Your Full Windows Desktop, From Any Device, Anywhere

What are hosted desktops?

A hosted desktop, sometimes called Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or VDI, is your complete Windows desktop delivered from a secure data centre instead of a single physical computer. Your desktop, your applications and your files all run in the cloud, and are streamed to whatever device you happen to be using. When you log in, you see the same familiar Windows desktop you'd expect, wherever you are.

The important difference is where everything actually lives. With a traditional PC, your work, your programs and your data sit on that one machine. With a hosted desktop, the device in front of you is simply a window into a desktop that's kept safe in the data centre. Turn on an office PC, open a laptop at home or pick up a tablet, and you're straight back into the same desktop exactly as you left it.

Why UK small businesses choose hosted desktops

Work from anywhere, on any device

Your team gets the same full desktop at the office, at home and on the road. There's no juggling different setups on different machines and no "I can only do that from my work PC". People log in, and everything is there, which makes hybrid and remote working genuinely simple rather than a compromise.

Stronger security by design

Because your data stays in the data centre and never sits on individual laptops, a device that's lost, stolen or damaged doesn't put your information at risk. Access is controlled centrally, protected with multi-factor authentication and kept up to date with regular patching. It's a model that lends itself well to central control and consistent security, and it dovetails with our wider cybersecurity services.

No more nursing along ageing PCs

When the desktop runs in the data centre, the device only needs to be good enough to connect. That means existing computers, laptops, tablets and low-cost thin clients can all do the job, and older hardware often keeps going for longer. For firms weighing up a hardware refresh, this is a natural fit, particularly following Windows 10 end of support on 14 October 2025, which has left many businesses deciding whether to replace a fleet of ageing machines.

Scale up and down as you need to

Hiring three new starters or flexing for a busy season? Hosted desktops can be added and removed as your headcount changes, so you're not buying and building physical machines every time your team grows, and you're not left paying for capacity you no longer use.

Built-in business continuity

If the office floods, the power goes out or a laptop simply dies, your people aren't stuck. Because the desktop lives in the data centre, they can log in from somewhere else and keep working. Combined with our managed cloud backup, it gives you real resilience without a complicated disaster-recovery project.

Predictable, managed cost

Hosted desktops move you away from large, lumpy hardware purchases towards a predictable monthly cost per user. You know what you're paying, it scales with your team, and there are no long-term contracts tying you in.

Who are hosted desktops a good fit for?

Hosted desktops suit a lot of UK SMEs, but they're an especially strong fit if you recognise any of the following:

• Your team works in a hybrid or remote way and needs the same desktop wherever they are.
• You handle sensitive client data and want it kept off individual laptops for security and compliance reasons.
• You're facing a wave of ageing PCs and would rather not buy a room full of new machines all at once.
• Your headcount changes through the year and you want to add or remove users easily.
• You have multiple sites, or people who move between locations, and want a consistent setup everywhere.
• Business continuity matters to you and you can't afford to grind to a halt if the office is out of action.

It's worth being clear that hosted desktops rely on a decent internet connection at each location, so that's one of the first things we'll look at with you. Where it's a good fit, though, the day-to-day experience is simple and the benefits are real.

How HGC delivers and supports your hosted desktops

We handle the whole thing so you don't have to. Our UK-based team designs your setup around how your business actually works, migrates your desktops, apps and data across, and gets everyone logging in smoothly. There are no overseas call centres and no being passed from pillar to post; you get a team that knows your setup.

Once you're up and running, we look after security, backup, updates and day-to-day support, with 24/7 monitoring keeping an eye on things behind the scenes. We're proactive by design, aiming to catch and resolve issues before they interrupt your team rather than waiting for something to break.

From our HQ in Portland, Dorset, we support businesses across the country, so you get local, personal service with national coverage. Hosted desktops can stand alone, or sit neatly alongside our managed IT support so you have a single provider for everything from your desktops to your day-to-day helpdesk. Whichever suits you, it's delivered on a predictable monthly cost with no long-term contracts.