When it comes to Windows 365 Cloud PC, there are different options available to cater to the different needs of various businesses. As one can imagine, a massive corporation operating in countless countries across different continents will have significantly different needs to those of a smaller organization with a handful of offices.

However, the need for Cloud PC Usage insights is something that all these businesses have in common. It’s important to have up-to-date information regarding usage patterns of Cloud PCs, how many Cloud PCs are required, correct size of Cloud PCs, and more. Having this data can help businesses operate much more efficiently.

Utilization Report

With the Cloud PC Utilization Report, Microsoft is offering clients a tool that will help them monitor and optimize Cloud PC usage. The data available shows you not only the amount of time that users are spending on their Cloud PCs but when they were last connected as well.

After noting Cloud PCs with low usage, businesses can then reduce operating costs by reassigning under-used Cloud PC licenses to other users who might use them more often. Another cost-cutting measure that organizations can implement is to identify and deprovision Cloud PCs that remain inactive for extended periods of time. To access this Cloud PC Utilization Report, you need to sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Devices > Cloud PC performance > Cloud PC utilization.

Tenant Data

On the Cloud PC Utilization Report page, you’ll find information with tenant data aggregated for the chosen timespan (28, 60, or 90 days):

This histogram gives you the number of Cloud PCs connected for each range:

• High time connected: More than 80 hours.
• Average time connected: 40-80 hours.
• Low time connected: Less than 40 hours.
• None: Zero hours.

List of individual Cloud PCs with the following columns:

• Device name
• User UPN: The user’s identifier in Active Directory in the form of an email address.
• PC type
• Time connected: The total hours that the user has been connected to the Cloud PC over the last four weeks.
• Date last connected: The date when the user most recently connected to their Cloud PC (within the last 60 days). If the user isn’t currently connected to the Cloud PC, this date is the sign out time. If the user is connected to the Cloud PC, this date is the most recent connection time.
• Date created: The date the Cloud PC was created.
• Device type: The type of Cloud PC based on the offering (Enterprise, Frontline dedicated, Frontline shared).

FILTERS

Clients will also have access to an Add filters option that enables them to filter the table by PC type, time connected, and date last connected. Filters can be a key tool that organizations can leverage to have a better understanding of usage patterns. By analyzing this information, decisions about whether to deprovision or downgrade underused Cloud PCs become much easier to make.

Device Level Data

If you want to see the same usage data but on a per Cloud PC basis, you can:

• Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Reports > Cloud PC overview > Cloud PC utilization.
• Select a device and then select Performance (preview).
• The Time connected section shows usage data for this Cloud PC. For more detail, in this section, select View report.

Recommendations

Organizations using Windows 365 Cloud PCs will not only get usage insights but Cloud PC recommendations as well. The objective, in this case, is to provide businesses with an AI-powered tool that helps admins with determining the correct size of Cloud PC. This feature is designed to assess end-user Cloud PC usage patterns, platform level resource utilization data, and performance needs to help businesses come up with the optimal configuration for their Cloud PCs.

An evolving model will then analyze the data provided to find out how an organization’s Cloud PCs are working. It can also determine correct size and utilization capabilities. To access this Cloud PC Recommendations Report, you need to sign in to Microsoft Intune admin center, select Reports > Cloud PC Overview > Cloud PC recommendations.

OVERVIEW TAB

Cloud PC Insights	Details
Rightsized	These are Cloud PCs that are used regularly and whose size correctly matches the workload that they are being used for.
Undersized	These are Cloud PCs that are not powerful enough for the workload they are dealing with. As a result, end-users are probably getting a poor experience and need to increase the device’s resources by re-sizing to a larger SKU.
Oversized	In this, the Cloud PCs have far too much power for the workload they are supporting. End-users can still get the same quality experience with fewer resources. Businesses can free up resources by re-sizing these Cloud PCs to a smaller SKU.
Underutilized	These Cloud PCs are used infrequently or not at all. Businesses should consider them as potentially not needed. Any Cloud PC with less than 40 hours of active connected time over a 28 day period falls into this category.

Wrap Up

Windows 365 Cloud PCs offer businesses a powerful virtualization service that empowers employees to work from anywhere. Being able to access one’s desktop using multiple devices, regardless of location, can be a massive benefit for productivity. Not to mention the fact that Cloud PCs can provide significant computing resources.

With all this in mind, however, organizations need accurate usage insights to ensure that the resources they are paying for match their needs. And this is precisely what they get with the Cloud PC Utilization Report.

This feature enables administrators to have a clearer picture of the resources at their disposal along with usage. Having this up-to-date data will help businesses better manage their costs by increasing or decreasing Cloud PC resources as necessary.