What is the advantage of a virtual desktop Windows 10?

What is Windows Virtual Desktop?

A virtual desktop is an internet hosted desktop service. This means your desktop environment [wallpaper, icons, folders, toolbar, apps, and widgets] are remotely stored online on a server. This allows you to access your desktop and apps from any device, anywhere with the proper login information. It essentially separates the desktop operating system from the hardware. If you are away from your physical computer at anytime but need access to files and apps you can access them through other devices. Login at home on your tablet, PC, or mobile device and have access to your data and apps as if you were actually using your computer.

Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop is a comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service hosted on azure. It is the only virtual desktop built for Windows 10 that optimizes Office 365 ProPlus. Windows Virtual Desktop is currently in public preview and promises simplified management, support for Remote Desktop Services [RDS], and multi-session Windows 10. Since it’s on the cloud you know it’s always up to date, secure, and highly scalable. You can virtualize and deploy both legacy and new apps to Microsoft Azure on Windows Virtual Desktop insuring users have access to every system a non-virtual desktop would provide. Virtual desktops are an appealing option to employers as they provide cost and time savings, increased security, and increased employee efficiency.

Cost

From an IT and operations perspective, virtual desktops are a highly beneficial tool. They reduce desktop management, infrastructure, and support costs. Upkeep and managing a PC accounts for 50-70% of the cost of owning a PC making virtual desktops a quick cost saving solution. This allows for easy account set up for new employees without needing to purchase, install and provide upkeep for a new system. New users can be quickly added or deleted saving management time and resources. It’s much cheaper to provide an employee with a thin client over a new computer. A thin client is a computing device connected to a network, without the hard drives, fans, memory, storage, computing power, and applications it can run on its own. Because of this, there is also a lower risk of needing to replace the device. Some companies also have a bring your own device [BYOD] policy where employees use their own device which they pair to the company VDI. The trend towards a mobile workforce has companies cutting back on infrastructure cost and office space to reduce operations costs.

Remote workers can save $7,000 a year and employers up to $11,000

Security

Virtual desktops offer enhanced security to its users. Especially Windows Virtual Desktop, as it offers the same security Azure provides. Your computer hardware can’t be stolen, lost, or tampered with since your information is stored on a remote server. This minimizes security threats as corporate data is stored in a secure virtual private network [VPN] to insure only your employees can access the information. With simple permission changes you can alter who has access to files adding yet another level of security.

IT administrators have power over software configurations and upgrades ensuring everyone is on the latest approved software versions. With Windows Virtual Desktop the cloud automatically insures you are on the latest upgrades. Confidential company data remains in the data center where it is safeguarded by your IT team. VDI’s have a reduced number of data paths that need to be inspected allowing for quicker monitoring times. In addition, data is only rendered on screen for employees to view rather than arriving at the endpoint reducing the need for endpoint protection. The infrastructure can be easily monitored and audited to curb and prevent any security breaches allowing for a more secure environment.

Employee Efficiency

With the ability to remotely access your files at any time, remote workers have more flexibility than ever. Flat tires, bad weather, and travel won’t stop your employees from accessing information they need from another device to complete work. Not only will this make your employees extremely efficient but also creates a better work culture providing flexibility that never existed before. Many employees are no longer tied to a physical location in order to complete their work. Windows Virtual Desktop creates an environment that works with your employees’ schedules and allows them to work anywhere at any time.

2/3 of employer’s report increased productivity for remote workers compared to in-office workers

Providing a VDI to your employees allows your IT administrators to save time on configuring new PC’s. Instead, using Windows Virtual Desktop, they can quickly clone unlimited desktops from a server which takes a fraction of the time. VDI’s allow for agile rollouts, uncomplicated maintenance, and reduced support requirements which all contribute to saving time and cost within your IT department.

57% of the IT industry in the U.S. is now remote

With the cost and time savings, increased security, and increased employee efficiency Windows Virtual Desktop provides, numerous companies are transitioning to this system. Microsoft provides it free of charge with Windows 10 and it can be installed on Windows 7. 360 Visibility can assist you moving to the Microsoft Azure Cloud to utilize Windows Virtual Desktop. You don’t have the time to worry about infrastructure details or managing everything. 360 Visibility’s Managed Cloud Services has a team of Cloud Solutions Consultants who will take care of every last detail to make sure your cloud is right for your business. Our team will help you understand the nuances of the Microsoft Azure Cloud and Windows Virtual Desktop to show you how it will fit in your business. We will give your free advice and design the right infrastructure what your business needs actually are.

The Big Benefits of Windows Virtual Desktop [WVD]

December 2nd, 2020 by admin

Since Windows Virtual Desktop [WVD] entered General Availability in October 2019, it has rapidly gained popularity among enterprises, government, and educational institutions.Beyond the technological advantages that WVD brings to the table, several nuances make it the most cost-effective cloud-based virtual desktop solution.Microsoft's Windows Virtual Desktop [WVD] provides organizations access to applications remotely that are running on top of Windows 7- or Windows 10- based client operating systems. With Nerdio for Azure, ICX Managed Services can quickly deliver successful Microsoft Azure cloud services. In fact, we can automatically provision a complete IT environment in just two-hours and manage all your employees in a single pane of glass admin portal in three clicks or less. Let's dig in to learn more about this virtual desktop solution's features and benefits that make it so unique, adaptable, and desirable for busy remote organizations today.

1. Windows 10 Multi-session

A core component of the WVD service is the new Windows 10 EVD, a multi-session desktop-class Windows operating system.This OS is only available in Azure as part of the WVD service and cannot be used on-premises or inanother cloud environment.The cost advantage comes from the ability to consolidate many individual users onto a single VM,thereby reducing the cost of cloud infrastructure on a per-user basis to a fraction of what it would be in a one-to-one user-to-VM assignment.

It is certainly possible to use a multi-user operating system in other clouds, but the OS would have to be Windows Server 2016 or 2019. Because this is a server-class operating system, many cloud VDI implementations opt for Windows 10 Enterprise [single-user OS] to give the users a native desktop experiencebut are forced to pay for a lot more infrastructure as a result of giving each user an entire VM.

WVD +Windows 10 allows multiple users to use the same desktop virtual machine at the same time. This saves moneydue tousingless Azure infrastructure and provides the user witha familiardesktop experience.

2.Simpler Profile Management with FSLogix

This is a user profile container technology,allowingthe user to switch desktop virtual machines without losing access to their own customizations.Now users can use OneDrive and indexed search functionality in virtualdesktops;which is notpossible with RDS.

3. WVD Management Service

This Azure platform-as-a-service offering takes care of routing users'connection to the proper Azure virtual machine. This sounds simple, but it used to require multiple servers with RDS infrastructure roles. Now,Microsoft handles this for you automatically. As part of WVD service, Microsoft providesall ofthe "infrastructure RDS roles" as a managed service that's included with the WVD license that comes as part of Microsoft 365 subscription.This includes the connection broker, security gateway, HTML5 client,and other components thatmustbe hosted on dedicated virtual machines when RDS is deployed in other clouds or on-premises.By providing these services at no additional charge and without the need for any dedicated VMs, WVD further reduces the cost of deployment and ongoing management of virtual desktops in Azure.

4. Simplified Licensing

With RDS, you needed a license for the Server operating system, RDS, and OfficeProPlus. With WVD, all you need is a subscription to Microsoft 365 or any Windows 10 Enterprise subscription. Most WVD deployments leverage Windows 10 EVD [multi-session] OS instead of a Server-class operating system.Windows 10 EVD is licensed as a subscription that most enterprises already own as part of their existing Microsoft 365 license.Therefore, there is no need to pay anything extra for the RDS license or anything similar since Windows 10 EVD is already included in the subscription.In other clouds, when using multi-session operating systems like Windows Server 2016 and 2019,an RDS license is needed.This adds $6to$7 per user per month to the cost of the deployment.

5. NoThird-PartyPresentationLayerNeeded

Other cloud providers and virtual desktop hosting services leverage presentation layer technology from vendors such as Citrix, VMware,Teradici, and others.These vendors' technology provides value and improvements to the end-user experience but adds significant cost on top of the cloud infrastructure.With WVD, Microsoft has refined the RDP protocol and made it perfectly suited for the vast majority of deployment scenarios.When using native WVD with the native RDP protocol, there is no additional "presentation layer tax" that needs to be paid to third-party vendors.

6. Cost of IaaS in Azure

Azure provides the most affordable and highest performance infrastructure for virtual machine workloads, which is what the host WVD is based on. Azure Hybrid Benefit reduces the cost byup to 40% when the OS license is provided separately and not rented through the Azure VM.This is exactly how WVD works; the OS license [Windows 10 EVD] comes as part of Microsoft 365 subscription, and this allows Azure VMs to be used without paying for the OS through Azure, resulting in significant savings.On other cloud platforms, you still pay for the Server OS on the VMs [e.g., Server 2016/2019] even when you own the license under a different licensing program.

7. Windows Virtual Desktop & Nerdio for Azure

Windows Virtual Desktop offers more power and less complexity than Remote Desktop Services! As promised,Nerdio for Azureallows you to get started with WVD in just 60 seconds and deploy a complete desktop within a few hours.

8. Existing AzureFootprint

Manyorganizations already have a footprint in the Microsoft cloud-- whether that's Office 365, Azure AD, Express Route,or one of the many other Azure services.This means that the hurdle of deploying a hosted VDI environment in Azure is much lower than doing so on another cloud or with a hosted desktop provider.The existing Azure footprint can be utilized to deploy the WVD environment quicker and support it in the same environment as other IT resources.This reduces the time to deployment and engineering costs involved in the process.

9. Cloud-NativeManagementTools

Windows Virtual Desktop was created as a cloud-first [really cloud ONLY] technology and built from the ground up to be an Azure-native technology.Alongside WVD, management tools likeNerdioManager for WVD, were created to simplify and speed up the process of deploying, managing, and auto-scaling Windows Virtual Desktops.A fully functional environment can be stood up withNerdioManager for WVDin just twohours,muchfaster and simpler than any other cloud desktop solution. Ready to take the next step to explore a virtual desktop solution for your organization? Request a consultation today!

Tags: Cloud, managed services, Remote, working remotely

Posted in: Solutions

Six Benefits For Using Windows Virtual Desktop [WVD]

• Microsoft Azure