By JAY A. COHEN  

Today with the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus practices are changing the way jobs are done. While a lot of companies are shutting down across the country, other companies are struggling with ways that they can be flexible and have their employees work remotely and safely and medical practices are on the frontline of this battle. At this point we are not likely to find an answer to COVID-19 anytime soon but medical practices still need to do their jobs.

Doctors and Nurses can’t work remotely as they need to see patients but follow up and support staff can be done remotely. Currently Zoom Videoconferencing is HIPAA compliant there are other factors like Remote Access to patient records. Consultations can be done with remote access using a combination of Videoconferencing and Remote Access.

Because of this the changes practices are making today are going to have long lasting effects on the workforce for many years to come. While all industries are scrambling right now, the choices they make today will be the benefit to their future employees, offering the flexibility to work remotely that the younger generation employees are craving with work/life balance, and your medical practice is probably no different. While not every job can be done remotely a large portion of any practices’ support staff can such as accounting, human resources and even the IT departments just to name a few.

Planning for these unforeseen future emergencies will require more automation and remote access for employees which will help practices in reducing the amount of people in the office to help reduce the risk of exposure during pandemics and can help practices run more effectively and respond quicker in the future.

What Can You Do?

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)! Right now, if you are searching for a quick and affordable way to allow employees to have remote access and telework from home. There is Desktop as a Service (DaaS) which allows employees to use any computer, or tablet that is browser enabled to access an office environment desktop (i.e. Windows or Linux bases) which can be setup both safely and securely. This alleviates the burden from you, the employer buying computers or laptops and having their IT staff from inventorying, shipping, setting up, support and backing them all up remotely. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a subscription-based service, you only pay for what you use, so you won’t have the upfront or capital expense cost of buying and shipping computers and laptops.

What is Desktop as a Service (DaaS)?

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a managed secure virtual desktop environment that allows users to work on any browser enabled device. This can be on a Windows, Mac, iPad,

Android, Chromebook, Fire Table, Web Access and Linux device. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is setup in your own private cloud and can be setup for Windows and Linux Desktops in just a few minutes and quickly scale to provide thousands of desktops to workers across the globe. You can pay either monthly or hourly, just for desktops the you launch, which helps you save money when compared to traditional desktops and on-premises VDI solutions. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) helps you eliminate the complexity in managing hardware inventory, OS versions and patches, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which helps simplify your desktop delivery strategy. Desktop as a Service (DaaS), your users get a fast, responsive desktop of their choice that they can access anywhere, anytime, from any supported device.

Why use Desktop as a Service (DaaS)?

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is easy and inexpensive way to setup remote access and can be a good option for medical practices looking to avoid the expense of Virtual Desktop Interfaces. If you are a business looking to staff up or add remote access Desktop as a Service (DaaS) can be setup quickly, and it is subscription based so you only pay for what you use and when you use it. Companies like Autodesk, The University of Virginia, YAMAHA and Amazon already use Desktop as a Server (DaaS).

Is Desktop as a Service (DaaS) Secure?

Desktop as a Server (DaaS) is setup in your own private cloud and can be restricted by usernames and IP addresses. No user data is stored on local drives and the user data in the cloud is encrypted for more security. Also, if your company has single sign on (SSO) capability for your internal network, your IT provider can sync these desktops to your Active Directory so people will login the same as always. Desktop as a Server (DaaS) also automatically updates security patches and allows you to easily maintain a common desktop configuration as well as upgrading OS software seamlessly. In addition, Desktop as a Server (DaaS) can be setup to HIPAA Compliancy.

How Much does Desktop as a Service (DaaS) Cost?

There are several factors that need to be answered before giving you the cost. Since this is a subscriptions-based service that can be paid monthly or hourly. In addition, you would need to know the configuration of the desktops you want to use. Memory, CPU Speed, Storage, and Operating System like Windows or Linux are all factors in how this is priced a good IT provider can help you figure out the cost to stay within your budget once you know what your requirements are. Additionally, if you already have Windows Licenses for OS and Office you can still use them which reduces the cost of new licenses.

Jay A. Cohen has over 25 years’ experience in the IT industry working closely with clients in support and creating innovative ways for business to utilize new technologies as times have changed. Jay also served as a volunteer EMT in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Jay A. Cohen is the owner of JAYCO Cloud Computing Solutions, a cloud solutions and support company is Central Florida. For more information visit www.jaycollc.com