Hosted desktop

[brightncheerful]

I am updating my knowledge of business technology generally, in particular whether my way of working is really that efficient or could it be improved upon. It has been suggested that I should seriously consider hosted desktop as that would enable me to work anywhere.

From a prospective supplier (UK based) I've gathered that it is a Windows set-up which means that my Mac apps would have to run on Windows. But any that don't would mean my having to flip from using the hosted setup to my iMac (local desktop).

I am not averse to putting my files in the cloud - currently I use Dropbox - and the supplier numbers amongst its customers numerous firms of accountants and solicitors so in principle I am satisfied that commercial sensitivity would not be an issue, also the files can be encrypted and the server is on mainland UK.

I am wondering about the disadvantages of hosted desktop and what questions I should ask and should be asking when I have a trial of the system.

[servodude]

The biggest downside would appear to be that it requires you to change operating system from that which you are used to

A "hosted desktop" system makes sense to me if you have an organisation of many people and you need to manage lots of licenses and lots of hardware
- it really simplifies the system administration side of things
- you don't really need to provide hardware in a traditional sense (or it can be little more than a dumb terminal)
- if it's working properly the end user (you ) should not really notice that it's hosted

If that's not your scenario and you just want freedom from sitting in front of your iMAC I'll suggest that simple 'remote desktop-ing" would allow you to work from anywhere; this is what I do.

I have a selection of computers that I need to be able to access for work (a lot of what I do is programming), they run a variety of operating systems;
- some are real (and located in offices or my home)
- some are hosted in the cloud
- some are hosted on my real computers
- some are hosted on computers that are hosted on a real computer (I think that is as far as it goes )

I can drive any of them from any of the real ones: most of the time I am using my MS Surface Book to do so
- it's a lovely piece of hardware, has great battery life and is super portable
- but it would be terribly underpowered for coding work if I was not using it as a terminal

It is really convenient to be able to seamlessly switch to a different computer when one is 'busy" (or because I need to)
- or to close my laptop altogether and do something completely different without affecting a running job

The only real caveat is that trying to view graphically intensive stuff (i.e. video or animation) can suffer because it has to travel over the ethernet connection - but this would be the same for a hosted desktop scenario anyway

There are quite a few options for remote desktop access: I've used TeamViewer, LogMeIn, VNC, mstsc (windows own)
- Chrome Remote Desktop has become my favourite recently as I really only need access to a chrome browser to access my computers through my google account

One final benefit I have found is that when the internet goes down I can walk to the cupboard, work out which PC i need, dust it off and do things the old fashioned way
- this wouldn't be possible with a hosted desktop scheme

I hope that wasn't too rambling and you can find something of interest in the above
Have fun
- sd

[brightncheerful]

Thank you.

The "work anywhere" attractor is to do with something I have in mind concerning my office relocation. Rather than go to the expense of installing everything in one place only to have incur the same expense when I move on a few months later, the remote set up suggestion would avoid all that because all I'd need apparently is a broadband line and a router.

[Infrasonic]

https://www.howtogeek.com/187359/5-ways ... -on-a-mac/

Macs have a thriving ecosystem of software, but some programs still only support Windows. Whether you want to use business software or play Windows PC games, there are many ways to run Windows programs on your Mac.

If you are happy staying in the Mac world you could always buy a Macbook pro laptop and use it with a larger desktop monitor via Thunderbolt/USB C to HDMI cables.

Combined with a 4/5G data deal (either tethered via your phone wifi hotspot or with a dedicated 4/5G dongle) you might even be able to forgo a landline and router completely.
I've been totally reliant on 4G as my ISP for a few years now (with 3), but I do live in a city centre, which helps.

[stewamax]

Tools such as TeamViewer and LogMeIn are essentially for remote support but also fine for individuals doing their own thing (e.g. remotely accessing their own PCs), but are not for general purpose multi-user business use. For the latter you need something like Windows Server running virtual machines or server addons such as Citrix.
Citrix is particular is widely used where cast-iron control over data is needed, in health or social services applications for example.