Today’s distributed environments are challenging previous notions of end-user computing and creating chaos for enterprise IT planners and administrators. There are so many permutations and combinations of computing environments, devices, OSes and applications to support, that often organisations find themselves struggling to manage and control their environments.
Enterprise IT simply doesn’t have the funding, resources, or time to develop and execute comprehensive test plans for each and every combination of end-user environment that they now face. By the time that one environment has been completely tested, something in the stack of software and hardware changes. It might be new devices that must be tested, new versions of the OS, or new applications.
In order to regain control of their end-user computing environments, many companies are turning to cloud providers that can help them simplify management and deployment while offering a powerful and enabling end-user experience.
It’s all about the user experience:
Today’s end-user computing is about delivering IT services anytime, anywhere, on any device. End-users expect persistent access to their personal applications while still being able to have secure access to their business applications.
IT needs to understand end-user personas — sales road warriors, citizen data scientists, status-hungry executives — to provide the devices, applications, data interoperability capabilities, and support services they need and demand. These personas will inform what the tech team needs to provision, and a centralised console through which services can be provided not only simplifies this process, but enables end users to discover the computing services available to them.
A centralised console enables self-service solutions that allow teams to move at the speed of the customer, instead of waiting for IT or a partner to deliver a given solution. By providing a rich palette of options, an effective end-user solution includes the innovative tools, platforms, and processes they need to be as productive and impactful as they can be, balanced with the organisation’s need for management and control.
End-user computing, when done right, enables digital transformation, a workforce that is mobile, a platform that is secure, and a business that is satisfied with its computing experience.
Making it work:
There are three key elements to shifting end-user computing from a complex cost centre to an enabler of the business: Any end-user computing solution should support the organisation’s goals and ambitions, it should be easy to use and not limit productivity, and it needs to be secure and flexible by design.
AWS offers a number of end-user computing solutions to ensure that organisations from every industry and every sector can access all the tools they need to enable their workforce. Each of these is tailored to specific needs, allowing the business to build innovative solutions and turn its existing software into SaaS offerings without rewriting any applications.
Amazon WorkSpaces, for example, offers an easy way to provide a secure, managed, cloud-based virtual desktop experience to end-users. Unlike traditional on-premises Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions, you don’t have to worry about procuring, deploying, and managing a complex environment – Amazon WorkSpaces takes care of the heavy lifting and provides a fully managed service. With Amazon WorkSpaces, you can deliver a high-quality portable desktop, and applications, to your users on the device of their choice.
Similarly, Amazon WorkDocs is a fully managed, secure content creation, storage, and collaboration service. With Amazon WorkDocs, you can easily create, edit, and share content, and because it’s stored centrally on AWS, access it from anywhere on any device. Amazon WorkDocs makes it easy to collaborate with others, and lets you easily share content, provide rich feedback, and collaboratively edit documents.
You can use Amazon WorkDocs to retire legacy file share infrastructure by moving file shares to the cloud. Amazon WorkDocs lets you integrate with your existing systems and offers a rich API so that you can develop your own content-rich applications.
Amazon WorkLink provides the ideal solution for mobile users. A fully managed service, Amazon WorkLink ensures secure, easy access to internal corporate websites and web apps from a mobile phone.
Traditional solutions such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and device management software are inconvenient to use on the go, and often require the use of custom browsers that have a poor user experience. As a result, employees often forgo using them altogether. With Amazon WorkLink, employees can access internal web content as easily as they access any public website, without the hassle of connecting to the corporate network.
These solutions not only simplify desktop delivery, they help reduce costs and keep data secure. Baking-in ease of use, access, security, and resiliency by design, AWS end-user computing solutions ensure that the business is in control of its entire environment at all times.
Let iOCO assist you in your end user compute journey. Give us a call on +27 (11) 607 8512 (Alexia Sideris) or send an email to cloudsales@ioco.tech
