With many law firms requiring a more flexible workspace, cloud-based business solutions continue to grow in popularity. One such solution, Desktop as a Service (DaaS), moves your desktops, servers, applications, and files to a secure, private cloud. This allows your attorneys and staff to safely access their desktops from anywhere, on any device. As the number of DaaS providers continues to grow, it can be challenging to find the right partner for your firm. When vetting a DaaS provider, there are several important factors to keep in mind.

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is growing in popularity, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. Research firm Gartner projected that the global DaaS market will expand by 253% from 2021 to 2024. While many companies understand that switching to DaaS can provide benefits like enhanced flexibility, efficiency, and cybersecurity, some are unsure of how exactly it works and apprehensive about leaping into new territory. Below is a primer on how DaaS works and what’s involved in transitioning to a DaaS solution. 

Desktop as a Service (Daas) is a cloud-based service in which virtual desktops are streamed to end users over the internet. DaaS has many benefits for companies. Because it is typically licensed on a per-user basis, it can easily be scaled up or down depending on the firm’s needs. It also securely allows for a flexible work environment and a “BYOD” policy, permitting users to safely log in from any location and any device they choose, such as a laptop, desktop, thin client, smartphone, or tablet. Before you consider choosing a DaaS provider, here are five factors to consider.

Clients expect high-value service from their law firm. They want their attorney to be accessible, to understand their needs and to solve their problems, expertly and quickly. In today’s fast-paced world, law firms must be highly productive and efficient to meet these demands if they are to retain clients and gain word-of-mouth referrals. 

As we all know, the pandemic amplified the need for people to be able work from home. But people must also work from home in the same way they can work in the office. In other words, people need to be able to access all of their files and the same applications that they use in the office. Their applications must not lose functionality and cannot work slower or inefficiently. So what is a firm to do?

In this video, John Rock, Partner at DoxAdvisors, sat down with our own Darragh Fitzpatrick to discuss his whitepaper, What's Netflix Got To Do With It? They also cover several topics including cloud-based IT services, the end of working "remotely" and the transition to "mobility," and much more.

We often have discussions with our clients about moving to the cloud. As time moves on and technology continues to progress, moving to the cloud has moved from becoming a question of “if” to a question of “when.” Cloud makes more and more sense each day.

Intuit’s QuickBooks is one of the most common applications we’re asked about moving to the cloud. It’s a very popular accounting program for small businesses, and, as companies are operating beyond the physical walls of their office, they find a strong need to provide remote access to their QuickBooks data, either to outside accountants or bookkeeping services, or to employees. While Intuit does have a web-based product called “QuickBooks Online”, most businesses and CPAs prefer to stick with QuickBooks Desktop for the functionality, interface, and flexibility it offers.

Virtual desktops are the big thing for businesses these days. Over the past few years, virtual desktops (also known as VDI, Desktop-as-a-Service or DaaS, and hosted desktops) have proven to be a more secure, stable, and scalable option than the traditional desktop and server model for small businesses, and most importantly, technology finally exists to deliver the right performance at the right price.

If your company isn't already using virtual desktops, instead of looking at a server upgrade or refresh of your desktop computers, consider virtual desktops as the next step to take for your company’s IT infrastructure. In the process, be sure to consider whether you should have your virtual desktops hosted in a private or a public cloud.

As far as information technology goes, the data storage industry has become one of the most dynamic sectors today. Businesses depend on information and data, which must be stored securely to ensure that it’s safe and accessible at all times, from anywhere.

Technology can be expensive to purchase, as well as maintain. Although computer devices and technology are critical investments for any business, many of them just can’t afford to upgrade or replace hardware or software as needed. What’s the best solution for these businesses? Virtualization.