How Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktops Help Law Firms With Remote Staff
Key points:
- Managing a remote staff long term isn’t a simple prospect
- You need to right technology in place to facilitate management, communication, and data access
- Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktops are the perfect solution to this dilemma
Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktops Connect Remote Staff With The Office
Is your IT designed primarily for staff in the office?
Traditional office environments typically consist of desktop computers connected by physical network cabling. Employees often save data on their local hard drives, and these solutions only work as long as the employees are working in the office.
When employees travel or work from home, they access data using virtual private networks and remote desktop software. Here’s the problem: connections can be spotty, and centralized network storage is difficult to access.
Do you have a solution to your ongoing remote work problems?
The Future Of Your Law Firm’s Working Environment
Have you given any thought to the way your firm will operate in a post-pandemic world?
According to 317 CFOs surveyed by Gartner, the business world may not change back when the pandemic is over—74% of CFOs say they expect to move previously on-site employees remote post-COVID-19.
- Your entire staff returns to work in the office, requiring you to implement practices to maintain social distance and keep high-traffic and high-contact areas disinfected
- Some of your staff returns to work in the office and some continue working remotely, requiring you to manage a hybrid IT environment
- All of your staff continue to work remotely, requiring you to assess and improve the remote IT environment you’ve been using so far
The bottom line is that however you’ve managed remote work so far, if it’s to be a part of your long-term vision for your organization, then you need to make sure it’s optimized and secure.
The Pros And Cons Of Remote Work
The remote work model offers a number of benefits that you’ve likely taken notice of over the course of the pandemic.
- 77% of remote employees say they’re more productive when working from home
- 76% of employees prefer to avoid their office completely when they need to concentrate on a project
- 98% of remote workers want to continue to work remotely (at least some of the time) for the rest of their careers
However, for all the ways remote work is beneficial to both the organization and end-users, it’s not without its challenges.
There’s a better way—Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop solution, which is more cost-effective and improves productivity. Do you know what that can offer your firm?
What Is Azure Virtual Desktop?
Azure is Microsoft’s enterprise-grade cloud computing platform. You and your team can rely on this solution to help you cut costs by hosting off-site, as well as benefit from a totally scalable configuration that fits your needs.
Microsoft Azure can be used to create and deploy virtualized desktops. Remote users can access operating systems from any devices through a connection broker, configured specifically to that user.
This means your firm’s remote users will be free to access their desktop and software suite from any location, at any time, versus being required to log onto a physical computer.
Azure Virtual Desktop’s Greatest Strength: Anywhere, Anytime Access
The core benefit of Azure Virtual Desktop is that it allows you, your staff, and other authorized users to access your data, your applications, and the rest of your work environment from any device.
This is a key capability in the modern age of remote work. Even before the pandemic, remote work was becoming more common, and now it’s become the norm.
Remote work is no longer a “short-term arrangement”. However you’ve managed remote work so far, if it’s to be a part of your long-term vision for your organization, then you need to make sure it’s optimized and secure.
The COVID-19 pandemic will conclude at some point, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be done with remote work, right?
Remote working capability is dependent on the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for cloud services delivery. Remote workers need to be able to do their work, and easily. Any obstacles will prevent them from staying productive.
If they’re fighting against unintuitive software, a bad connection, or anything else tech-related, their standard workday won’t be all that productive. It won’t be long before your firm’s productivity grinds to a halt.
That’s why the right remote access solution is so important—the Parkway Tech team recommends Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop because it is an undeniably robust and feature-rich cloud platform for you and your team to work from, no matter where you are.
Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop Technologies for Law Firms
Traditionally, virtual desktop solutions have been challenging for organizations to set up and manage because of the expense and complexity.
In the past, the investment required for the necessary infrastructure to implement a virtual desktop solution was beyond the financial resources of many businesses. However, the development of the Azure Virtual Desktop has dramatically improved the ease and affordability of virtual desktops.
Simple Deployment
Azure makes it easy to set up, configure and manage your virtual desktop. The Azure Virtual Desktop portal makes it simple to deploy and manage desktops, assign users, and enable security from the office or remotely.
The system limits the need for infrastructure needed to run and manage a virtual workforce. The Azure Virtual Desktop can be easily scaled up or down to meet the needs of your business, and you only pay for virtual services when your employee’s virtual desktops are in use.
Efficiency and Flexibility
With the Azure Virtual Desktop, flexibility is built-in, allowing employers to decide who has access to the full desktop experience or limited access to specific applications.
Azure Virtual Desktop technologies create structural freedom and increase workplace flexibility that permits employees to remotely complete their work from anywhere, improving company culture, productivity, and employee morale.
Additionally, with the Azure Virtual Desktop, team members can access the desktops from any device as files and data are stored in the cloud. As a result, they are always accessible, even in the event of an emergency or disaster.
Overhead Reduction
Azure Virtual Desktop technology does much more than improve and increase the operational efficiency of your business.
The Azure Virtual Desktop can significantly impact your bottom line by minimizing desktop management, infrastructure, and support costs and reducing your reliance on expensive desktop computers and software licenses. Additionally, centralization, as opposed to many hardware pieces, helps mitigate costs when updates and necessary maintenance are required.
Improved Security
Azure Virtual Desktop provides advanced security by removing the risk of lost, stolen, or damaged hardware.
The system enables you to manage and easily change access and permissions centrally. Microsoft spends millions of dollars annually on cyber security research and development and is dedicated to protecting users’ data, security, and privacy.
The Azure Virtual Desktop provides additional compliance certifications to guarantee that your virtual desktop has the best security available, including features such as Sentinel, Azure Security Center and Microsoft Defender ATP and multi-factor authentication log-in.
Feature-Rich Experience
Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop is the only virtual desktop infrastructure that provides a multi-session Windows 10 desktop experience and optimizes Office 365 Pro Plus. With Windows Azure Desktop, your company can deploy and scale the platform for your organization in minutes and smoothly migrate remote desktop services.
Parkway Tech Delivers Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Expertise
Azure Virtual Desktop can help maximize the efficiency of your workforce, add layers of security, and save your organization money.
One of the easiest ways to implement, maintain, and ensure your virtual desktop technology reaches its potential, is with the help of a professional IT managed services company specializing in Microsoft Azure services.
Our team can provide your staff with a robust Azure Virtual Desktop platform that will help increase your efficiency and productivity, without having to risk your data.
In managing your Azure Virtual Desktop environment, we will:
- Work with you to assess, design, implement and support cloud computing while reducing IT capital costs and increasing employee productivity.
- Define business and technology requirements before we recommend a cloud strategy. Our team will work with your firm and IT leaders to help compare costs over time and determine what role cloud computing should play in your plans.
- Assess the business value and business impact before presenting you with a customized cloud strategy.
Talk to our staff about our Azure Virtual Desktop services and how they will benefit your organization.
