Azure Virtual Desktop benefits organizations with existing Microsoft 365 or Windows 10 Enterprise licenses. The virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platform provides Windows users with a familiar desktop experience and uses the built-in Azure management service to provide remote desktop access to multiple users at the same time. It also integrates with FSLogix Profile Containers, a profile management solution that enables desktop users to switch seamlessly between virtual machines (VMs). Thus, Azure Virtual Desktop makes for a worthwhile investment in the Azure cloud

Benefits:

Improve Security

Organizations using Azure Virtual Desktop can leverage Azure’s security capabilities to harden their VDIs. For instance, Azure Virtual Desktop VMs can be joined to Azure Active Directory. Already part of the roadmap, single sign-on (SSO) capabilities are expected to further strengthen Azure Virtual Desktop security.

Azure also takes care of the operating system and software upgrades, plugging potential security holes posed by unpatched systems. Because data resides in cloud-based data centers and not on local desktops, there are also lower chances of data losses or leaks with Azure Virtual Desktop.

Azure’s built-in diagnostic service is used for monitoring and troubleshooting and could keep your IT team informed of potential issues before they arise. As Azure also manages your VDI’s various components, work is offloaded from your IT team, allowing them to concentrate on other essential tasks, like taking charge of software configuration and keeping watch over your data on the cloud.

Reduce Costs with Azure Virtual Desktop

For organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, employees are free to use their own preferred devices. If thin clients are used instead, these are often cheaper compared to traditional desktops. All this means a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Like any other virtualization platform, Azure Virtual Desktop can help reduce your organization’s IT operations costs. One advantage is that existing Microsoft 365 and Windows 10 Enterprise subscribers already have Azure Virtual Desktop at their disposal. In this case, the only other requirement is to have the Azure services for hosting the VMs.

When getting Azure, organizations can choose from two pricing options:

Pay-as-you-go: This is best for organizations with highly unpredictable workloads.

Reserved VM instances: This option is available in a one- or three-year term and is recommended for organizations with predictable workloads, although Azure offers reserved instances with size flexibility in cases of significant workload growth later.

Organizations that handle varying workloads may find a combination of these two options ideal.

Recently, Microsoft allowed Azure Virtual Desktop to be used for application streaming to users from outside the organization. Specifically targeted at independent software vendors (ISVs), this capability is currently on offer at discounted prices. For ISVs new to Azure, this is a unique opportunity to try Azure Virtual Desktop at an even more affordable price.

Reap Other Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop

• Support for multiple concurrent user sessions using Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session Remote Desktop Session Hosts (RDSH).

• Convenient scalability for organizations that outgrow their current storage, server, and compute requirements. It is easy to add or expand these components with Azure, and you can even set Azure to autoscale on demand.

• Persistent desktop capability for users that need access to the same desktops and set of applications due to work requirements: for example, multiple graphic designers tasked with creating marketing collateral.

• Use of PowerShell and REST application programming interfaces (APIs) for configuring your VDI.

• Support for operating systems other than Windows using desktop clients compatible with Android, iOS, and macOS, and a web client compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS.

• Free Extended Security Updates for organizations still using Windows 7 until January 2023. This can be extended further if Microsoft so decides.

• However, it can be quite complex to design your VDI for optimal performance with Azure Virtual Desktop. For larger organizations, the cost is another consideration. Moreover, an on-premises or a hybrid VDI is not possible with Azure Virtual Desktop.

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