Getting Started
How does MySecureDesktop work?
MySecureDesktop is a complete Windows based virtual desktop hosted within our highly compliant Data Center. MySecureDesktop means having your desktop with all your important apps and files available from anywhere. You can use a wide array of devices including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, thin clients, and non-Windows based technology to remotely connect to MySecureDesktop. As long as your have internet or mobile connectivity that’s 3G or better, your virtual desktop will always be available. When you’re done working in one place or on one device, you can open MySecureDesktop from another device or location and pick up right where you left off. Our SOC I / II / III and PCI-DSS Certified Data Center is highly secure, and SyApps handles all of the necessary updates and upgrades that burden normal desktops and mission critical software.
Once I place my order how long will it take SyApps to set up my MySecureDesktop?
The initial setup of your MySecureDesktop will depend on the customization required. If you have custom applications that need to be installed, that can impact this timeframe. Generally, all new environments are setup within 24 hours. New users can be added or deleted from MySecureDesktop in under an hour.
From which devices and operating systems can MySecureDesktop be accessed?
You can access your MySecureDesktop from almost all devices that have the ability to connect to the Internet. Some prerequisites and some example of devices that can connect have been provided below. Some examples of devices:
Laptops, desktops and mobile devices – Supported Operating Systems:
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 2003
Windows 2008
Mac OS
Linux and its variants
Mobile Devices:
iPhones
Andriod Devices
BlackBerry
Tablet Devices:
iPads
Samsung Galaxy
HP Pixi
Motorola Xoom
Thin clients:
HP
Wyse
NOTE: Except for thin clients all other devices/computers must have either a Remote Desktop Tool to or IE 7 or higher browser supporting ActiveX components.
Is it possible to move/copy my data from my existing computer to my MySecureDesktop?
Yes. Copy and paste functions works between your local desktop and MySecureDesktop. Also, from MySecureDesktop, you’ll see your local drive just like you see your shared drives. You can browse out to your local drive and copy and paste items from the local drive to the shared drive with ease.
What support options does SyApps offer?
Support for your MySecureDesktop environment is available via our US based support team via a toll free hotline or via our secure ticketing system.
Do you support my local desktop as well as my MySecureDesktop?
MySecureDesktop requires a small client to be installed on your local machine. SyApps can troubleshoot connecting to MySecureDesktop and ensure the client is working correctly. If further assistance is needed, SyApps offers desktop and other support services separate from the MySecureDesktop offering.
Can I access via Apple Mac and/or Linux?
Yes. The client used to connect to MySecureDesktop is universal and can be installed on Macs as well as Linux machines.
What is the minimum connection speed for accessing MySecureDesktop?
MySecureDesktop is optimized to use bandwidth efficiency. For home or remote users, a standard high speed internet connection, for example a 10MB internet connection, will exceed connection requirements. Larger offices with many users all accessing MySecureDesktop will require a faster connection, but nothing beyond standard office speeds. For mobile users, cell connections faster than 3G will perform well.
What happens if my Internet is down?
Your MySecureDesktop will always be available. However, your connectivity to MySecureDesktop depends upon your Internet connection. If your ISP or your internet connection is down, you will not be able to access the MySecureDesktop from that location. You will only be able to access the MySecureDesktop when you have a working internet connection. If you were working on a file and you lost internet or power, you file will be in the same state as when you lost internet/power.
How fast will my applications run?
In almost all cases the applications will run faster than it has been running on your local desktop. This is simply because, with your PC, the resources at the applications disposal are fairly limited and is up to your PC. However, with MySecureDesktop all the processing takes place on our high performance servers and the resources available are enormous due to the infrastructure and the grid that we offer for use for your MySecureDesktop users.
We compared the speeds between MS Access on desktop and on the MySecureDesktop. The application ran up to 10X times faster on the MySecureDesktop than on the local desktop. This is significantly due to the resources on the server side which is at applications disposal. We follow and adhere to Microsoft’s recommendations for the number of MySecureDesktop that a server should hold. This in turn ensures that the overall performance of the MySecureDesktop is not degraded at any time.
Environment
Can I add more space to my MySecureDesktop? What about having a virtual shared drive for the whole team?
Absolutely. Your base MySecureDesktop comes with a preallocated amount of drive space based on your organizations needs. If you find that you need additional space, that can be added to your account for an additional charge.
Shared drive access for your entire team is a standard feature and included with every account.
What time do I see on my MySecureDesktop?
Your MySecureDesktop will display the time which is on your local device.
Hardware & Software
Can I access the USB devices and local drives of my local computer from MySecureDesktop?
Yes.
Can I print to the printer attached to my local computer/device?
Yes. When you connect to the MySecureDesktop, by default a “connection” is made to route all the print commands from your MySecureDesktop session to the local printer. There is a setting which is enabled by default on your local computer. If for any reason the setting is disabled or your printer is not working as expected, simply contact the Support Center for assistance.
Can I have the default/standard applications removed from my desktop?
Yes. This is possible. All you need to do is inform us of the applications that you don’t need by sending an e-mail to support from your registered e-mail address.
Can I use an application that is not included with the standard desktop?
Most custom and of-the-shelf applications will work fine in MySecureDesktop. During the initial discovery and environment setup, our engineering team will work with you to identify what applications needs to be installed and who will require access to them. Once the environment is setup and running, we can add additional applications as needed. Simply contact our Support Center and an engineer will review the application for compatibility with MySecureDesktop.
How many monitors can MySecureDesktop support?
MySecureDesktop can support up to 16 monitors for a session.
I have my own Microsoft Office licenses, can I using them?
Due to restrictions in place within our Services Provider Licensing Agreement with Microsoft, we are not able to leverage any Microsoft licenses you may have already purchased.
Security
How secure is SyApps’s MySecureDesktop?
MySecureDesktop is very secure. Have you ever wondered about the security of the data when you send an Excel Sheet from your local computer to someone else? The fact is in most cases the files can be “sniffed” and contents read. This is simply due to the fact that the connection from your ISP is not encrypted.
With MySecureDesktop the connection is always going to be encrypted even between your ISP and the MySecureDesktop that you would have with us. When a user connects to the MySecureDesktop the connection is established via a 2048 bit RSA encryption method. SyApps has deployed SSL so as to ensure that the connection is secure from the user’s location to MySecureDesktop servers. SyApps uses strong SSL encryption standards to ensure the connection secure from the user’s location to MySecureDesktop Servers.
SyApps employs advanced security systems in place to safeguard data. The entire infrastructure is hosted in SOC I / II / III and PCI-DSS certified data centers. The entire network in encapsulated under enterprise grade firewalls along with IPS / IDS systems in place to thwart any intrusion.
How often is my data backed up?
MySecureDesktop has multiple backup systems in place to handle any critical failures or accidental deletion of business data by an end user. Data is backed up at numerous points throughout the day to ensure minimal loss of business data in the event an end user accidentally deletes a file.
Who can access my desktop and my data?
SyApps employs various methods to safeguard data. Your data will be accessible to users who have your password. We request our users to not share the password with others. User passwords are not visible to SyApps as they as encrypted.
Is anti-virus and firewall included? Can they be disabled?
Anti-Virus and Firewall are installed on each virtual desktop. You will not be able to disable them.
What is SyApps’s disaster recovery procedure?
MySecureDesktop has multiple backup systems in place to handle any critical failures. This includes real time backups of all virtual machines and the ability to restore these backups to a secondary facility if the need arises. Please contact your account manager for more information.
Other
What is SyApps’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) for MySecureDesktop?
We guarantee uptime to be 99.9% or greater. Please contact your account manager for details.
What is the different between SaaS and MySecureDesktop?
SaaS and MySecureDesktop are provided from a data center, which is the only similarity between them. With SaaS there is specific software on the cloud which is used by many organizations and users for various purposes. With MySecureDesktop; your desktop is hosted within a data center with many pre-defined application applications that you need, which you can access from any part of the world.
Does MySecureDesktop allow for custom branding?
Yes. You will be able to custom brand MySecureDesktop.