Amazon WorkSpaces: Streamlining Remote Work

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In 2020, 59% of Canadian employees began working entirely from home due to the pandemic. Were their employers prepared for such a staggering number of remote employees? Can they keep up with their employees' desire to connect with the office from any device in any location?

If you have remote staff, you may wonder how you can utilize the cloud to facilitate your employees working at home and keep productivity and engagement high while keeping your data secure. You may already be using services like Amazon Chime as a communication tool for distributed teams, but what else does AWS offer in this area?

What is Amazon WorkSpaces?

Amazon WorkSpaces (AWS) is a highly scalable and global virtual desktop service that enables users to access applications and documents from anywhere on any device. Accessing on-premises applications can be achieved using a VPN connection, and for authentication Amazon WorkSpaces is compatible with Microsoft Active Directory.

Amazon WorkSpaces pricing is cost-effective and flexible, offering hourly or monthly billing options and a range of system configurations for Windows and Linux. It's a simple, reliable, and consistent tool to manage your workforce, boost your staff's efficiency and streamline your operations securely on a global scale.

Your staff do not need their own accounts with AWS to connect and use WorkSpaces, and it's available in several AWS availability zones, including Canada (Montreal) for compliance around data residency.

Advantages of Amazon WorkSpaces

What are the advantages of the cloud-based capabilities of Amazon WorkSpaces? Let's take a look.

1. Reduce IT Costs Using Amazon WorkSpaces, you have lower hardware and software expenses as you don't have to purchase them outright. You have fewer costs to maintain, deploy and upgrade them as well.
2. Centralized Management If your employees are at home, thousands of miles away, in another country, or on another continent, you can centrally manage the deployment of as many WorkSpaces as needed to provide highly performant cloud workstations to them anywhere in the world. Plus, you can add or remove WorkSpaces to meet your company's changing needs at any time.
3. Device Compatibility From Windows and Mac computers to Chromebooks, iPads, Fire and Android tablets to Chrome and Firefox web browsers, Amazon WorkSpaces supports them all. Your network of employees can easily download the client software and begin working on their device.
4. Data Security All your data is encrypted and stored in WorkSpaces backed by AWS S3 for durability and high availability, not on the users' local devices.

Get Started With Amazon WorkSpaces

Now that you know the uses and advantages of Amazon WorkSpaces in our new world of work, are you ready to implement solutions to make remote work more secure and integrated?

Pilotcore can set up your Amazon WorkSpaces deployment, help you move to the cloud or optimize your existing infrastructure. Don't overpay for cloud services. See our services to learn more about how we can help you and reach out to discuss your cloud architecture. We'll help you save money on your next AWS bill.