Digitalisation has become integral to manufacturing operations, with a recent Gartner report indicating that 36% of manufacturing enterprises derive above-average business value from digitalisation spending. Scalability and flexibility are paramount for manufacturers responding to demand fluctuations. To achieve these objectives, cutting-edge technologies tailored to specific industry needs are crucial.
Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) stands out as a key technology meeting industry demands. Offering seamless deployment, flexibility, and remote accessibility, DaaS is of immense value for manufacturers. This technology facilitates quick virtual desktop setup, enabling organisations to adapt to changing workforce requirements, scale resources based on needs, and provide secure access to data and applications from anywhere at any time.
Key benefits of DaaS in the manufacturing sector
By providing seamless and secure access to real-time data, DaaS can help bolster distributed workforces enhancing workforce efficiency and employee autonomy. By centralising desktop management, DaaS makes it easier for IT professionals to control and secure computing environments.
As an integral part of DaaS solutions, cloud-based data storage makes it possible to ensure reliability and minimise or completely avoid data loss by preventing device failures from impacting centrally stored data. Manufacturers can seamlessly provide their stakeholders with access to their digital assets without worrying about security.
What’s more, DaaS can significantly boost scalability for manufacturing businesses. Using DaaS, manufacturing companies can launch new branches without having to set up local and individual server locations. In fact, they can also extend IT services to external contractors and third parties without providing access to core infrastructure. Companies can also provision or de-provision desktops based on their ongoing requirements without having to invest in expensive hardware. This further reduces their overall capital expenditure by allowing them to subscribe to a vendor and pay for solutions based on their usage. With no major infrastructural constraints, funds can be allocated towards other crucial operations for growth and market expansion.
Maintaining security and compliance standards is pivotal for manufacturing organisations to drive growth. DaaS allows manufacturers to implement robust security measures to meet compliance requirements and adhere to data governance standards. This not only ensures a high level of security for their digital assets but also prevents businesses from facing any fines from regulatory authorities.
Effectively implementing DaaS in a manufacturing environment
While implementing DaaS, manufacturers must strategically plan and consider their unique needs and challenges. While selecting a vendor, manufacturers must consider a number of factors to ensure the solution best suits their needs and can truly maximise their return on investment (ROI).
The choice for companies to adopt a DaaS service entails embracing cloud technology as a fundamental component, empowering their employees to access virtual desktop environments from various devices, such as laptops and tablets, through the internet. Ensure that the solution can easily integrate with existing systems, infrastructure, and tools to guarantee a seamless transition and enhance the overall user experience.
Moreover, security continues to be a key concern for the manufacturing sector, with the industry being an attractive target for hackers. Considering the sensitive nature of data available within their environments, manufacturers must choose DaaS providers who deliver security measures such as zero trust, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with industry standards. Manufacturers must also ensure the implementation of data backup and recovery to ensure business continuity in case of any unexpected occurrences.
The future of DaaS
The global DaaS market is expected to grow at 24% CAGR and reach $35 billion by the end of 2035, with the manufacturing sector being among its key end users. Whereas, Gartner predicts that 80% of DaaS sales will be vendor-assembled or vendor-managed solutions by 2026 compared with less than 20% in 2023. By harnessing emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), DaaS is set to evolve as an integral function in manufacturing processes.
With government initiatives and investments focusing on IT infrastructure improvement and increasing demands for cloud-based services, DaaS adoption in the manufacturing sector is poised for significant growth. In this increasingly competitive market, manufacturing businesses that effectively implement DaaS can drive substantial ROI on their technology investment, maintain their market position and set the ideal conditions for future growth.
