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Back to the Future?

We all know the often used phrase that “history often repeats itself”. It’s so true, I knew those flares from 1972 would come back in fashion one day! When we look closer, though, history doesn’t really just repeat. It’s not a song on constant replay. Instead, it changes and evolves each time we hear the tune. So, what does that mean for us technology experts? We’ve been taking a look at evolving technologies, how they have advanced and what we can learn from the past – with an eye to the future of course.

October 5 2020

Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s the old centralised “mainframe” computers enabled enterprise data and computing facilities to be housed in one place for the first time. Over the next decades, that centralised model started to change. The invention of the PC, followed by faster and smarter devices (smart phones, tablets etc) meant that many of the systems and datastores that were once managed in a data centre were now sitting on an individual PCs.

This new freedom gave users a far enhanced experience than before, but left a whole load of new problems for the IT department – e.g. how to ensure data on PCs is backed up, securing the device against viruses and trojans, stopping people taking data away on local storage devices. And, even now, many long-standing institutions still have legacy infrastructure that relates back to those days. Without careful management this can stifle an organisation’s development, making programmes complex and unwieldy whilst the new guys on the block are able to get product to market so much quicker. Just look at the banks…

The accelerating move to cloud for enterprise applications solves some of these issues, but users still download and store data locally for ease of use, no matter what policies are in place to prevent this. Whilst working at home or remotely was causing CISOs and DPOs to have sleepless nights, it didn’t necessarily make itself to the top of the organisation risk register.

The impact of Covid-19 has changed this completely. Suddenly, working at home is in the “new normal”; companies have adapted quickly and whilst there are some downsides of the lack of social interaction, the savings in travel, utilities and office costs mean a return to full time office work is unlikely. Additionally employees are enjoying the savings in money from zero commuting and a better work/life balance. But this paradigm shift means the need to secure data and provide an “in office” working experience is now key to an organisation’s future survival.

Fortunately, the tech world has been closing the circle, in a way that is becoming affordable and, with the right support, (fairly) painless to implement. All of the key vendors (Microsoft, Citrix, Amazon, VMware etc) have been constantly leap frogging each other with offerings that offer a “Desktop as a Service” (DaaS) in the cloud. Although Citrix and its ilk have been around for years, DaaS is certainly not terminal services, and is a step on from VDI and the large capex investments required. The desktop operating system and personal user data is all held together in a cloud environment, and can be accessed via any device and whatever browser you have. All of your backup, software upgrades and security are handled by the service, which is purchased on a desktop per month basis.

The solution is not right for everyone, but whether it’s Office 365, VDI hosted in your own data centre or DaaS, Leading Resolutions has been around long enough to have experienced each step in the upward migration of technology. We understand how to find the right solution and vendor to fit you.

Call us today and arrange for a review in your organisation. Our track record speaks for itself and we are happy to share case histories from our long list of satisfied clients. We would love to include you on that list!

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