Desktop as a Service
Desktops that follow the work, not the hardware.
“The endpoint becomes a window, not a dependency.”
Apps and desktops are hosted centrally and delivered to whatever the person happens to be working on, billed per user rather than per purchase order — so capacity moves with the business instead of with the refresh cycle.
What it is
Desktop as a Service, in plain terms.
Apps and desktops are hosted centrally and delivered to whatever the person happens to be working on. The endpoint stops being the thing that decides what they can run.
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Delivered from the cloud
Virtual apps and desktops are hosted and streamed from a public or private cloud, rather than installed on the device in front of the user.
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On any device
A browser, or a small client on a laptop, thin client, tablet or phone. The hardware becomes a window rather than a dependency.
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Bought by subscription
Capacity scales with headcount instead of with a purchase order, billed monthly or yearly.
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SaaS and legacy together
The modern applications and the older ones the business still depends on, published from the same place.
How it works
What the provider runs, and what stays yours.
DaaS is a split of responsibility. Knowing exactly where that line falls is what makes it a sound architectural decision rather than an outsourcing risk.
Theirs
Hosted infrastructure
The virtual desktop infrastructure is hosted by a third-party provider on public or private cloud, delivered as a multi-tenant service.
Yours
Reached over the internet
Users connect through a browser or a downloaded client, from a laptop, thin client, phone or tablet. Nothing depends on an office being open.
Theirs
The provider maintains the platform
Maintenance, security, updates, backup and storage sit with the provider as part of the subscription.
Yours
You keep the applications
Your applications, images, configuration and policy stay yours to control. That is the part no provider can get right on your behalf.
The distinction
VDI and DaaS are not the same decision.
They produce a similar experience for the user and answer to very different operating models. Most of the cost surprises come from treating the two as interchangeable.
VDI
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
Best for
Organizations with strict data residency requirements, an existing hardware investment that still has life in it, or a team with the capacity to run the platform.
Runs in your own datacentre. Your team owns deployment, capacity planning and the hardware refresh. Complete control — and the complete responsibility that comes with it.
Includes
- Full control of the image and the stack
- Data stays inside your own walls
- No per-user subscription
- Tuned to your exact workloads
The tradeoff
You carry capacity planning and the refresh cycle. Peaks have to be bought for in advance, and idle capacity is still paid for.
DaaS
Desktop as a Service
Best for
Organizations with a workforce that grew, moved or became hybrid — and anyone who would rather not own the platform underneath the desktops.
Runs on cloud infrastructure, priced per user. Capacity moves with the business: seasonal staff, an acquisition, or a hybrid workforce that grew and never shrank back.
Includes
- Provision without buying infrastructure
- Platform maintained by the provider
- Desktop spend moves to operating cost
- Stood up quickly during a disruption
The tradeoff
You are on someone else’s platform and release cadence. Egress, licensing and always-on users can move the monthly number if they are not modelled.
The practical test
The question is rarely which is better. It is which one your compliance position, your refresh cycle and your team’s capacity can actually sustain.
Why it gets chosen
Six places DaaS earns its keep.
None of these is a reason on its own. Together they are usually why a desktop estate moves.
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Flexibility
Secure access to apps, desktops and data from anywhere, on affordable hardware — including devices the business does not own.
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Security
One governed access point, with data held centrally rather than on a laptop that can be left in the back of a taxi.
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Business continuity
Secure remote access stood up quickly, so work continues through a disruption instead of waiting for a building to reopen.
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Scalability
Provision users without buying infrastructure first. Useful at an acquisition, and at the peak season that arrives every year regardless.
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Cost
Pay for what is used, monthly or yearly, which moves desktop spend out of capital and into something finance can forecast.
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Compatibility
Virtual apps and desktops published from the cloud you already use, integrated with Microsoft 365, Teams and the rest of the toolset already in place.
What we deliver
The parts of the project that decide whether it lands.
A desktop estate rarely fails on the platform. It fails on sizing, on the application that would not package, or on a bandwidth assumption nobody tested.
Why organizations choose LKMethod
Trusted where performance and compliance are not optional.
Based in Arizona, LKMethod is an infrastructure architecture and managed services firm specializing in secure application and desktop delivery. We work in regulated verticals, where a misconfigured deployment is not just an IT problem.
Citrix Premier Partner
Deep technical expertise in Citrix, Azure and Zero Trust architecture, built over decades rather than quarters.
Consultative, not prescriptive
The process starts with your requirements and your refresh dates, not with a product recommendation chosen before the first call.
Built for regulated environments
Security is the floor, not the feature. Every deployment is architected to hold up under an audit.
Where we work
Organizations that count on us
Mesa Airlines · Haydon Construction · OneAZ Credit Union · Arizona Community Physicians
The right fit, not the easiest sale
Let us work out whether DaaS fits your environment.
Thirty minutes with a solution architect, an assessment of the applications and what they need to run well, and an honest recommendation — including when the answer is to keep what you have.