Q: Who owns the data I upload into my D.E.S.C?

A: You do! If we ever part ways, you get your data back in the same format as when you uploaded it. To be clear, we do not convert your data into a proprietary format – or alter it in any way – when it is in your workspace.

Q: Is the data in my D.E.S.C hosted on its own servers?

A: While common resources are shared among all cloud tenants (such as hardware and networking components) all virtualized components in the IaaS platform are provisioned just for you. Assuming you do not already have one, we will establish a unique, dedicated cloud subscription for your organization. Dedicated virtual machines will be provisioned within that subscription for the sole purpose of supporting your D.E.S.C., and you are the only tenant that will use these virtual machines. If you prefer, you can also have administrative access to the cloud management dashboard.

Q: How are my data and user accounts protected?

A: All data at rest is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption. All data in motion (e.g. when you access the web portal, admin console or remote desktop) is protected by a 4096-bit SSL/TLS certificate and all traffic is HTTPS - so you don't need to make any special protocol provisions in your company's firewall. All user accounts are handled by Microsoft® Active Directory™ using non-reversible encryption. You can add an additional layer of protection to administrator account logins through multi-factor authentication.

Q: I already have Microsoft® Remote Desktop Services™ on my corporate network.

A: Great! Let us show you how D.E.S.C helps make your job easier by putting the power of desktop workspace provisioning and data access management in the hands of your fellow collegues and let you get back to solving the "hard" IT problems.

Q: Is using D.E.S.C in the cloud less secure than if I decide to install it on-premise?

A: It is common to believe that physical custody of servers and infrastructure gives you the best opportunity to keep data and computing resources secure. However, the reputation of a cloud provider hinges on security. Each provider employs full-time security administrators on all their hosted services, products and environments. Our cloud service provider, Microsoft Azure, has been independently tested and certified and has a good track record for security.

Q: Has D.E.S.C been tested or otherwise passed security audits?

A: Yes! In addition to the rigorous security audits passed by our cloud provider, the individual components of D.E.S.C were thoroughly tested during development. Independent user groups have validated requirement specifications. Finally, exhaustive tests were completed by three independent web application security vulnerability testing platforms, with no significant findings. Reports are available upon request.

Q: What downtime has D.E.S.C experienced?

A: D.E.S.C is a mature system and you should expect to experience minimal if any downtime. There has only been one scheduled maintenance window in the past 12 months - a major upgrade which required 15 minutes of downtime and had minimal impact on users.

Q: Does D.E.S.C require any training for IT professionals? What about training for the daily users?

A: We understand that training employees is a top priority for your organization because it ensures that the systems you vetted and put in place are used correctly and securely. No special training is necessary to use D.E.S.C. – we purposely baked in help content within the system to make it as user-friendly as possible. If you or external users need additional guidance, detailed administrative and user guides are provided.

Q: Our company has already invested in software, systems and dedicated trained personnel to ensure we are diligent and compliant with our security policies.

A: Excellent! Then let's address the issue of where the data goes when it is sent out to external parties. Smaller companies and home offices won't have the same resources or the same security policies in place, making them more vulnerable than your corporate network. If the data stays within D.E.S.C, you don't have to worry about everything out of your control - like inadequate or outdated firewalls, applications, operating systems and machines.

Q: What software can I put on my D.E.S.C?

A: Since you are sharing data with a potentially large group of external people, it is most cost effective to use open-source or freeware software, such as OpenOffice™ or Foxit® PDF reader. This will significantly reduce additional costs.

Q: What if I need to put in licensable software in my D.E.S.C, but only make it available to certain users?

A: No problem! You can use any software for which you have a valid license from the vendor that allows installation on a remote desktop. D.E.S.C effortlessly handles granting access to special workspaces for specific users. Since there are software licenses to account for (and each software product may be licensed slightly differently) we take care of the accounting and will provide you an aggregated invoice on the anniversary of your subscription. All you have to do is tell us what software you want in your D.E.S.C and if we can help you determine if there is an appropriate license model available. We will handle the creation of the new workspace and installation of the software.