Desktop as a Service

Desktop as a service is now deployed within most organizations, generally to only a minority of employees within those organizations. Although secure remote work remains the primary use case, an increasing number of deployments address cost, operational and sustainability needs.

Market Definition

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 through subscription- or usage-based payment structures.

DaaS solutions allow remote workers, offshore workers, third-party employees, contractors, frontline workers and office workers to access virtual desktops hosted in the cloud. DaaS solutions include technology that enables centralized management of VMs. DaaS virtual desktops can be configured for a variety of use cases associated with contact center workers, process workers, information workers and workers who require high-performance computing or rich graphics.

Report 2025

Here is a summary of the vendors featured in the Gartner magic quadrant 2025 report.
For the full analysis and detailed insights, you can read the report here and view the magic quadrant graphic here.

Market Status	Market Vendor
Leader	Microsoft
Leader	Amazon Web Services
Leader	Citrix
Leader	Omnissa
Visionary	Parallels
Visionary	XTIUM
Visionary	Dizzion
Niche Player	Accops
Niche Player	Apporto
Niche Player	HP Inc.
Niche Player	oneclick
Niche Player	Anunta
Niche Player	Flexxible
Niche Player	IronOrbit
Niche Player	ZTE
Challenger	Alibaba Cloud

Report 2024

Here is a summary of the vendors featured in the Gartner magic quadrant 2024 report.
For the full analysis and detailed insights, you can read the report here and view the magic quadrant graphic here.

Market Status	Market Vendor
Leader	Microsoft
Leader	Amazon Web Services
Leader	Omnissa
Leader	Citrix
Visionary	Dizzion
Visionary	Parallels
Niche Player	Alibaba Cloud
Niche Player	Apporto
Niche Player	Anunta
Niche Player	Flexxible
Niche Player	oneclick
Niche Player	IronOrbit
Niche Player	Workspot
Challenger	ATSG