Organizations large and small are seeking new ways to grow and to do that, they have to be agile. If I had to choose two words that are most overused when it comes to discussions around virtual desktops, "flexibility" and "agility" would probably be my choices. Plenty of vendors claim these benefits for their VDI solutions, but that doesn't mean they actually deliver them. However, the importance of the two concepts really cannot be overstated; the flight from on-premises data centers to the public cloud is the evidence. CIOs know that their data centers limit flexibility and agility for the business, and that limits business growth. One of the most significant agility drivers IT teams can implement now is to replace outdated, on-premises VDI and physical PCs with cloud PCs and workstations. 

Whether caused by major storms, fires, cybersecurity incidents or human error, 2018 was a difficult year for many people and for companies trying to recover from life and business disruptions. For organizations of all sizes, it's imperative that you have a disaster recovery (DR) plan, because the consequences of business downtime can be catastrophic. Moreover, proving that your company has a solid BC/DR plan in place can be a requirement of doing business with many customers. A critical element of your DR plan is making sure that once employees are safe, they can return to work and stay productive - even when they cannot reach their PC or workstation at the office. 

In any given year there will be ups and downs, both personally and professionally; that's just life. I hope as you look back on your 2018, as we all do this time of year, that you were able to find joy in many things, big and small. At Workspot, we're taking stock of our year too, and the best part about that is our achievements in 2018 are measured in the success of our customers. That brings our team joy, because it's how we know that our services are having a real impact. When we look back over the year, here's what stands out for us in the way of customer success.

My blog last week focused on the challenges faced by architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms from the perspective of the IT team. IT leaders are strategic partners in the business, and the technology choices they and their teams make really, really matter when it comes to supporting the growth objectives of the firm. In fact, IT executives who are unwilling to modernize their technology infrastructure risk not only inhibiting growth for the firm, but also losing talent to firms that have taken the leap to cloud computing. That's how powerful a cloud workstation solution can be. We are at the point where IT personnel and power users alike should not have to waste time worrying about app performance, outdated GPUs, hardware refreshes, or IP security. For that matter, you should not have to worry about whether you can make your kid's soccer game or piano recital either. Let's explore how we can take all those worries off the table.