Spotlight

Report:

Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service

How does Gartner define the Desktop as a Service market in 2024?

Gartner defines desktop as a service (DaaS) as the provision of virtual desktops by public cloud or other service providers. DaaS provides desktop or application end-user experiences from virtual machines (VMs) accessed using a remote display protocol. DaaS vendors incorporate a fully managed control plane service into their offerings, which facilitates user connections and provides a management interface. DaaS can be delivered preconfigured as a service. Alternatively, it can be delivered as a platform, in which case the client is responsible for assembly, configuration and management. DaaS is charged for using subscription- or usage-based payment structures.

Key Facts for Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service in 2024

Strategic Planning Assumptions

No strategic planning assumptions provided.

How was the Desktop as a Service market evolved in 2024?

What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?

What are the common features of top products in the Desktop as a Service space?

Scope Exclusions

Inclusion Criteria

Vendors must, among other requirements:

Ability to Execute — Relative Weighting

Completeness of Vision — Relative Weighting

FAQs

Q: What does this research cover?

A: This research covers the Desktop as a Service (DaaS) market, evaluating 14 vendors that provide virtual desktops via public cloud or other service providers. The report assesses vendors on their ability to execute and completeness of vision, examining offerings that include self-assembled, vendor-assembled, and vendor-managed DaaS solutions. It analyzes vendor capabilities across multiple dimensions including product strategy, operations, market responsiveness, sales execution, innovation, and geographic reach. The research includes must-have capabilities, standard capabilities, and optional capabilities for DaaS solutions.

Q: Who should use this research?

A: This research should be used by IT leaders, end-user service leaders, and digital workplace strategists who are evaluating DaaS vendors for their organizations. It is particularly valuable for organizations considering migration from on-premises VDI to cloud-based solutions, those seeking to enable secure remote work, and enterprises addressing sustainability needs. Buyers should use this Magic Quadrant in conjunction with the accompanying Critical Capabilities for Desktop as a Service report to align their specific use case requirements, industry vertical needs, and cost considerations with the appropriate vendor, regardless of the vendor's quadrant position.

Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?

A: Mandatory features for vendors in this market include: a managed control plane for the solution, additional management software to operate the virtual desktop environment, maintenance/updates/upgrades to all cloud infrastructure and management software, unique intellectual property critical to DaaS operations and/or user experience, a remote desktop protocol for secure access, and the ability to provide desktop experiences through hosted Windows or Linux operating systems in various session configurations (single-session or multisession VMs).

Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?

A:

  • Not meeting the minimum threshold of 100,000 monthly active users
  • Not meeting the minimum threshold of 25,000 virtual machines under management
  • Not being active in the market before 1 April 2023
  • DaaS offering not generally available by 1 April 2024
  • Not available in at least two regions
  • Not providing support services in required regions during daytime hours
  • Not ranking among top organizations in Customer Interest Index
  • Only providing excluded services such as application virtualization, macOS services, unified workspaces, local hypervisors, or managed services without core DaaS capabilities
  • Solely integrating and orchestrating other vendors' platforms without unique intellectual property

Q: What differentiates Ability to Execute vs. Completeness of Vision?

A: Ability to Execute evaluates vendors on the viability of their DaaS offerings, their effectiveness in the market, and their growth, client retention and reputation. It focuses on current capabilities including product quality, operations, sales execution, market responsiveness, marketing execution, and customer experience. Completeness of Vision evaluates vendors on their ability to understand current market opportunities and to create and articulate their vision for future market direction, innovation, customer requirements and competitive forces. It assesses forward-looking strategy including market understanding, marketing and sales strategy, product strategy, business model, vertical industry strategy, innovation, and geographic strategy.

Reference

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