Microsoft have today announced that Windows Virtual Desktop is now generally available. We have been testing the public preview since this was released in March and we have been impressed with the functionality. (See previous blog posts WVD – What we know and WVD – First impressions )
Deploy and scale virtualised windows desktops and apps on Azure
Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a comprehensive desktop and app virtualisation service running in the cloud. Its the only virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that delivers simplified management, multi-session Windows 10, optimisations for Office 365 ProPlus, and support for Remote Desktop Services (RDS) environments.
In addition to delivering a virtualised desktop experience and remote apps to any device. Windows Virtual Desktop offers free extended security updates for Windows 7 and deep integration with the security and management capabilities of Microsoft 365.
Some of the limitations that have been identified during our testing and by other 3rd parties such as the limited profile management capability that is available out of the box, can be dealt with effectively by laying in 3rd party tools like Liquidware and FSLogix. Microsoft maintain their interoperability with EUC heavy hitters VMWare and Citrix.
Commercially compelling
The commercial structure is also appealing, as if you are a Windows or Microsoft 365 customer, RDS or CAL customer then you’ll get access to Windows 10 and Windows 7 Enterprise Apps at no additional cost. You’ll only pay for the virtual machines and storage that’s utilised.
Further commercial benefits can be achieved by reserving instances, whereby you commit to consuming a certain amount of resource for a period of 1 year or 3 years. Historically, through this commitment, you would pay for the year upfront, placing a strain on the capex budget although this has also now changed.
More information is available here.
Trial for free
If you would like to pilot WVD, get in touch and we can organise a free trial.
More to come on this subject, watch this space.
