1. Mobility – Access the Office from Any Location
The number one benefit of hosted desktops is that business users can log on to their own desktops and their entire suite of business software applications – from their CRM database to their accounting packages, as well as their emails, files and data – from any location, using any device.

2. Remote Working
Remote working becomes truly enabled through hosted desktops as employees can log onto to all their business applications from any location and no longer need to be tied to an office. It also offers businesses the flexibility to move locations easily, create satellite offices and hold meetings anywhere.

3. Financial Savings
According to analysts including Gartner, it costs around $1800 – $2500 per person every year to supply licenses and to manage and support a fixed desktop. Implementing a Hosted Desktop strategy can reduce this to less than $600 per person every year.

The desire to reduce the cost of IT was a key driver for recruitment firm, Nicholson International when it adopted a Hosted Desktop service. Nicholson International’s managing director, John Nash, said: “One of the key attractions of outsourcing our IT was to get rid of our servers and reduce the need for administration including performing software updates and IT security management. We realized that removing this burden would leave more time for us to concentrate on business development.”

4. Better Cash Flow
Moving to a hosted desktop service removes the need for costly capital expenditure on physical servers. Companies will enjoy a low fixed monthly pay-as-you-go price – only paying for what they use, which will result in improved cash flow and more predicable budgeting.

5. Enhanced Security
A cloud computing provider will perform daily data back-ups for their clients and data is typically stored securely in a UK datacenter with backup power and generators, cooling, fire systems and 24 hour security making it more secure than an in house server set up.

6. Near 100% Reliability
With most cloud providers promising 99.999% up-time, a business can always be open. Providers host their clients’ data in a secure USA data center behind corporate grade firewalls and offer 24/7 support and disaster and recovery services. If a server fails the load automatically falls over to other servers in the cloud to keep applications live.

7. Scalability
Hosted desktops give organizations flexibility and make it easier for them to grow and scale their IT requirements up or down by adding (or removing) employees, storage and applications quickly and only paying for what they use.

8. A “Greener” Business
Cloud solutions reduce energy use and carbon emissions by more than 30 per cent for large companies and by more than 90 per cent for smaller deployments. Energy savings stem from having fewer machines, equipment efficiency, getting rid of climate control rooms for in-house servers as well as extra servers needed to handle peak data loads.

9. Increased Productivity
Cloud computing can increase workforce productivity by up to 20 per cent, according to research from Pixmania. Hosted desktops enable seamless remote working from any location, which ensures high productivity levels and can enable companies to reduce overheads, offer flexible working and keep their staff happy. Hurst Financial’s chairman Mike Hurst said: “Productivity has increased and people feel liberated that they can work away from the office and are trusted to manage their own time. This has helped improve the bottom line and increase staff morale.”

10. Enhanced Collaboration
Greater efficiency is enjoyed because employees who are able to share the latest version of their chosen applications, leading to faster communication and greater efficiency. John Nash, managing director of Nicholson, added: “We are fast growing international business and we now have a truly global workforce with offices in Paris and Poland. We can now operate in a more responsive and nimble way, improving the services we offer our clients around the world and we have a great system from which to expand the business.”