You know what it’s like when you’re used to a piece of software and then it gets upgraded to a new version; menus are in a different place, new icons appear, old ones critical to how you work suddenly disappear, it can be a 
nightmare. It’s bad enough with applications like Microsoft Office or Windows, but worse when it’s your core Line of Business application. Suddenly everyone in your business is disrupted re-learning how to use the system and productivity plummets. In some cases you may have custom written integrations between several applications which may no longer work.
Having to change or upgrade your software can be a real barrier to moving to cloud based solutions. Everyone is talking about Cloud Computing and all the software vendors are pushing their latest versions which are now totally or partially cloud based, but if moving to the new version means a whole load of headaches then you’re probably going to meet a little bit of resistance.
You don’t need to change the way you work
Cloud computing is a step change in the way IT systems are provided to businesses and offers some real benefits in terms of cost savings, ease of access, financial flexibility, security, and risk reduction. It would be a real shame if businesses missed out on these opportunities because the cost and complexities of the transition to a new version became prohibitive.
So what if you could get all these cloud benefits without making a single change to your current software, no matter what version it is? This article will explain how.
Hosted Desktops
There’s a form of cloud computing that is becoming very popular particularly for small and medium businesses called Hosted Desktops, sometimes called hosted remote desktops, virtual desktops or Desktops as a Service (DaaS). It is essentially the equivalent of your work desktop PC with all your business applications, email, documents, favourites etc. but running in the cloud. This means you can access it from anywhere you have an Internet connection; and as all your colleagues would also use it you can share data and other applications just the same as if you were all working in the office.
The technology uses a small simple bit of software called a remote desktop client which is inbuilt with Windows and can also be downloaded for free for any other type of device (Mac, iPad, Android) so your familiar Windows based software can now easily run on anything.
Hosted Desktops are usually provided on a subscription basis, basically a pay as you go model, and most providers will also rent additional software such as Microsoft Office. As part of the package you can also expect for all your data to be backed up and the hosted platform supported in terms of Anti-Virus, Windows Updates and general day-to-day fixing of issues.
Having decided upon a Hosted Desktop provider they will then install your software, which can be the version you are used to, they will upload your latest backup of your database, and you can continue using your software exactly as you did before but with all the benefits described above, thus making your transition to cloud computing as smooth as possible.
Find out more
Your Office Anywhere are one of the country’s longest established Hosted Desktop providers and have expertise in running a whole range of business applications, bespoke or off the shelf, in a hosted environment. To find out more follow the link above, email sales@yourofficeanywhere.co.uk or call 01282 500318.