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In our new blog series, we will take a close look at Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) . In this blog (Part I) we will explain what WVD is and talk about the key benefits and use cases.
Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a service available from Microsoft that allows employees to remotely access a Windows 10 desktop and / or business applications from anywhere and on any device. Running in the Microsoft Azure cloud, it’s the only virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that delivers simplified management, multi-session Windows 10 andoptimisations for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise at a highly affordable price. WVD can be run as a standalone cloud service or integrated with your existing IT using a hybrid cloud model. It’s highly secure and massively scalable and, best of all, you can stand up a Proof of Concept environment in a matter of hours.
WVD offers the best virtual desktop experience on Azure and is the only service that can deliver multi-session Windows 10.
When Microsoft acquired FSLogix they brought the best profile and Office experience to Windows Virtual Desktop users. This technology gives the same familiar look and feel every time they connect to a desktop or application and does this with super-fast logon times. Outlook, OneDrive and Windows search are optimised to give users immediate access to the data they need and the same performant experience as a local desktop.
During the Covid 19 pandemic 10s of thousands of businesses came to rely on Microsoft Teams to communicate and collaborate with their remote workforce, customers, and partners. Now with the new Teams optimisation features, employees can continue with the rich audio and video experience they have become accustomed to.
Windows Virtual Desktop is a versatile solution that has many use cases.
Enabling elastic workforce
In recent times a lot of businesses moved to WVD to provide their employees with a Windows 10 desktop or access to business applications to be allow them to continue to work as normal and collaborate with customers and partners.
Meeting security and compliance regulations
WVD can utilise the security features of Microsoft Azure, helping financial services, healthcare and government organisations adhere to security and industry regulations.
Providing IT to specialised workforce
Many companies also utilise WVD to accommodate specialised roles that don’t necessarily fall under a typical ‘office user’ profile and require more bespoke tool set to perform their duties, e.g.
Perfect home for intensive workloads
Thanks to a wide range of Virtual Machines available in Azure, Windows Virtual Desktop can meet the performance needs of high-demand teams such as design, engineering, software development etc.
Legacy Application
Many businesses still rely on applications that can’t be re-architected to run natively in the Cloud. Windows Virtual Desktop can provide seamless access to these applications regardless of device.
Windows Virtual Desktop is built into the Azure platform which makes it extremely fast to deploy. When deploying WVD, Microsoft deploys and manages pre-built infrastructure components in the background. This means customers only have to work with partners to configure their desktops and applications, greatly reducing the provisioning effort. Microsoft Azure has the largest global footprint of any public cloud provider making is ultra resilient and hugely scalable. New desktops can be provisioned in minutes and automatically turned on and off when needed. This means you only pay for what you use as in Microsoft Azure, Virtual Machines are billed by the minute. Customers can choose the right machine profile to match employees performance requirements; low spec for task workers and high spec for knowledge workers. GPUs can even be used for graphic intensive tasks such and CAD and 3D design.
We hope this brief intro to Windows Virtual Desktop has given you a taste of how versatile virtual desktops in Azure can be for your business. In Part 2 we will dive into the security and scalability features of Azure and WVD.
