plan
Setup Amazon WorkSpaces, configure and administer
Help in integrating WorkSpaces with your corporate AD/LDAP/G-Suite and applications
Helps in enabling SSO to your WorkSpaces
Customize Workspaces with Amazon Workspace App Manager (WAM)
Why Cloud4C’s Desktop as a Service to deploy Amazon Workspaces for you
To make the most of DaaS offerings such as Amazon Workspaces, companies need the best of the tools along with a full suite of managed services. Cloud4C helped many companies successfully leverage DaaS to take their infrastructure to the next level. Due to our comprehensive service portfolio, our customers can depend on us via a single SLA that covers all the services. Our processes and deployment approach are based on decades of experience in helping our clients.
Amazon Workspaces Key Use cases
While employees’ “working from home” norm is great for productivity and business continuity, data security has been one of the biggest threats. With Amazon Workspaces, data is not stored on the end-users device. Thus, organizations can provide virtual desktop access to remote/mobile users, contract employees instantly & confidently without worrying about data security.
Educational Institutions are transforming their ways of delivering education. Computers have become an integral part of the classroom. By leveraging Amazon Workspaces, educational institutions were able to provision virtual desktops that the Teachers and Students can access from any location. Many students can share the same end-user devices, thus reducing the capital costs and effort for provisioning and managing one-to-one desktops.
It takes many functions to run a company successfully, and they all have diverse infrastructure needs. Some teams, like design teams, work on GPU intensive tasks, others work on processing intense tasks. Amazon Workspaces address this need for diverse IT landscapes and performance needs. Amazon Workspaces provide various bundles, and each bundle has different hardware and software options. Based on the use case, you can choose from predefined bundles or create your own bundle.
Healthcare providers are adopting desktop virtualization technologies to provide flexible and HIPAA-compliant workspaces to their workforce. AWS Workspaces enables healthcare IT to provide workspaces that are highly available, secure as well as that support data backup and disaster recovery so that their confidential patient-related data can be accessed from any device, anytime and anywhere but only by the required personnel.
In scenarios like mergers and acquisitions, companies might need to create or delete thousands of desktops within a short period, while ensuring application and data security. Amazon workSpaces provides a virtual desktop infrastructure that doesn't require any upfront infrastructure setup and makes it possible to rapidly scale secure virtual desktops based on the current needs, without increasing infra costs.
Amazon WorkSpaces Architecture Diagram
Cloud4C Amazon Workspaces Deployment Strategy
Cloud4C created a high-level plan so that our customers can start using Amazon Workspaces as effectively as possible from Day 1.
While most companies today have all the necessary tools for accessing AWS WorkSpaces, we need to make sure all the necessary inventory is in place, and the basic setup is done. At this stage, we set up VPC - private subnets and NAT Gateway. We ensure that the users have the necessary connectivity and associated protocols defined like S2S and VPN tools. We also look at the IP allocation and other HDLP aspects such as web and data access, IP access control, and trusted devices.
At this stage, we use Microsoft Active Directory (AD) to create authentication and user access protocols. We create an AD on AWS and map it to the on-premise domain. This enables users to access files that are part of the on-premise domain.
This is a vital step where we create a security layer for all the data that is being transferred in the network. Encryption of data, mapping protocols for secure data transfer, deploying HDLP software, antivirus, and any security features needed to ensure compliance is done. This will make sure that using Amazon WorkSpaces does not violate any compliance norms.
While ensuring security from all aspects, we install tools and create processes to track events and metrics of the network automatically generate performance reports periodically. We also make sure regular backups are created for the data.
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Network and Access to AWS WorkSpaces
While most companies today have all the necessary tools for accessing AWS WorkSpaces, we need to make sure all the necessary inventory is in place, and the basic setup is done. At this stage, we set up VPC - private subnets and NAT Gateway. We ensure that the users have the necessary connectivity and associated protocols defined like S2S and VPN tools. We also look at the IP allocation and other HDLP aspects such as web and data access, IP access control, and trusted devices.
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Authentication and User Access Management
At this stage, we use Microsoft Active Directory (AD) to create authentication and user access protocols. We create an AD on AWS and map it to the on-premise domain. This enables users to access files that are part of the on-premise domain.
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Security and Data Protection
This is a vital step where we create a security layer for all the data that is being transferred in the network. Encryption of data, mapping protocols for secure data transfer, deploying HDLP software, antivirus, and any security features needed to ensure compliance is done. This will make sure that using Amazon WorkSpaces does not violate any compliance norms.
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Monitoring and Management
While ensuring security from all aspects, we install tools and create processes to track events and metrics of the network automatically generate performance reports periodically. We also make sure regular backups are created for the data.
Cloud4C Phase-wise Approach and Implementation
We believe that successful adoption of AWS WorkSpaces is possible only by making sure the onboarding process is done the right way in addition to the necessary maintenance. To achieve this, we have created a phase-wise approach and implementation process.
Enable remote work in seconds and at scale with Amazon workspaces and Cloud4C
Cloud4C Differentiators
2000+ certified experts
24X7 support via NOC and SOC, even during difficult times like COVID-19 lockdown
Total ownership through a single SLA for all the services
Successfully deployed and managed 5000+ VDI instances
Pay-as-you-go Model - No capital cost towards IT infrastructure
Automated deployment and management - Designed to save cost and time
Uninterrupted, remote support availability even during testing times such as COVID
Continuous monitoring of industry compliance and security control
Scale as per your business need within minutes
Our Related Resources
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VDI or DaaS: Is one better than the other?
There is no denying that maintenance of legacy systems has become a very difficult task. Desktops and laptops will always need constant updating, patching and malware scans for...
AWS Workspaces - FAQs
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What is Amazon Workspaces?
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Amazon WorkSpaces is a fully managed, secure cloud desktop service offered by AWS. With AWS workspaces, your enterprise IT team can provision either Windows or Linux desktops in just a few minutes and based on your workforce’s dynamic requirements.
Amazon Workspaces eliminates the need for procurement and deployment of hardware and lets you seamlessly & swiftly scale to provide desktops to workers across the globe.
The flexible and pay-on-the-go pricing also saves costs compared to traditional desktops and on-premises VDI solutions. Employee productivity is also ensured in all circumstances as end users can access a responsive desktop from anywhere, anytime, from any supported device.
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What are the uses of Amazon Workspaces?
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An Amazon WorkSpace is a cloud-based virtual desktop that can act as a replacement for a traditional desktop. Using a Workspace, your enterprise can deliver a bundle of OS, compute and software resources, necessary software applications as per employee profile so that the end-user can function in the same way as using a traditional office desktop.
AWS WorkSpaces can also be seamlessly integrated into existing IT systems and processes and simplify your enterprise’s desktop management cycles. Due to a lack of upfront commitment, the workspaces could be disabled at any time by the enterprise.
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What is the pricing of Amazon Workspaces?
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The pricing for using Amazon workspaces in your enterprise would depend on the end-user/employee needs and configuration required for them. Although there is the flexibility to pay monthly or hourly as per your needs, the hourly billing would still attract nominal infrastructure and storage costs per month. With monthly billing, your enterprise would be paying a fixed monthly fee for unlimited usage during the month, which is ideally suited for full-time workers. For normal usage, Amazon workspaces can be availed from $21 per month per user per month. Hourly billing is ideal for part-time workers as billing is also limited to the number of hours during the month, and with no upfront commitment, the workspaces could be disabled at any time by the enterprise
You can reach out to our AWS experts for customized pricing for AWS workspaces as per your enterprise demands.
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How does Amazon Workspaces work?
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Amazon Workspaces lets you provision cloud-based Microsoft Windows or Amazon Linux desktops. After the Workspaces are provisioned, users need to download the Amazon Workspaces client on a supported client device (including Windows and Mac computers, iPads, Tablets, etc.) or can use a supported web browser for Amazon Workspaces. Remote employees can connect to a WorkSpace through an Internet connection with TCP and UDP open ports at the user’s end. Users can log in with their Active Directory (AD) credentials or the credentials provided by the administrator and perform any tasks that they can do on any traditional desktops. Users can also resume a session disconnected due to network issues.
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