Here’s something new.
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Microsoft has just announced the ‘Windows Virtual Desktop’, a “virtualized” Windows & Office experience delivered on Azure Cloud. Plus, it will deliver a multi-user Windows 10 experience, optimized for Office 365 ProPlus, & includes free Windows 7 Extended Security Updates. Obviously, this means with Windows Virtual Desktop, you can deploy & scale Windows and Office on Azure in minutes, with built-in security & compliance.
Here’s what Microsoft has said in its announcement:
For many companies, the specific needs of their business require a virtualized desktop experience. The reasons for virtualization vary. For mobile workforces & Firstline Workers, desktop virtualization makes managing & provisioning access to corporate data & apps easier.
Introducing The Windows Virtual Desktop….
While desktop virtualization helps in many business scenarios, it has historically been complex & expensive to deploy & manage. To solve some of these complexities, Microsoft has developed Windows Virtual Desktop with both IT & the user in mind.
Windows Virtual Desktop includes the following benefits:
- The only service to enable a multi-user Windows 10 experience, including compatibility with Microsoft Store & existing Windows line-of-business apps while delivering cost advantages previously only possible with server-based virtualization.
- It’s also the best service to virtualize Office 365 ProPlus running in multi-user virtual scenarios.
- It’s also the only service to provide Windows 7 virtual desktop with free Extended Security Updates.
- The most scalable service to deploy & manage Windows virtual machines, using Azure for compute, storage, rich diagnostics, advanced networking, connection brokering, & gateway. You no longer need to host, install, configure, and manage these components yourself—so you can deploy & scale in minutes.
- The most flexible service allowing you to virtualize both desktops & apps, meaning you can choose between providing your users the entire desktop experience or delivering only specific apps. When you deliver virtual apps to a Windows 10 endpoint, they are integrated seamlessly into the user experience.
- Deeply integrated with the security and management of Microsoft 365.
What is the Windows Virtual Desktop ecosystem?
Windows Virtual Desktop is a comprehensive virtualization solution. Microsoft said it recognized that there was a need for different capabilities to serve its customers. To accommodate this need, it had built Windows Virtual Desktop as a platform that can be easily extended & enriched by partners in the following ways:
Many partners exist who extend the service through the Azure marketplace & are already working with leading partners, including Citrix, CloudJumper, FSLogix, Lakeside Software, Liquidware, People Tech Group, & ThinPrint.
The extensive network of Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers will be able to offer Windows Virtual Desktop to their customers & offer additional value around the service.
How To Access Windows Virtual Desktop
We’re excited to offer this service to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education customers. Once you sign up for Windows Virtual Desktop, you only need to set up or use an existing Azure subscription to quickly deploy and manage your virtual desktops and apps. The only additional cost to you is for the storage and compute consumption from the virtual machines themselves, which will live in your Azure subscription. You will be able to take advantage of any of your existing Azure compute commitments, including Azure Virtual Machine Reserved Instances (RI).
We are working hard to put the finishing touches on a public preview, which will be available later this year. If you would like to participate in the public preview, you can register your interest now. In the meantime, please visit the Windows Virtual Desktop website to learn more, or contact your Microsoft account team or Microsoft partner.
