Hosted Desktop (DaaS)

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Generally, we offer this service for FREE if you commit for a period of 12months. Our on-boarding process consists of a needs analysis, project scoping and creation of your new cloud-based system, all completely free, whatever it may be. 

There are small additional per-user charges, such as migrating all your emails or data from off your old system and onto the new one. However, we try to keep these costs to a minimum and will always be upfront with you beforehand. 

In Most Cases YES.

Functionally, a virtual machine is very close to a physical machine. It can perform almost all the same tasks that a physical machine can, and often faster than a physical machine with identical spec. There are a few exceptions (such as certain versions of Microsoft 365) that are prohibited from running on virtual desktops due to licensing agreements.

Mostly, yes, depending on the task and spec of the machine. A cloud-based virtual machine is also superior thanks to its reliability, security and zero need for maintenance. Additional points include its scalability, no capital layout, space saving and a reduced need for an in-house IT team – Affinity Smart IT provides IT Support.

Another factor to consider is internet speed. You would usually have between 30-60 Mbps internet at home, with an office user needing between 70-150 Mbps. The per-machine internet speed at our  data centres is between 350-550 Mbps – quite a difference!

It’s true that for certain applications (such as intensive graphic/ 3D design) an ordinary VM might be somewhat slower than a custom-built physical machine. However, we offer bespoke solutions for some of our customers (such as architects and designers) where the VM is equipped with a graphics card as well. These machines can match or beat the performance of a physical machine with similar spec.

In short, Yes and No.

For security reasons, we prefer not allowing customers to install their own apps, but at the same time, we understand the occasional need for customers to do this. There are two ways in which we can handle such requests:

• If you send us all the relevant licensing information, we can do the installation for you, free of charge.
• Alternatively, we can give you a limited time window during which you can install the apps yourself, after which the system reverts back to its default, high-security setting.

Yes it does!

In essence you just need the Microsoft 365 Pro Plus; Premium or E3 license. We also provide a solution that includes the Office Suite and an email address on a dedicated Exchange platform.

Yes! Your shiny new virtual machine is protected by round-the-clock security guards, and comes with military-grade encryption (2048 -bit), military-grade firewalls and banking-level security (IL4). AND on this solution we work with G-Cloud 12 security standard partners.

A virtual desktop can be accessed via any device that has internet connectivity and Remote Desktop Service (RDS) – which means most smartphones and tablets, as well as PC, Linux, Chromebook and Mac. 

If your equipment previously ran on the machine from which you are running your virtual desktop, then it will also work on the virtual desktop. Our team can assist you with any setup that may be required. Please be sure to mention all the devices you would like to connect when you have your project scoping meeting with your assigned project manager. 

This solution provides a 24/7 business-critical support with full support between the hours of 9am-5.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

In short: nothing

We offer free upgrades for both Windows and Office, although only upon request. The reason for this is that sometimes your current software, especially custom software, might not work properly on newer versions of Windows or not interface correctly with Office.

Before upgrading, we will perform a thorough compatibility assessment, run some tests, and create a rollback plan in case things go wrong. This enables us to easily restore your system to the way it was before in the event that the upgrades were not compatible.