Using Hosted Desktops for running Microsoft Access

With many of us working from home and with many businesses moving away from having an in-house local server, here are some helpful tips based on our experience about running your Access database(s) remotely. Our customers have many different set-ups, but those working over a VPN to connect to network drives in the office probably suffer the most with a change to remote working when trying to use an Access database system this way. If you are looking for a way to host your Access database system online, please read on.

Common reasons for using hosting for an Access database:

• Users spread across locations
• No in-house server or local area network
• Some or all users on Macs
• SQL Azure would be overkill for the data
• SharePoint Lists inadequate for the data storage

What does a set-up like this look like for users?

• This does vary by provider, but it's likely to be a case of a double-click on a shortcut on their device and then log in
• Once in, they see a normal Windows deskop
• Most providers cover the software licencing in their cost
• You normally pay per user per month, plus there may be a set-up fee

Terms to search for when looking for a provider

This kind of hosting has a few different names so when you’re searching for someone to provide it, you could try searching for:

• Hosted Windows Desktops
• Windows Hosted Desktops
• Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Things to consider when speaking to potential suppliers:

• Price! You will need to find out their set-up fee and then monthly cost per user.
• What applications you need included in your hosted environment – Probably Microsoft 365 as a whole
• What the process is for users to run their system(s)
• What security is provided
• What backups are included and how these are separated from the hosted environment
• The level of support provided with set-up
• How you will make your own backups outside the environment - both physical and virtual

Suppliers we have found and spoken to:

• Know All IT (London)
  knowall.net
  Small, friendly team where you will know the person you deal with
  Security includes human checks
  Minimum 4 users normally
  Competitive pricing (around £42 per user per month April 2025)
  Set-up cost around £200

• YourCloudWorks (Northants)
  yourcloudworks.com
  Already used by one of our clients and reported easy set-up
  Security specialists so one to consider if this is your top priority
  Can include a hardware (USB) key for extra security
  Includes access to local resources so easy to set up your own backup outside
  Minimum 12 month contract but easy to flex the number of users from 1 upwards
  Higher monthly cost per user (around £82 April 2025) but normally no set-up fee

• Hyve Managed Desktop as a Service
  hyve.com
  Premium hosting with mission critical level of security
  Larger company
  Premium pricing (£130 per user per month for 5-user hosting April 2025 plus £250 setup fee)

• UKHost4u
  ukhost4u.com
  Already used by one of our contacts and they have reported easy set-up and good support
  Suitable from single user upwards
  Very low cost for those needing only one concurrent user (£150 per year, i.e. £12.50 per month)
  Low cost for multi-user (£25 per user per month)
  Use your own Microsoft licences and install on the remote desktop(s) yourself
  No set-up cost