How hosted desktops can underpin your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy

By Your Office Anywhere

11 Dec 2015

Cloud hosted desktops make Bring Your Own Device a flexible, popular, cheap and secure option for many businesses.

Yes, I did say secure. I’ve listened to many heated discussions about BYOD over the years and while most people can see the benefits of flexibility, productivity and employee morale the concerns over security and manageability often shackle the business to the status quo.

However, hosted desktops or hosted applications can allay many of the data security officer’s worries and provide the user with a familiar working environment regardless of location or device.

Employees are becoming more mobile as connection speeds are increasing and expect to be able to work from hotels, trains and home just as they do in the office. They want their mobile device to be their primary one, very often opting to use their own phones and tablets in preference to the company desktop.

Forward thinking companies are embracing this new way of working, it has the potential to cut costs as they are not supplying users with multiple devices, there is also an increase in productivity as employees and company owners can effectively work during their daily commute, or at home in the evening, and on devices that they are totally familiar with. It is rare to find a small business owner who doesn’t at least work on his or her emails while on holiday, with hosted desktops they can work on any application.

Hosted desktops are part of the modern cloud portfolio. Working like a normal PC desktop, the business applications used by the company’s workforce are installed on a cloud based hosted terminal server and connect to the company’s databases and documents which are also on the same hosted server. This is a point worth re-emphasising; all the data, documents, and applications all reside on the cloud server, so there is no need to have any data or any applications on the user’s device. This provides a lot of benefits:

If a device is stolen the company’s data is not. Even if there was not a security password on the device, the hosted desktop user account can be disabled or password changed within minutes.

Lost or faulty devices can be replaced and the user back up and running very quickly, without the need to reinstall dozens of applications.

The desktop environment and applications are the same regardless of which device the user uses to run their hosted desktop If internet connection is lost, say while working on a train, the session continues to run on the server. As soon as internet is back the user can continue where they left off, even if they haven’t saved their documents.

Data is backed up regularly throughout the day, so even if a device was lost, stolen or broken, the presentation the user was working on all evening is still safe.

Companies adopting a BYOD policy do need to consider and implement corporate wide security policies, which may include ensuring devices are password protected, and users resist the temptation to copy data locally. They should also ensure their hosted desktop provider uses secure connections (https) as users will commonly connect on unsecure wi-fi networks.

All in all the hosted desktop tips the balance firmly in favour of adopting a BYOD policy and give modern, mobile companies, of any size, the flexibility and security demanded by the business.  

Enjoyed this? Read more from Your Office Anywhere

Latest news

1

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway Alan McBride Muse Will Town Defence Infrastructure Organisation Jennifer Chard Defence Business Services Cllr Lynn Williams Blackpool Council Garry Bowker Vinci

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway

20 May 2025

2

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities Skiddle cheque presentation to Alder Hey Hospital

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities

20 May 2025

3

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion The site

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion

19 May 2025

4

REVOLUTION PARK: Work starts on Darwen’s new home of advanced manufacturing Oliver Webber, Tracy Clavell-Bate and Tim Webber from Barnfield Group with Cllr Phil Riley, second from right, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council

REVOLUTION PARK: Work starts on Darwen’s new home of advanced manufacturing

19 May 2025

5

Two Cuckoo Gins named winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2025 Mark Long

Two Cuckoo Gins named winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2025

19 May 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar

Cottons Hotel & Spa , Knutsford, WA16 0SU

16:00 - 18:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May
Freelancer Meet-Up May.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May

society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Liverpool Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-881365363-4862066883-1-original.20241023-085714.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
23 May 2025 - 23 May 2025

Liverpool Business Expo 2025

Aintree Racecourse , Liverpool , L9 5AS

09:00 - 15:00

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29
Artboard 15.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
29 May 2025 - 29 May 2025

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin