4 Quick Steps to Assessing the Cost (and Value) of an AWS DaaS Migration

The shift from virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) was already strong before the onset of COVID-19, but remote work during the global pandemic has only solidified the trend. In 2019, DaaS spending was over $600 million; according to Gartner, the market will almost double in 2020, to $1.2 billion—with the global pandemic responsible for most of that growth.

If your organization is thinking about a move to DaaS, read on to learn how to assess the cost (and value) of migrating to the AWS cloud.

1. Assess the hidden costs of your current infrastructure.
   Many organizations don’t fully understand how much their VDI solution is truly costing them. When conducting a cost analysis, they may count software, servers, and storage but overlook hidden costs like repairs, upgrades, security, labor, real estate, and disaster-recovery processes. Downtimes due to power failure and poor connectivity also have a real, calculable cost; it’s important to consider these expenses—and to remember that AWS offers 99.9% uptime. If service interruptions have plagued you in the past, improving your uptime can reduce your customer service costs significantly.
2. Quickly learn cloud costs – Leverage AWS’s cost calculator.
   AWS offers a pricing calculator that instantly generates a summary report comparing the total cost of ownership (TCO) of your hosting infrastructure to the cost of AWS over three years. There are basic and advanced views, depending on how deep you want to dig. AWS also offers a comprehensive guide to understanding the TCO of web applications in the cloud that you might find helpful and an assessment of your migration readiness to help you understand where you are in the process—and where you need to be. Of course, TCO and migration costs are two very different things, but understanding the former can help you determine the value of the migration and the resources involved—a crucial step in getting the most value from, and during, your migration.
3. Determine the least expensive service to meet your needs.
   It’s important to do your research and understand the most cost-effective ways to meet your infrastructure needs. Remember, when you’re buying and maintaining on-premise infrastructure, you’re either forced to buy more than you need in the moment in order to accommodate growth—or restrict users’ resources (which hurts productivity) to keep from exceeding capacity. Moving to the AWS Cloud lets you turn on additional resources as needed, giving you just-in-time access without unnecessary expense or limiting productivity. But it’s important to understand the different services and only order what you actually need. Weighing your options against your requirements is the best way to make sure you pay for what you need while ensuring you’re making the most of AWS’s potential cost savings. When it comes to DaaS solutions, Amazon offers two primary solutions, WorkSpaces and AppStream 2.0. As you plan your migration and determine your needs, you’ll want to decide which of these works best for you.
4. Consider the big picture.
   It’s tempting to focus specifically on price tags, but a move to AWS offers benefits beyond up-front cost reductions. DaaS, for example, prevents you from getting locked into an investment in static technology. Tech ages quickly and continuing to spend on traditional solutions reduces your financial and resource flexibility. Adopting DaaS helps you grow; it’s scalable, extensible, and, because it’s modern, will attract and retain talent. DaaS also creates simplicity around maintenance. When a VDI system goes down, it’s on your team to solve the problem—and it’s often hard to know where to even begin troubleshooting. A switch to AWS means no more chasing amber lights and struggling to keep a lot of complex components running smoothly. AWS handles all of this for you—and also gives you disaster-recovery options that would be prohibitively complex and costly to carry out in an on-premises VDI environment. With your maintenance lift virtually zero, you’re free to focus on your users.

    

   Migration Is More Than Lift-and-Shift 

   A move from a traditional VDI to the cloud is more than a “lift-and-shift” project. But this is a good thing. The cloud is a dynamic environment with a lot of benefits, some of which take a little expertise to fully unlock. Take the time to plan and execute your migration accordingly—and don’t be afraid to call on experts to help you navigate your choices and your migration.

   SynchroNet’s proven process helps organizations shrink their AWS Cloud migration from one year to 6–8 weeks. To find out more, visit synchronet.com.