Watch Out for These Red Flags When Selecting A Virtual Desktop Hosting Provider

Businesses worldwide have started transitioning to virtual desktop hosting services (also known as Desktop-as-a-Service) to offer employees a more flexible, secure, and collaborative platform.

According to a survey, 63% of mid-sized companies are evaluating new VDI or DaaS solutions, and 94% plan to implement one within a year, driven by challenges like complexity and high costs.

A virtual desktop hosting provider offers businesses a scalable platform that not only reduces operational costs but also ensures business continuity. However, the challenge businesses face today is selecting the right virtual desktop hosting provider.

With several providers offering a wide range of services, choosing the one that best suits your business process requires careful analysis.

Here are some red flags to look for in a hosted virtual desktop provider to help you eliminate the wrong choices.

1. Pricing Is Unrealistically Cheap & Unclear

One of the first red flags when evaluating a virtual desktop provider is its pricing. Most providers in the market offer competitive pricing with plans that slightly differ from each other. If you find a provider offering very cheap plans compared to others, it could be a sign that something is not right.

Generally, major hosted desktop providers have clear pricing structures with tiers that are easy to understand, even for professionals with no technical expertise. This helps you evaluate the provider’s ROI by considering all services and features. However, some providers have unclear pricing structures and do not include all additional charges upfront. This can lead to a surprising bill amount at the end of the cycle.

Before shortlisting any provider, use a structured VDI vendor evaluation checklist to ensure pricing, add-ons, storage, and support costs are all accounted for upfront.

2. Provider Has Poor Online Reviews

There are reliable online review sites, such as Gartner and G2, that post ratings of virtual desktop hosting providers. You can also view genuine reviews posted by current and past customers.

Poor ratings on these platforms are definitely an indication of suboptimal services. Moreover, if several customers point to the same issue, it highlights the provider’s loopholes.

For a starting reference, this comparison of top virtual desktop hosting providers covers the key players and what to evaluate in each.

3. Provider is Unwilling to Provide Client References

In addition to online review platforms, client testimonials are a reliable source for evaluating a virtual desktop hosting provider’s services.

Therefore, you must request the provider to share these testimonials to get a clear picture. However, if the provider is unwilling to provide client references, it may mean they are hiding something.

4. Provider Has Undergone Cyberattacks

Cyber threats can cause considerable financial losses for your business. Although no virtual desktop hosting provider is completely immune to cyberattacks, make sure the provider you shortlist does not have a long history of such incidents. Moreover, it is essential to research the approach they took during and after such incidents. Check their escalation matrix, response time, and audit processes.

Also, enquire about the security features deployed by the virtual desktop hosting provider. If the provider does not deploy safeguards such as 256-bit data encryption, multi-factor authentication, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, and 24/7 network monitoring, their security posture might be vulnerable. The provider must also ensure proactive protection with threat hunting and Managed Detection and Response.

See the full breakdown of must-have security features for a hosted VDI provider to know exactly what to look for during evaluation.

5. Provider Has a Basic SLA

You must read the provider’s SLA carefully before shortlisting them. An SLA includes all the clauses, terms and conditions, and service values that the provider intends to offer. If the provider’s SLA is basic and does not contain all necessary clauses, it can lead to serious disputes later.

For instance, if the SLA does not mention the exit strategy, termination, or data portability clause, you might find it challenging to transition after the end of the contract. To prepare for this conversation, review these questions to ask before choosing a DaaS provider — including specific SLA clauses worth probing before you sign.

6. Lack of 24/7/365 Customer Support

Customer support is critical to ensure quick responses and resolution during service disruptions. All competent providers offer 24/7/365 customer support. Hence, if the shortlisted provider says they are not available on weekends and holidays, it can be a major red flag.

Moreover, the provider must be available 24/7, not only during business hours. Some providers only offer email support, while phone support is charged extra. This can lead to slow responses during a major incident.

7. Provider’s Data Centers Are Not Tier-4

The virtual desktop hosting provider must always be transparent about their data centers. A provider that hosts virtual desktops in Tier 1 to Tier 3 data centers may not be a good prospect, as these data centers may not have the infrastructure required to ensure business continuity and high performance.

Instead, choose a provider that hosts desktops in Tier 4 or Tier 5 data centers that offer 2N+1 redundancy, high-performance computing capabilities, and multi-level security.

8. Data Center Location Is Too Far Away

Data center location is key to ensuring accessibility and performance. Hence, you must enquire about the provider’s data center locations. If the data centers are geographically distant from your location, you may experience latency issues. Moreover, check whether the data centers are located in disaster-prone zones.

9. There is a Long History of Downtime

Downtime can occur with any virtual desktop hosting provider. However, if your provider has several occurrences of downtime, it means there could be something wrong with their IT infrastructure. You must also analyze the duration of downtime, its causes, and the actions taken by the provider.

10. Provider Does Not Offer Free Trials

Opting for a virtual desktop hosting provider is a long-term partnership. You cannot simply sign a contract before knowing what you are getting into. Therefore, the majority of virtual desktop hosting providers offer free trials so you can get first-hand experience of their services, desktop performance, and features.

Hence, it is a major red flag if a provider does not offer a free trial of their virtual desktops. Moreover, you must ensure that the provider includes all important services in the free trial so you get clarity to make an informed decision.

11. There is No Robust Backup Solution

Data backup is essential for any business to prevent data loss caused by ransomware, insider threats, and accidental deletions. If your hosted desktop provider does not offer data backup services, it means you may need to outsource it to another Backup-as-a-Service provider, resulting in additional costs and integration issues.

Moreover, enquire whether the shortlisted provider offers automated backup solutions or whether you would face disruptions during backup operations.

12. Provider Does Not Offer Uptime Guarantee

All providers mention a minimum uptime value on their websites and other marketing materials. However, you must ensure that the stated uptime value is mentioned in their SLA. This makes the provider legally obligated to guarantee the uptime. Moreover, you should prefer only those providers that guarantee a minimum of 99.99% uptime.

13. Provider Does Not Offer Industry-specific Solutions

When it comes to virtual desktop hosting services, there are various options available to businesses. However, you must shortlist providers that offer services customized for your industry requirements.

If a provider offers only generic services, they are more likely to be unaware of your industry’s application requirements, technical issues, compliance needs, and threat landscape. Consequently, you may face lag, data breaches, or penalties. See which industries benefit most from hosted VDI and what specialized requirements each sector brings to a provider evaluation.

14. Provider Is Not Compliant

Non-compliance with data regulations is one of the major red flags in any hosted virtual desktop provider. The provider must be compliant with essential regulations such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Moreover, they must adhere to all industry and geography-specific regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR.

Otherwise, you could face heavy penalties and serious legal troubles. Ask the provider whether they maintain the compliance reports required during audits.

15. There is No Robust Disaster Recovery Plan

A Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan ensures uninterrupted operations during major incidents such as fire, natural disasters, and cyberattacks. If your provider does not have a BCDR plan, you could experience downtime for days, which can significantly impact your business.

Take Your Time in Choosing the Right Virtual Desktop Hosting Provider

Choosing the right virtual desktop hosting provider is a critical decision. The wrong choice can leave your business dealing with vendor lock-in, data security risks, poor accessibility, downtime, unexpected costs, operational disruptions, and compliance issues.

That is why it is important to evaluate each provider carefully, involve key stakeholders, and compare their security, performance, support, SLA, backup, and disaster recovery capabilities. Also, make sure you ask for a free trial before making the final decision.

Ace Cloud Hosting offers industry-specific virtual desktop hosting services with a 99.99% uptime guarantee. It also provides NVIDIA GPU VDI services for businesses that need high-performance desktops for demanding workloads such as CAD, BIM, and video animation. Start a free trial today!