The interest in cloud computing technology has grown significantly over the last few years. Although it has been around for at least a couple of decades, a lot of businesses simply lacked interest in adopting the technology.

But, since the COVID-19 pandemic, many now recognize just what value cloud computing brings to their organizations.

Among the many potential benefits, it can enhance the security of your corporate data, it can reduce IT expenditure, and it can also contribute to greater employee satisfaction. As a leader in this space, Microsoft wants to offer clients a platform that can deliver the best of cloud computing. And this is where Windows 365 comes in.     

What is Windows 365?

Windows 365 is a service that Microsoft designed to offer clients an operating system on the cloud. This means that you can stream a Windows 365 PC to your PC, tablet, or even mobile phone. According to Microsoft:

“Windows 365 is a cloud-based service that automatically creates a new type of Windows virtual machine (Cloud PCs) for your end users. Each Cloud PC is assigned to an individual user and is their dedicated Windows device. Windows 365 provides the productivity, security, and collaboration benefits of Microsoft 365.”

So, what that ultimately means is that all those that are subscribed to the Windows 365 service will get access to all Microsoft apps and can access them using the Cloud PC on their device of choice. This allows Microsoft to address the growing need for hybrid work models as well as a platform that can offer flexible access to the Windows operating system.

And Microsoft assures prospective clients that their data will be extremely secure regardless of what device an individual may be using or where they may be working from. This is because all processes run on the highly secure network of Microsoft servers.

How it helps

As a result, your IT environment gets an excellent degree of protection that comes with all the benefits of the Windows Enterprise model.

Microsoft offers Windows 365 under two subscription models. Windows 365 Business which is aimed at organizations with 300 employees or fewer, and Windows 365 Enterprise which is meant for much larger organizations.

However, it’s worth noting that these two models both have the same range of features. As far as configurations go, we get twelve Windows 365 Cloud PC configurations with the cheapest one offering one vCPU, 2GB RAM, and 64GB storage, and setting you back $20 per user per month. At the other end of the spectrum, users that perform compute-heavy tasks have the option of purchasing a subscription that gives them 8 vCPUs, with 32GB RAM, and 512GB storage for $158 per user per month.

Analyzing Windows 365 Government

Microsoft wants to ensure that its Windows 365 Cloud PC offering is available to all organizations that require it. And this includes the federal government of the US. With this service, US government users can have Cloud PCs automatically created for them.

As a version of the Cloud PC designed for federal employees and contractors, Windows 365 Government will be offered for Government Community Cloud (GCC) and Government Community Cloud High (GCC High). According to Microsoft, this offering provides a full Windows 365 experience designed to meet the extremely high security and compliance requirements of the US government.

This will allow US government users to benefit from the power and security of the Microsoft Cloud to enhance the user experience through flexibility and innovation.

A better line of support

This service is going to extend to US government agencies, contractors, partners (State, Local, Federal Civilian, Defense), and native Indian tribes (US only). The users who will have access can stream their Windows apps, data, content, and settings from the Microsoft cloud to any supported device at any time in an extremely secure environment. Microsoft promises to deliver the complete Windows experience by offering the following advantages:

• Personalization – you can easily stream all your apps, content, and settings to any supported device from the Microsoft cloud.
• Powerful – Microsoft makes a point of emphasizing that the Cloud PC is a scalable service that brings you the complete Windows 10 experience on the device of your choice. And as of December 2022, clients will also have the option of Windows 11.
• Simplicity – potential clients can provision and deploy Windows on a Cloud PC at their convenience using either Microsoft Intune or going through windows365.microsoft.com
• Secure – the Cloud PC already has some great security benefits but those will be even further enhanced with the new security features that you can expect to get with Windows 11.

As one would expect, the cloud environment that US government users have access to is understandably different from what’s available to other organizations. For most other organizations, there is Microsoft 365 Commercial which is the standard Microsoft 365 cloud.

This is where we will find Enterprise, Business Essentials, Academic, as well as home Office 365 tenants. It comes with a comprehensive list of tools and features, widespread availability across the globe, and a very competitive pricing model. As far as the Government Community Cloud is concerned, we can look at it as a version of the commercial environment specifically designed for government use.

Unique differences

We’ll find that the majority of the features available are generally the same. But the biggest difference is that in this case, the data centers only present in the continental United States. This is so that the environment complies with the FedRAMP Moderate and adheres to the following requirements:

• DFARS 252.204-7012 (As of February 2021 Microsoft will now attest to compliance)
• DoD SRG Level 2 (with no provisional authority)
• FBI CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services)
• FedRAMP High

Importance of the Government Community Cloud

The government cloud environment has to meet stringent security and compliance requirements some of which do not apply to the commercial environment. This is why Microsoft has found it necessary to create several, different cloud environments that can meet the various needs of the US government. Therefore, we find that there are 3 types of government clouds that Microsoft offers. These are:

• Government Community Cloud – this particular type is ideal for local, civilian, and federal government agencies.
• GCC High – this type is similar to the previous one but is for highly classified government users as well as those that they have business dealings with.
• DOD cloud – this one is a level higher than GCC High and is specifically for intelligence agencies.

Microsoft has several cloud services and solutions that uniquely serve government employees. These are the services that we’ll find:

Microsoft Azure Government

This cloud gives you a platform designed with the key principles of security, privacy and control, compliance, and transparency at the heart. Because of this, government entities will benefit from a physically isolated instance of Microsoft Azure. It provides the highest level of security services to ensure that US government systems and applications can run seamlessly.

There are hundreds of different services available for businesses, organizations, and agencies that are looking for cloud computing services. Among these services, there are full virtual machines, services for mobile and web apps, file storage, backups, and databases to name a few.

What Microsoft Azure offers organizations is the ability to leverage the resources provided by the vast network of highly secure Microsoft servers. Doing this eliminates the need to host your own infrastructure. In turn, it could come at great expense to both purchase and maintain.

By using Azure, on the other hand, you can pay for what you need and no more. And if the need arises to scale your environment, then you don’t need to worry about purchasing even more hardware to do so.

With Azure, organizations can host email servers, user directories, and web servers. Additionally, they can accommodate databases, virtual machines, and file storage servers among other things. Taking advantage of what Azure has to offers a host of benefits. It means that organizations can basically hire a very secure data center that doesn’t cost as much as on-premises infrastructure.  

Office 365 US Government

Office 365 is undeniably one of the key productivity tools for plenty of organizations. And Microsoft ensures that this service is also available to the US government. The Microsoft 365 for US Government Cloud offering for clients will include Windows 10, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility + Security features for US government customers.

Additionally, to cater to the varying needs of different organizations, Microsoft offers several versions of this service. This means that educational institutions, nonprofits, customer service employees, and more can all get a version that meets their needs. It also goes without saying, the service is built to adhere to the strict security and compliance requirements of the US government.

Microsoft avails this service to various organizations including tribal entities and governments at the local, state, and federal levels. Those in the defense can benefit from Office 365. They also work with entity contractors who can also benefit greatly from using Office 365 for US Government.

Dynamics 365 Government

The US public sector has a large number of very unique requirements that are constantly changing. So, to cater to the needs of qualified US government entities Microsoft came up with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Government. This service represents the continuing progress of the highly protected environment that was previously named Microsoft CRM Online Government. With the evolution of the service, Microsoft offers protections to the government community cloud in the form of eight separate functions:

• Customer Service
• Customer Voice
• Field Service
• Finance
• Guides
• Omnichannel Engagement Hub
• Project Service Automation
• Remote Assist on HoloLens or HoloLens 2
• Sales
• Supply Chain Management

The service is available for several different organizations including the following:

• Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities in the United States.
• Private organizations that are using Dynamics 365 Government to provide solutions or services to various government entities.
• Private organizations that deal with customer data and use Dynamics 365b Government to meet the government’s regulatory requirements.        

Familiar experience

One of the best things about Windows 365 Government is how it aims to offer the same Windows experience. Government users can expect the same service that all other clients are used to. When using this platform, all Cloud PCs will be provisioned within a US government data center.

But, for those familiar with the Cloud PC, the experience will remain largely the same. If you’ve already experienced Cloud PCs in the commercial cloud, you’ll already be familiar. The experience you’ll get in the Government Community Cloud environment will offer you familiar tools and provisioning policy configuration.

Windows 365 Government is easier

This makes getting up to speed with Windows 365 Government significantly easier. And there is no need to train users to use a completely new service. Additionally, clients that use both Commercial and GCC environments will get the convenience of using the same identities and credentials.

Cloud computing using the Windows 365 Cloud PC is meant to eliminate as much as possible. Even the complexities that have been previously associated with virtualization technology are simplified. End-users get a transparent platform that is easy to use but also extremely secure.

But, using Windows 365 Government is also great for IT admins. They don’t need to worry about meeting the stringent security and compliance requirements of the US government. Ultimately, this gives Windows 365 clients a service that enables them to potentially reduce their operational costs. It effectively manages their hybrid environments as well as both legacy and modern applications.      

Are all the available features supported yet?

Government users would like to know how extensive the features available for Windows 365 Government really are. Especially for individuals that are already familiar with the Cloud PC experience. However, it’s worth noting that there are features that aren’t as yet available. These include the following:

• Configure installed language and region for provisioning Cloud PCs
• Digital forensics and placing a Cloud PC under review
• Unified dashboard
• Virtualization-based workloads
• Endpoint analytics support (this is supported in GCC)
• Windows 365 Security baseline
• RDP Shortpath for public networks
• Windows 365 System based alerting on Microsoft Endpoint Manager for Cloud PCs
• User initiated feedback in End User Portal and Windows 365 Web Client
• Resize VM

How does it compare to AVD?

This is, as you would expect, one of the most frequently asked questions by people considering Windows 365. Windows 365 offers clients virtual desktops known as Cloud PCs. These come at a fixed per user per month cost whereas Azure Virtual Desktop uses a consumption-based pricing structure. Windows 365 Cloud PCs are dedicated to a single user. This is unlike AVD which is a more traditional VDI setup accessible to multiple users.

When it comes to management, Windows 365 offers a simplified system that resembles the management of physical devices. However, AVD is heavily reliant on Azure management concepts. Ultimately, what you get with Windows 365 is a platform that is built to fully enhance the user experience while AVD is geared more towards flexibility.

Setting up users

Microsoft has put in place a system that makes it relatively easy to set up users with Cloud PCs. Even when you need to onboard thousands of Windows 365 devices you aren’t going to necessarily require an entire team of admins to get the job done. One of the key areas of focus when it comes to Windows 365 is simplicity and that applies to the onboarding process as well. This means that the ease with which users can be set up allows a single admin to be able to onboard hundreds or even thousands of devices.

As Microsoft has explained, the tools available to admins and the management of Cloud PCs are very much similar to how admins handle physical devices. So even for federal government clients who want to bring their own image the simplified, accelerated onboarding process remains the same.

Regardless of whether you’re talking about a handful of devices or a thousand. The admin can easily upload a custom image to the provisioning policy and can then assign groups to it with each group having a single user or a thousand.

Establishing ease of use

Windows 365 aims to make the use of Cloud PCs a simple process for all its clients. But, working in a regulated US government cloud is typically not the easiest of things. This is why Microsoft is determined to extend the ease of use of Windows 365 to its government clients. For instance, GCC customers that want to have their data and Cloud PCs to be hosted in the government cloud can use the same identity and credentials as for the commercial cloud.

So, by doing this, Windows 365 Government makes it significantly easier for clients to access their Cloud PCs on the secure government cloud. On the other hand, admins will still be able to meet the very high security requirements of the US government. Also, organizations can potentially run their operations more cost-effectively as they adopt an increasingly cloud-based approach.

End-users have their experiences made simpler because of the potential to have one identity that can authenticate both to on-premises resources as well as provide easy access to their Cloud PCs in Microsoft Azure for Government.

And users can do this through the Windows 365 portal at windows365.microsoft.com or through the remote desktop app on Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. There is also a recent addition to this list with the Windows 365 native client app which has recently been put in public preview and can be found in the Microsoft Store.

Looking at the admin experience

Administrators will find that the cloud-native Windows 365 architecture for GCC is delivered to customers FedRAMP compliant.  This means that admins will not need to make any other configurations thus keeping in line with the concept of simplicity. Admins can also stay in Entra (AAD) and Intune in Azure Commercial for the provisioning and administration of Cloud PCs in Microsoft Azure for Government (MAG).

Microsoft has also addressed the issue of clients who are already invested in the Microsoft Azure Commercial environment. Trying to rebuild everything in MAG would be a huge task that would probably come at a significant cost.

Therefore, Microsoft came up with the idea of a dual cloud execution that would see the identity and management planes remaining in the Azure Commercial environment. On the other hand, all the Cloud PC resources would be provisioned and accessed in the Azure for Government environment.

Management tools

One of the reasons why Windows 365 can repeatedly highlight how easy it is to use is the availability of the same tools that you use to manage physical devices. This means that end users and admins can operate in the same familiar environment that they have become accustomed to over the years.

Therefore, clients don’t need to learn how to function in a completely new environment and admins can keep the same controls and tools that they want. So, the way that you have been using tools for Endpoint Configuration Manager is going to translate to Windows 365 Cloud PCs. And this is regardless of whether you are operating in the commercial cloud or the government cloud.

Wrap Up

The modernization that we are seeing in the modern workplace is not only limited to the commercial sector. It goes beyond that and we can now see that government agencies are also leveraging cloud services at a faster pace than in the past.

As a result, this is having a massive impact on the way these entities operate. But, to do this effectively there is a need for a platform like Windows 365 Government that can provide the services needed for optimal operation.

Not only that but Windows 365 Government meets the stringent security and compliance requirements of the US government. This allows government entities to take advantage of the vast array of tools that Windows 365 offers to commercial entities without compromising security.

In 2021, Microsoft added a new product to its software portfolio. The Windows 365 Cloud PC enables users to experience a cloud version of Windows 10/11 from their personal devices. And given what we have experienced in the last few years, the value of the Cloud PC to businesses is significant with real economic impact. No longer do employees have to be confined to their physical offices.

In fact, according to a survey done by Microsoft, 73% of workers would like to maintain flexible and remote work options. But, this presents a challenge for businesses. Can a hybrid workforce be a viable option? Also, what value if any would businesses stand to gain from such a work environment?

Below, I want to go over just what Windows 365 may potentially offer your business. Not only that, but it’s also important to know how the Cloud PC compares to some of the other options.

Adopting a cloud computing model

Windows 365 is ushering in a new era of computing that is putting aside the enterprise PC for an innovative Cloud PC. The latter is highly secure and always available thus offering users a different way of approaching their work.

But, as with any new technology, there are several concerns that need to be addressed. Businesses are concerned about how they would effectively manage a hybrid workforce with employees working remotely.

And then there is the issue of security. How do you secure the corporate network when employees are using personal devices that were never meant for the office?

Then there are concerns about operational viability as well as setting up costs. What about the time it will take as well as the cost to train your staff? 

These are only a few of the very real concerns that businesses have when the issue of setting up a cloud computing environment comes up. However, Windows 365 was designed to resolve all those issues to businesses’ satisfaction.

Incorporation of significant changes

Cloud computing is not something new and plenty are already familiar with it. And because several businesses already have experience with various other VDI platforms, they will be wondering what makes Windows 365 different from the technology they already have in place. After all, why pay for another service that potentially does the same thing? But, we very quickly realize that Windows 365 is very different from traditional on-premises VDI environments.

One of the biggest selling points of the Cloud PC is its ease-of-use. Microsoft has designed it to be simple to set up and easy to use. You can have new employees fully set up with Cloud PCs in a matter of hours. Something that could take weeks with legacy infrastructure.

You only have to look at what it takes to run on-premises VDI systems. Businesses have to purchase the necessary servers, set them up, install all the applications you’ll require, and then go through the often long process of onboarding users.

Windows 365 just about eliminates all of that. Offering you a Cloud PC means that Microsoft alone will take care of the virtualization. Ultimately this will make the deployment of operating systems a lot faster since you won’t have to deal with the hassle of hardware and software configurations.

The automation of the various processes also means that there is no need for additional VDI expertise or resources. Microsoft will also ensure that you can scale the service as necessary to meet your organization’s needs. And as organizations start to reap the benefits of a highly productive and remote workforce, the need for a solution like Windows 365 grows even more.

The ability to customize and provision a desktop based on the users’ needs means that for the most part, it doesn’t really matter what device an individual is using. It also doesn’t matter whether it’s a corporate-owned device or a personal one. The security measures that come with Windows 365 ensure that end-users can securely access corporate resources on personal devices.

What can businesses expect with Windows 365?

The Cloud PC is designed to offer a better cloud experience than other services on the market. Including Windows traditional devices. Developed for hybrid working, Windows 365 can offer the kind of flexibility that allows seamless device changes without affecting the status of the work. Not only that, but users will be happy to know that Windows 365 is compatible with other Microsoft 365 business applications. This means that you won’t miss out on your favorite apps such as Word, Planner, or SharePoint.

According to Wangui McKelvey, general manager for Windows 365, “However, the ability to work anytime, anywhere has become the new normal. All employees want technology that is familiar, easy to use, and available across devices. In the most complex cybersecurity environment we’ve ever seen, organizations need a solution that helps their employees collaborate, share, and create while protecting their data. We have the opportunity to develop the tools that enable this new world of hybrid work with a new perspective and the power and security of the cloud.“

There’s plenty to like about Windows 365 with all the features available that benefit businesses and create significant economic impact. Features that enable this service to be a game changer in the world of cloud computing. And these features include:

• Instant boot to a personal Cloud PC,
• Clients get the full Windows experience in the cloud,
• Clients can also stream various applications, tools, data, and settings directly from the Microsoft cloud across any device,
• You get a choice of running either Windows 10 or Windows 11,
• Secure by design, and fully compliant with Microsoft’s Zero Trust principles,
• Flexible per-user, per-month pricing plans at flat subscription rates,
• A scalable set of virtual hardware parameters that lets you adjust to changing conditions whenever necessary,
• Fully compliant with Azure AD and Microsoft Endpoint Manager,
• Fast setup process that provisions your Cloud PC within minutes.

Financial Windows 365 considerations

Outside of security, the economic impact and financial side of things is probably the biggest area that the Cloud PC needs to address. What sort of economic impact would adopting the Cloud PC have on your organization? If we consider a study by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), using Windows 365 may possibly increase your annual potential revenue by up to $14,000 per user. For smaller businesses, there is mention of a possible annual benefit of up to $7000 per user. Undoubtedly, these kinds of figures could provide massive upturns in the performance of any business.

Now we may only be talking of potential here but those are really good numbers to look at. You also have to consider that Windows 365 can possibly lower your hardware expenses as well. Think about the costs involved in purchasing, running, and maintaining on-premises network servers. What about the cost of refreshing your hardware every now and again or providing new hires with devices? All these are costs that can be lowered when using Windows 365.

Windows 365 offers Cloud PCs at a fixed per-user/per month cost. This allows businesses to plan their budgets with greater certainty. Being able to accurately plan in advance can help increase revenue streams and decrease unexpected expenses. Below we’ll go over just what kind of security clients can expect from Windows 365. The high-end security that Microsoft has put in place means that businesses can rest assured that their data will be highly secure.

Simplified onboarding process

With traditional VDI environments, setting up new employees may take weeks. I’m sure we can all agree that this is far from ideal in a busy work environment. The beauty of Windows 365 is that deployment of Cloud PCs has been designed to be relatively easy. So much so that even if your organization doesn’t have the expertise to set up a traditional VDI it still won’t be too much of a challenge.

The process is simple and enables your business to onboard new employees with IT equipment, regardless of location, within a matter of hours. This gives users the advantage of using devices they are familiar with and thus comfortable with. While on the other hand, businesses need not worry about the security of corporate resources.

The swiftness with which employees can be onboarded can significantly reduce downtime and allow businesses to maintain productivity levels. In addition, this also makes it easier to bring on temporary workers when the need arises. Setting up temporary employees is done quickly and when their services are no longer required, access can be revoked just as quickly. So if you have seasonal workers, they can cycle on and off very easily.

Economic impacts and operational flexibility

As mentioned above, recently many workers have begun stating their desire to have flexible work conditions. Plenty are choosing to work from home if the option is availed to them. Windows 365 can make this a viable option for most businesses that are willing to consider it.

And accessing your PC on the cloud can even help organizations build an international workforce seeing as geographic boundaries are less of a concern with cloud computing. This can help businesses bring in the best talent regardless of location. The flexibility of Windows 365 also extends to your relationships with independent contractors.

A business won’t need to purchase company PCs for all these individuals nor go through a lengthy onboarding process. People who can benefit greatly from this include IT professionals, consultants, physicians, and countless others. Windows 365 can grant them access to your environment in a safe and as-needed capacity.

Enhanced network security with Windows 365

One of the key areas of great concern when establishing a hybrid workforce is security. How do you maintain a high level of security over corporate resources? Especially when you consider that employees may be using personal devices. But, Microsoft designed Windows 365 using Zero Trust principles. Also, it is powered by the security architecture of Microsoft Azure thus providing an incredibly secure cloud computing environment.

When it comes to the use of personal devices, Windows 365 can prevent the compromise of corporate data by configuring how those devices interact with the Cloud PC. This provides an enhanced layer of protection around the corporate network to safeguard data.

In addition, businesses need continuity strategies in case of disaster or something like the COVID-19 pandemic. Windows 365 is well placed to address these kinds of scenarios. With access to Cloud PCs, businesses will significantly reduce the risk of massive disruptions if disaster ever strikes. Microsoft has a wide distribution of data centers meaning your Cloud PCs will remain accessible and your data secure. The redundancies built into the system are designed to ensure that.

Another security issue concerns the offboarding process for employees or independent contractors. This can prove challenging especially when you have unhappy individuals in possession of expensive company devices. And when these individuals still have access to your network then your corporate data becomes extremely vulnerable.

There have been reports that have stated that 20 percent of companies have experienced breaches due to disgruntled former employees. However, with Windows 365 that is not a concern. This is because the offboarding process is swift with employees’ access to corporate resources being revoked immediately.

Windows 365 Accessibility

Microsoft offers the Windows 365 platform to both small and large businesses. There are options available that can cater to the needs of most. And the fixed price model means that businesses can find it easier to accurately predict the cost of use. Once the system is up and running, users can access their Cloud PCs from anywhere and may even use their mobile phones to do so. This means that productivity levels can be maintained when employees are traveling or working from home.

Additionally, because your desktop now resides on the Microsoft Cloud, your physical devices have slightly less value. Even if your laptop or mobile device is stolen, your desktop, as well as corporate data, will remain secure. Also, because the heavy computing runs on the cloud, users don’t need to worry about having powerful devices to run resource-intensive apps.

Certain design and engineering apps, for instance, may require a significant amount of processing power. But, with the cloud handling the processing you can take advantage of these apps on less powerful devices. And when it comes to the types of apps you can access on the Cloud PC, Microsoft has designed it such that all your apps that work on Windows 10/11 will run on the Cloud PC. So accessibility is not limited to Microsoft apps.

Localized user experience

A few decades ago English was considered the language of the internet by most. And this was understandable given how much of the early development was taking place in English-speaking regions. However, for a long time now that is no longer the case.

A lot of people across the globe are now very much active online. People from different cultural backgrounds and different languages. This means that localization of the user experience can no longer be something to consider as an afterthought. Microsoft has clients from all different continents and so it’s important to cater to the various needs.

A large part of the attraction of Windows 365 is that businesses both great and small can have options that will work for them. But, Microsoft wants to expand not only the reach of Windows 365 but the ease of use as well. To that end, Microsoft is aiming to simplify the configuration process by enabling admins to set up local language Cloud PCs easily and at first login.

Breaking the language barrier with Windows 365

This localization feature, which was announced earlier this year, is going to allow you during the stage of creation of provisioning policies to configure a Language & Region pack to be installed on the Cloud PCs during provisioning. Microsoft reported that there would be a selection of 38 languages to pick from.

So this creates a situation where organizations from various regions across the world can use the Cloud PC with greater ease. For any business that may have been hesitant to subscribe because of language barriers, Microsoft has addressed that.

Furthermore, those who have already provisioned their Cloud PCs can also take advantage of this feature. It has been set up to enable admins to change the configured language for any existing provisioning policies that you choose and subsequently reprovision any desired Cloud PCs.

This is going to give your admins something to be happy about as they will save a lot of time by not having to manually install language packs onto a custom image to localize Cloud PCs. All they need to do now is simply configure language settings in a gallery image. The time saved will also benefit the business as IT staff can spend more time on business-centric endeavors and aim to improve overall productivity.

Better workforce management

Windows 365 can play an integral role in helping your business improve in the area of workforce management. The features that the service provides are designed to enable you to optimize the way your business operates. As a result, you can expect to have the tools you need to put the right people in the right place at the right time to enhance your client’s experience in a way that will reflect positively on your revenue stream.

Leveraging Windows 365 can improve your use of time thus improving your efficiency and productivity. The ease of use that Microsoft has emphasized helps your employees because they don’t need to spend time maintaining the environment or resolving issues. Also, the available collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams facilitate instant communication and simplify working together for teams who may be in different locations.

Adapting to remote workforce management

Those communication platforms are equally important in ensuring that employees who are working remotely retain the same degree of efficiency and productivity as their peers who are on-site. As this trend of remote work continues to grow, those in leadership positions will need the flexibility to comfortably perform their management duties without missing a step.

This is why it’s so important that you can access your Windows 365 Cloud PC from anywhere on just about any device. Additionally, you can create various groups of people on Microsoft Teams so that those managing people working on the same project find it a lot simpler. Regardless of where they or you are.

A lot of businesses are in great need of innovative solutions that can promote rapid growth without relying on massive amounts of investment. Windows 365 has got this well covered. There are a wide range of options available with both Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise.

So there’s something for everyone. From the small business trying to grow to the huge enterprises looking to streamline their operations. Because of the pricing structure, scaling up is easy and relatively affordable allowing you to acquire more resources as your business expands.

Another thing that helps with better workforce management is the fact that Windows 365 will be responsible for software updates and new releases. This helps your business to focus its energies on critical, productive endeavors. Not only that but you can also eliminate the exhaustive and costly task of refreshing dated hardware. As long as your current hardware is compliant with the Windows 365 requirements then you won’t need to worry about your hardware anytime in the near future.

Support availability

A good part of the overall value of a service can be attributed to the support that clients can expect to receive. If a problem was to arise with your Cloud PCs you would need for it to be attended to swiftly. From the beginning, Microsoft has designed Windows 365 to be easy to use. Unlike with Azure Virtual Desktop, businesses won’t require the services of an Azure Solutions expert to configure and manage the Windows 365 environment.

Microsoft also announced that they would look to help clients become more proficient at using Windows 365 clients by hosting Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) events specifically dedicated to Windows 365. According to the announcement, these meetings would be scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month starting February 2022. So all clients that are using or considering Windows 365 should find these events a great source of information.

Getting support

Any questions that you have about Windows 365 will be up for discussion including questions regarding the available features, provisioning, deployment, customization, best practices, and anything else you may need clarification on. And Microsoft will have members of its engineering and product teams available at these hour-long events to help you and provide you with the answers you need. Therefore if your organization wants to get the most out of running Windows in the cloud, there’s probably no better place to get the information you need.

Another place where one can find out more about Windows 365 is the Windows 365 Tech Community. This platform can also provide great support to Cloud PC users by addressing any issues they may be encountering. But, the information available may also be of great value to businesses looking to establish a Windows 365 environment. They can get feedback from the community members regarding their interest in Windows 365.

Ease the load on IT staff

As one is going through the information that we have on Windows 365, it becomes abundantly clear that there are countless benefits for end-users. But, your IT admins will also want to know if they’ll see changes when compared to other services. And the reality is, that the ease of use principle that Microsoft applies to Windows 365 extends to your IT team as well.

From the management perspective, there is plenty to be excited about starting with the fact that there is no need to have headaches about the infrastructure you need to set up to get the Cloud PC experience. Microsoft handles that side of things. Also, admins won’t need to get certified in anything else or learn new management tools. This is because Windows 365 is designed for all organizations even those without expert IT pros on staff to be able to run it without difficulty.

Furthermore, you’ll be happy to know that the way you currently manage your physical devices with Microsoft Endpoint Manager will for the most part be similar to the management of Cloud PCs. A good example of this is that if you navigate to the All Devices list in Microsoft Endpoint Manager, you’ll see both your physical and Cloud PCs listed side by side.

Deployment and assignment

Admins will also find that the deployment process is not complicated at all. For users to get a Cloud PC assigned to them, there are pretty much just two requirements that need to be met. They need to have the necessary license in addition to being part of an Azure Active Directory Group that’s assigned to a provisioning policy.

The process starts in the Microsoft Admin Center where you assign licenses similarly to how you would for other Microsoft 365 services. You can have a licensing admin take care of this particular task. After that, you can head over to Active Users and perform the assignment. With that done, you can now give users Cloud PCs and set them up with Microsoft 365 as well.

As soon as a user is added to a group, the Cloud PC provisioning process will be launched and it won’t be long before the Cloud PC is ready for use. And with Windows 365 using a fixed price per user per month model, there’s no extra workload involving tracking, utilization, or keeping idle resources running.

Comparing Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop

While Windows 365 may be a relatively new service, Microsoft already had another platform that offers remote desktop services. This product is of course Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). Those who may be familiar with AVD will be asking themselves what if any are the differences between the two services.

Design

With Windows 365, you get a cloud-based service that delivers a Windows 10/11 desktop to a business’s employees. Using this service eliminates the need for managing Azure infrastructure and businesses get the advantage of using existing resources. This can include things such as the Microsoft Endpoint Manager portal, your Windows OS licenses, as well as various other applications. Windows 365’s ease-of-use principle enables businesses to get a remote desktop service that is simple to use with Cloud PCs that can be set up in a matter of hours.

Azure Virtual Desktop, on the other hand, is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) service that works great for multi-session use, temporary use, high-end computing, and application virtualization. AVD offers clients affordable, flexible, and scalable virtual environments. The customizability of AVD allows businesses to have greater control over their VDI environment and potentially reduce operating costs. Costs can also be reduced because you won’t need single gateway servers to manage multiple host pools and run simultaneous workloads.

Technical features

When it comes to the technical side of things, there are several differences that you need to know for you to decide which service is right for your business. Some of the differences are as follows:

• Design – Windows 365 has been designed to be simple and easy to use whereas AVD has been designed more for flexibility.
• Desktop – clients get personal desktops for Windows 365 and AVD (single session). For AVD (multisession) there are pooled desktops.
• Pricing – the pricing structure for AVD follows a consumption-based model whereas Windows 365 offers a fixed per-user per-month pricing.
• Subscription – subscriptions are customer-managed for AVD and fully Microsoft-managed for Windows 365 Business. Windows 365 Enterprise is also Microsoft-managed with the exception of networking.
• VM SKUs – Windows 365 has various optimized options for multiple use cases. On the other hand, AVD offers any Azure VM including GPU-enabled SKUs.
• Backup – AVD clients will get to use Azure backup services while Windows 365 users get local redundant storage for disaster recovery.

Costs and economic impact

AVD normally has virtual machines (VMs) that are dedicated to a single user. However, there is also a pooled desktops feature that enables several users to have access to a VM. Also, AVD session hosts can provide personal desktops if the need arises. Because VMs operate under your Azure subscription it means that the computing expenses are passed on to you. Your costs for using AVD are going to be based on your consumption. But, this has the benefit of allowing you to lower AVD and VM environment costs because of auto-scaling.

Windows 365 provides clients with a virtual machine that is dedicated to one user. In this case, these VMs function under a Microsoft Azure subscription meaning that the client has no computing expenses to worry about. Cloud PCs require a Windows 365 Cloud PC license and usage costs are based on a fixed per-user/per-month price plan. Unlike with AVD, auto-scaling and reserved instances won’t be an option for Cloud PCs since the cost is fixed and admins don’t have access to the VMs from the Azure portal.

Ideal user scenarios

When deciding what your business should use you need to know what kind of scenarios would be best for Windows 365. The first thing you can look at is the number of PCs you have in your IT environment. Because of the low-cost factor, ease of deployment, and lack of prerequisites, environments with only a few PCs will find Windows 365 to be a great choice.

Another consideration is organizations that currently aren’t utilizing Azure and have no plans to do so in the near future. For these businesses, they should consider Windows 365 because of how easy they’ll find desktop assignment. Not to mention that there is no administrative overhead for IT admins to worry about.

If your organization has already invested in Microsoft Endpoint Manager then Windows 365 can be a great option for your environment. The Cloud PC is also ideal for clients that would like personalized VMs with local admin rights.

Windows 365 is An ideal business solution

Azure Virtual Desktop provides a wonderful solution for those who are already familiar with VDI environments and are comfortable with them. In addition, if you need a fully customizable environment then AVD may be the way to go.

For scenarios that require a published RemoteApp application, AVD is your best choice given that RemoteApps cannot be published from Windows 365 Cloud PCs. If the number of users requiring virtual desktops frequently varies throughout the month then you may be better served with AVD. Windows 365 has fixed costs per month regardless of whether a virtual desktop has been used or not.

	Windows 365	Azure Virtual Desktop
Control plane	AVD	AVD
Business	<300 Business, >300 Enterprise	personal desktop (small deployments), pooled desktops (large deployments)
Active Directory requirements	Azure AD Connect (Hybrid Azure AD supported)	Azure AD
Compute	Fully Microsoft managed, admins have no access to VMs	Customer-managed, flexibility to configure VMs
Storage	Fully managed storage, fixed pricing	Customer managed, flexibility with OS Disks, FSLogix profiles
Cost	Fixed per-user/per month cost	Consumption-based cost
User profile	No FSLogix	FSLogix optional for Single-User, and mandatory for Multi-User
RemoteApp support	No	Yes
Pooled desktops	No	Yes
Supported endpoint operating systems	Windows, macOS, iOS, Unix, Web, Android	Windows, macOS, iOS, Unix, Web, Android

What about VMware Horizon?

When looking at VDI solutions, another name you’ll likely come across is VMware Horizon. The latter is a virtualization service that can deliver desktops and apps on Windows, Linux, and MacOS systems. Using this platform enables IT staff to run desktop applications and virtual machines in the data center or cloud.

They can then deliver these to employees as managed services. VMware gives you virtual machines that you can run on the VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or other VMware partner clouds. End-users can run their VMs on various devices including PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

VMware is capable of delivering a very personalized user experience by separating desktop and application components before delivering them together when required. Below is a table that provides comparative information on all three of Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and VMware Horizon.

	Windows 365	Azure Virtual Desktop	VMware Horizon
Platform	Windows, SaaS	Windows	SaaS
Target market	Businesses requiring Windows Clouds PCs that are always available	IT professionals	IT professionals, app developers
Support	Online	Business hours	Business hours, online
Training	Documentation	Documentation	Documentation
Function	DaaS, VDI	App virtualization, DaaS	DaaS, VDI, VM, virtualization
Integrations	Microsoft Endpoint Manager	AuthPoint, Automai Robotic Process Automation, Catapult Spyglass, Liquidware, Login VSI, Microsoft Azure, Remote Desktop Commander Suite, SysTrack	AuthPoint, Commvault HyperScale X, Goliath Performance Monitor, Login VSI, Oracle Database, Remote Desktop Commander Suite, SQL Server, SecureIdentity DLP, SecureIdentity MFA, SecureIdentity PAM, SysTrack, ThinPrint, vCenter Server, vRealize, Automation

Wrap up on Windows 365

There used to be a time when getting your work done meant that you needed to be at your workstation using your desktop. Then the use of laptops allowed employees to have a bit more flexibility, although it was rather limited. In the last few decades, remote desktop technology has come along in leaps and bounds. Now, we’re at a point where businesses have options that deliver desktops from the cloud. Not least of which is Windows 365.

This remote desktop service from Microsoft is built on top of existing Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure but comes with unique capabilities of its own. The Cloud PC presents a great economic solution in a world where the workspace is evolving. Businesses can leverage Windows 365 to provide desktops for remote workers without having to invest in physical devices.

And as we have seen with some of the potential figures, making the migration to Windows 365 could significantly boost revenue. Going forward, Microsoft is taking cloud computing to a completely new level. Businesses have plenty to gain as they begin to experience the Windows desktop in a completely new way.

As most people have probably experienced in the past, getting up to speed with a new service or product can sometimes involve a lot of trial and error. How often does it happen that you accidentally ‘discover’ a new feature on an app or a device that you’ve had for a while? While it may generally make for an exciting finding, it’s arguably always better to be fully aware of the features and capabilities of a product or service. This is part of what Microsoft wanted to address with the Windows 365 Tech Community.

A lot of organizations have been hesitant to migrate to the cloud and adopt cloud-based solutions for various reasons. Some of those may be security-based but others simply have to do with a lack of know-how about a service like Windows 365. So by giving you a Windows 365 community, organizations and users can find support and helpful information.

Getting familiar with Windows 365

Organizations that are looking at innovative tech solutions to address modern needs are at some point going to encounter Windows 365. So, Microsoft has to begin by introducing what this service is and how organizations can benefit from it.

This is something that Microsoft begins to address in the Microsoft Mechanics series. In recent times, there has been a huge demand for cloud-based technology. And a simple online search will show you that there are several services that businesses can utilize for their needs.

Therefore, you can justifiably ask why exactly Windows 365 is the service you need. The short answer to that would be how this service is designed to modernize the way that you can experience Windows from anywhere on any device.

This will ultimately serve up an optimum experience for both IT pros and end users. Without the need to hire expert tech support to set up and manage Windows 365, it makes it a service that is both easy to use and manage.

Device compatibility

Another key piece of information that users will need has to do with device compatibility. Before you even consider types of devices, you should know that using the Windows 365 platform is something that should help you to lower your hardware expenses in the long term.

This is because of how the Cloud PC runs on the cloud. With the heavy computing done on the Microsoft Cloud, end-users don’t need to worry about purchasing expensive high-end devices to access the Windows 365 Cloud PC.

All anyone needs is a decent internet connection and they’ll have access to a relatively powerful Windows PC that they can stream on most devices. Accessing your Cloud PC can be done via any modern browser or the Remote Desktop app.

As one can imagine, if your organization has a significant number of people working for them remotely then a hybrid setup like this will be immensely beneficial. You’re not going to have to make a huge investment to provide all these individuals with devices.

All those Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices that you already have are perfectly compatible with Windows 365. But, it’s not just Windows devices that you can use. Users can easily stream a Windows 365 session to hardware running macOS, iPadOS, Linux, and Android.

However, for the best experience, Microsoft recommends using devices that have a traditional keyboard and mouse.

For the most part, as long as your device has an HTML5 browser and a DSL connection or a wireless internet connection capable of streaming a video you will be just fine. The amount of bandwidth that you’ll need, however, will depend on your workload.

Microsoft Teams update

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that is based on the cloud and was launched in 2016 as part of the Office 365 productivity suite. The key features that have helped to establish Microsoft Teams include business messaging, calling, video meetings, and file sharing. It’s also designed to be accessible for use to most organizations regardless of size. Understandably, the popularity of this tool has grown significantly over the last few years.

Therefore, it’s crucial for Microsoft to keep updating the platform so that it keeps up with the evolving needs of clients. And part of that has involved offering background effects on Windows 365. The tech community platform has just made the announcement that this feature has now been made generally available.

What this recently announced development means is that you can now personalize the communication experience to your liking. Being able to apply background effects can help eliminate unwanted intrusions when having important meetings. Users can select their preferred background from a choice of several available.

Or, you can simply choose to blur out the background. This blur feature helps to subtly conceal everything in your background while keeping your image clear and isolated. These effects help to place all the focus on the topic of discussion and remove anything that may potentially cause disruptions.

The cost of Windows 365

Microsoft offers two editions of Windows 365 and both have a range of configurations that clients can choose. This means that smaller businesses, with less than 300 users and larger organizations with greater numbers of users. can both achieve results.

Fees start from $20 per user per month for the lowest-end SKU. It can increase up to $162 per user, per month for the most expensive version. Therefore, with Windows 365, you get fixed monthly subscriptions unlike with Azure Virtual Desktop.  And if you need to scale up then you are given the option of getting a different subscription as well.

Clients with the Windows 365 Business subscription can get a single virtual core, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage for the starting price of $20. However, this fee is only available for clients that have Windows Hybrid Benefit. The latter is Microsoft’s Bring-Your-Own license model. It helps clients to apply existing (or new) licenses toward the cost of a product.

If not, then that cost goes up to $24. But, if your organization requires a lot more, you can pay $158 for eight virtual cores, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The same situation regarding Windows Hybrid Benefit applies here and so without it, the fee goes up to $162.

The pricing model is pretty much consistent and the range of prices remains the same for Windows 365 Enterprise clients. Those who aren’t looking for a lot of computing resources can get a single virtual core with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for the same $20.

However, if your computing needs are a lot greater, then you can get other options. Other solutions include eight virtual cores, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $158 per user per month.

Deleting Cloud PCs

Occasionally, you may need to redeploy your Cloud PCs for any number of reasons. And from the discussion on the Windows 365 tech community, we learn about how we can go about that. Microsoft allows us to use the reprovision feature to delete a user’s current Cloud PC. You can then create a brand new one for that same user. The reprovisioning process, which is a remote action, will delete the original Cloud PC along with all user data, applications, customizations, etc.

You should also be aware of the issue regarding the grace period. What happens during this seven-day grace period is that a user will continue to have access to the Cloud PC. However, as soon as those seven days expire, the user loses access and the Cloud PC is deprovisioned. But, you can also opt to use the End grace period option to immediately end the grace period.

Multiple user assignment

Most organizations will want to know how many users can be assigned to a Cloud PC. So it’s worth noting that the Cloud PC is designed only for a single user. Therefore, if you want to permanently reassign that Cloud PC, you have to first remove the license from the previous user. You also have to make sure that the Cloud PC is deprovisioned before you can reassign the license to a new user. Once the license reassignment has been done, the provisioning of the Cloud PC can begin.

Teams multi-window support

Another recent development that the Windows 365 community discovered is that Teams Multi-window support and Call Me are now generally available on Windows 365. With Multi-window support, you can now pop out chats, meetings, calls, or documents into separate windows. I’m sure most of us can agree this will help to create a less cluttered work environment enabling you to work more efficiently.

The new update is going to significantly enhance the user experience. The Multi-window support allows users to view full-size, separate windows for meetings or calls as well as the main Teams client during a Teams meeting.

This means that you no longer have the meeting window minimized to the corner of the screen. Furthermore, by leveraging the Call Me feature you can now transfer Teams calls to your phone over a PTSN network.

Custom device images

This is something that interests a lot of people out there and it’s possible to do on Windows 365 Enterprise. You can put your desired custom device image into your Azure subscription and then use it for provisioning Cloud PCs. The image can be obtained from Azure Marketplace gallery images or alternatively, you can create your own custom managed image. To upload the custom image to the Windows 365 service, you follow the steps below:

• Sign in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center.
• Navigate to Devices > Windows 365 > Custom images > Add.
• In the Add image pane, you’ll need to provide details about the image name and version, subscription, and source image.
• Then you simply select Add to add the image to your device image list.

Customizing languages

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced another great update that can improve end-user comfort and potentially productivity levels. Setting up that localized Windows experience can now be done by configuring a provisioning policy or creating a custom device image.

The objective is to enable you to configure a Language & Region pack that can be installed on the Cloud PCs during provisioning when you are creating your provisioning policy.

At present, there are 38 languages available and Microsoft will allow you to change the configured language for already existing provisioning policies and subsequently reprovision any desired Cloud PCs.

Resolving various challenges with Windows 365

There several issues that one can come across during the use of the Windows 365 Cloud PC. Fortunately though, Microsoft provides a troubleshooting page that can help you to deal with various issues.

So if you’re facing connection errors, audio and visual problems, network issues, or any other challenges then the troubleshooting page can provide potential solutions.

And if you are encountering problems with app compatibility then Microsoft offers you App Assure for that. With this service, you’ll get assistance for remediating issues with your ISV, line-of-business, and Microsoft-developed apps at no extra cost.

Wrap Up about Windows 365 and its usefulness today

Cloud-based solutions are here to stay and they are providing us with some incredible new ways of modifying our work environments. Over the last year, the Windows 365 Cloud PC has given us a great example of what migrating to the cloud can look like.

The agility that the service provides in addition to the high level security protocols mean that organizations can redesign their workspaces to suit the needs of a modern, hybrid workforce. And the Windows 365 tech community platform plays an important role in all of this.

We can find all the latest Windows 365 updates that we need as well as get answers to any enquiries that we may have. That way, we can take full advantage of the capabilities that the Cloud PC has to offer.

The idea of hybrid work is something that has captivated the minds of people for years. And it’s not surprising when you consider the long list of advantages that individuals and businesses alike stand to gain. By using Cloud PCs, businesses can have their employees working from anywhere and using just about any device.

In this guide, I will be focusing on Windows 365 Cloud PC and giving you the step-by-step process for Cloud PC provisioning and deployment.

Introduced by Microsoft last year, Windows 365 gives you Windows running on the cloud. And from the overwhelming response to the service that we witnessed, it’s quite clear that there is a lot of interest in Cloud PC technology.

Recap on Windows 365

Windows 365 is essentially a service that will run your desktop on the cloud. In the words of Windows 365 General Manager Wangui McKelvey, “Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft Cloud, securely streaming the full Windows experience — including all your apps, data, and settings — to your personal or corporate devices. This approach creates a fully new personal computing category, specifically for the hybrid world: the Cloud PC.”

And as Microsoft has stated, you can stream apps, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device. This means that you can use Apple devices

(Mac, iPads, etc), Android devices, and Linux PCs among others to access your desktop on the cloud. This gives you the convenience of being able to pick up your work right where you left off because the Windows experience does not differ. Regardless of where you may be or the device that you are using.

Planning your deployment with Cloud PC

Deploying Windows 365 Cloud PC is a significant undertaking for any organization. As such, it needs meticulous planning to carry out.

There are several objectives that will need to be considered such as determining what end users will need to access on their Cloud PC. For instance, if your end users are going to use Windows 365 to access specialized software, then you’ll need to look into installing all lines of business apps.

Another objective would be considering the geographical locations of your end-users. Because Windows 365 can provide Cloud PCs in multiple Azure locations, it makes it possible to provide the Cloud PCs in a location with the lowest latency to your end users’ physical location.

Cloud PC management

The next objective to consider will be the management of Cloud PCs. In this instance, you’ll need to determine who will be managing the Cloud PCs as well as which management groups will have which permissions.

With the above done, you now need to look at how end users will connect to a Cloud PC. This means you need to know whether they’ll be using a browser or a Remote Desktop Client. And then, as far as licensing goes, you need to assess all use cases and evaluate workloads to determine the specific licenses that will be needed.

Cloud PC next steps

For the next step, you need to do a complete review of your endpoint management and infrastructure. This will enable you to determine whether you are going to keep your existing management plan for devices or if you need to come up with something different for the Cloud PC. So you need to look at Cloud PC management, application of policies (GPO or Intune), and the updating policy for all devices.

With all this considered, it becomes time to plan how and when users will receive their Cloud PCs. Here you can start by creating several different rollout phases based on your environment. Pilot and/or test groups are a great way to start with early stages involving willing participants who will provide feedback.

At the end of each phase, you can use the feedback provided to determine how to map the way forward for the rest of the organization. Also, it’s important to have clearly defined goals and success metrics if you want to stay on top of things and keep your rollout on track.

In the midst of all this planning, however, it’s key to have clear communication with all users. People need to understand what exactly the goals are and why the organization has chosen the Windows 365 Cloud PC.

Additional considerations with Cloud PC

Having a smooth rollout requires people to be fully informed of all the changes and potential disruptions that they will need to prepare for. You need to determine what information users need and this includes information about the Cloud PC and why the organization wants it.

During the pilot and subsequent onboarding phases, you should continue to provide additional information so that users understand the process and its importance. Just as important as the information is how you’ll communicate with users. You could have meetings or leverage platforms like Microsoft Teams or email.

Another key area to consider during the planning phase is your IT support and help desk staff. These individuals play a significant role in ensuring a smooth adoption of Cloud PC. They can help educate your end-users and show how to connect to and use the Cloud PC.

Because of this, IT support and help desk staff need adequate training to be able to provide the required support to end-users and resolve any issues that may arise.  And they also need to know how and at which level of end-users they will be supporting. This training should touch on all the various scenarios that Windows 365 will be used for and should also consider training on all supported Windows 365 platforms.

Overview of provisioning

When we talk of provisioning, we are referring to the process that is going to create a Cloud PC virtual machine and then set it up for the user. It’s also responsible for the completion of other tasks that prepare it for use and the sending of access information to the user. The process starts with admins providing configuration details to set up the process.

After which, users with a Windows 365 license and matching the configuration details will automatically have a Cloud PC provisioned for them. Because provisioning works on a  one-time per user and per-license basis, each user and license pair can only have one Cloud PC provisioned for them. The provisioning process is going to proceed as follows:

• Starts with the creation of a provisioning policy to manage access to the Cloud PCs. Provisioning policies are key to the entire process as they are responsible for building, configuring, and availing Cloud PCs to end-users. Each policy will require you to provide details regarding the on-premises network connection, the image used to create each Cloud PC, and an Azure AD user group.
• Assignment of a Windows 365 license to users in the Azure AD user will begin the provisioning process. And the provisioning of the Cloud PC will be carried out automatically by Windows 365 after which it will then send the necessary access information to the user. The automation is going to proceed in 3 phases that will be invisible to the administrator.
• The last part of the process involves the end-user receiving the necessary access information that will allow them to sign in to the Windows Cloud PC from anywhere.

Provisioning policy objects

Provisioning policies are essential objects in the MEM admin console that carry the required rules and settings that enable Windows 365 to set up and configure Cloud PCs for your users. Admins will have the responsibility of providing the required information when creating provisioning policies. This includes:

On-premises network connection – the OPNC provides the platform that enables the policy to connect to your on-premises resources. It’s responsible for identifying:

• The relevant Azure subscription for your Cloud PC.
• Which domain and Organizational Unit to join.
• The AD credentials that should be used.

Image – all Cloud PCs provisioned with a particular policy will carry a Windows image that is used as the reference image. This image can either be one that you select from the gallery or a custom image that you provide yourself.

Assignment – the role of the assignment is the identification of one or more Azure AD user groups. All licensed users in the policy’s Azure AD users group will then have Windows 365 automatically provision Cloud PCs for them. Also, users who may be added at a later date will get Cloud PCs as well.

The above information is absolutely integral to the provisioning process because without it the Cloud PCs cannot be provisioned. Once you’ve seen to the creation of the provisioning policies, Windows 365 takes over the provisioning process thus automatically providing users with Cloud PCs.

Modifying provisioning policies

Once provisioning of the Cloud PC is complete, there will be no possibility of a re-occur unless you perform a reprovision. Any alterations to the provisioning policy won’t trigger a reprovision and these alterations also won’t be applied to already provisioned Cloud PCs.

So any modifications that you make to a provisioning policy will only apply to subsequently provision Cloud PCs or those that are reprovisioned. Furthermore, changing the name of the provisioning policy will not update the Cloud PC name under All Cloud PCs. And it’s also not going to update the enrollmentProfileName in Azure AD

Deleting a provisioning policy

Only provisional policies that are not assigned to any Azure AD groups can be deleted. Removing the targeting of a provisioning policy that was used for successful Cloud PC provisioning will put the Cloud PCs into a grace period. And those Cloud PCs will face automatic deletion once this grace period has expired.

Provisioning policy conflict resolution

Since the assignment of provisioning policies is made to user groups the risk of overlapping groups/users does exist. In the instance where a user may have more than one provisioning policy assigned, the provisioning process will only consider the first assigned policy and ignore the rest. And in the event of reprovisioning, the policy used will be the one that has been modified most recently (if changes have been made to one of the provisioning policies).

Provisioning retry

If provisioning of a Cloud PC fails, the process automatically retries twice. And if it still fails, the process will stop and the affected Cloud PC is marked as Failed. There’ll also be an error message displayed. You’ll then need to figure out why the provisioning of the Cloud PC has failed. Once you get to the root cause, you can manually restart the provisioning process by clicking Retry.

Reprovisioning

Reprovisioning of Cloud PCs is something that admins can perform remotely. It comes in useful when:

• You need to test various Cloud PC configurations.
• There are problems with a provisioned Cloud PC.
• A user requires a new Cloud PC.

You can also leverage the reprovisioning action for Cloud PCs that are in a Failed provisioning state in the Windows 365 provisioning node. Basically, you can look at reprovisioning like resetting a physical device. Since this action deletes the Cloud PC and creates a new one, all data, apps, etc, will also be deleted. The reprovisioning will use the configurations of the provisioning policy used by that user’s Azure AD group.

Users with multiple Windows 365 licenses

Users with multiple Windows 365 licenses can have more than one Cloud PC. In this scenario, each license can have a Cloud PC with the appropriate specifications provisioned. However, it’s worth noting that you cannot have different provisioning policies for different user licenses. The Cloud PCs for these users will be provisioned using the same provisioning policy.

Clean up with Cloud PC

In the event of a provisioning failure or deletion of a Cloud PC after the grace period, Windows 365 will delete all objects that were created during provisioning. This will be done about 3 hours after the failure and will include Intune objects, Azure AD device objects, and Azure vNics.

Because other objects are relying on the network security groups the latter won’t be deleted. Neither will on-prem Azure AD computer accounts that were joined to the domain during provisioning. This is because Windows 365 does not have the necessary permissions and therefore can only disable the redundant computer objects.

Network requirements

Being a cloud-based service means that you need to have internet access to use Windows 365 services. As such, there are certain networking requirements that will support the necessary connections. These requirements are client-specific because they are based on your workload. Below are some of those requirements:

General network requirements

Azure virtual network – having a virtual network in your Azure subscription is a necessity. And it should be in the same region as where the Windows 365 desktops are created.

You’ll need to define your AD DS DNS servers as the DNS servers for the virtual network so that the virtual network can resolve DNS entries for your AD DS environment.

The Azure vNet needs access to an enterprise domain controller (on-premises or Azure).

There should also be a subnet within the vNet and IP address space must be available.

Network bandwidth is based on Azure’s network guidelines.

 Allow network connectivity

Your Azure network configuration will need to allow traffic to the following service URLs and ports:

DNS requirements

Organizations’ Cloud PCs should be able to join on-prem Active Directory because this is a Hybrid Azure AD Join requirement. Cloud PCs should be able to resolve DNS records for your on-prem AD environment. So you’re going to need to configure your Azure vNet where the Cloud PCs are provisioned as follows:

1)    Verify that your Azure vNet has network connectivity to DNS servers that can resolve your Active Directory domain.

2)    Navigate to Azure vNet’s Settings, select DNS Servers, and then choose Custom.

3)  Type in the IP address of DNS servers that environment that can resolve your AD DS domain.

Bandwidth

As you know by now, Windows 365 uses Azure network infrastructure. It follows therefore that you’ll need an Azure subscription to select a virtual network while deploying Windows 365 Enterprise. Costs incurred for using a Cloud PC are as follows:

• Network traffic into a Cloud PC is free.
• Any outbound traffic will incur charges against the Azure subscription for the virtual network.
• Office data such as email incurs egress charges if the Cloud PC and a user’s data reside in different regions.
• For RDP networking traffic you should always expect egress charges.

Choosing a Cloud PC option

After making the decision to sign up for the Cloud PC, you now need to choose what option is best suitable for your business. Microsoft offers clients two license types to cater to different business needs.

However, for both license types, the price will depend on the size of the Cloud PC. There are some significant differences between the business and enterprise licenses that are worth knowing before deciding. These include:

1)    Business is designed for small to medium enterprises with a maximum of 300 users whereas Enterprise is for much larger businesses looking to deploy Cloud PCs throughout their entire organizations and with an unlimited number of users.

2)  For Business, the desktop will be attached to a virtual network that Microsoft manages and has the added benefit of clients not being charged for network egress fees. When it comes to Enterprise, the desktops are attached to the customers existing Azure virtual network. And clients will also have to pay standard network egress fees.

3)    Enterprise clients will get both standard and custom images but Business clients will get only standard images.

4)    Business clients will have to go through a process of manual configuration and app installation. Enterprise clients will get automatic configuration and app installations because of the advantage of full integration with Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Microsoft Intune.

5)    For the Enterprise license, users will also need licenses for Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 11 Enterprise, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and Azure Active Directory P1. Business clients won’t require any additional licenses.

Other considerations

Having looked at the various differences, it’s clear to see that for smaller businesses looking to buy, deploy, and manage Cloud PCs, the Business license is the way to go. And it has the following options:

Basic – at a cost of $31/month and with support for up to 300 users, this option allows you to run light productivity tools and web browsers. Clients will get 2vCPU, 4GB RAM, and 128 GB Storage.

Standard – this option will cost $41/month and also supports up to 300 users. Clients will get 2vCPU, 8GB, and 128 GB of storage allowing you to run a full range of productivity tools and line-of-business apps.

Premium – the last option costs $66/month and gives you access to 4vCPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. With this, you get support for up to 300 users and can run high-performance workloads and heavier data processing.

For larger businesses looking to manage their Cloud PCs with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and take advantage of integrations with other Microsoft services, Windows 365 Enterprise is the choice for you. The options on offer are as follows:

Basic – at a cost of $31/month and with support for unlimited users, this option allows you to run light productivity tools and web browsers. Clients will get 2vCPU, 4GB RAM, and 128 GB Storage.

Standard – this option will cost $41/month and also supports an unlimited number of users. Clients will get 2vCPU, 8GB, and 128 GB of storage allowing you to run a full range of productivity tools and line-of-business apps.

Premium – the last option costs $66/month and gives you access to 4vCPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. With this, you get support for an unlimited number of users and can run high-performance workloads and heavier data processing.

Image source: Microsoft

Assigning licenses in Cloud PC

Before users can start using their Cloud PCs, you will need to first assign licenses to them. The necessary licenses are available for purchase from the Microsoft 365 store and you can get there by going through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center: https://admin.microsoft365.com.

Once you have purchased all the appropriate licenses, you can begin the task of assigning licenses to all your users. To do this you first need to login to the Azure Active Directory admin center.

And for license assignment to a single user, you use the Microsoft 365 Portal. Once in there go to Users > Active Users and select the user that you want to assign with a license. Then, go to the tab “Licenses and apps” and select your Cloud PC license. Apply the changes while clicking on Save changes below.

Assigning group-based licensing is slightly different. For this, you go to the Azure Portal and then head over to your Azure Active Directory. If you look to your left-hand side you’ll see Licenses. Go there and select All Products.

Next, you select the available Cloud PC license and then click Assign. So to enable group licensing, go to the left-hand side, and select Licensed Groups. Yet again you’ll need to click on Assign and select the group that you want to automatically license for the Windows 365 Cloud PC feature.

Creating an on-premises connection

Another requirement that organizations will have is the need to have an on-premises connection. An on-premises network connection (OPNC) is an object in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center that provides Cloud PC provisioning profiles with the required information to connect to on-premises resources.

Before getting started with Cloud PC, you’ll need the following:

1. AD DNS domain name
2. Organizational unit
3. Configure Azure AD Connect
4. AD username UPN
5. AD join password

So first you need to find your domain name which is simple enough with access to a domain controller. Once you know your domain name then you can proceed to validate the User Principal Name Suffix (UPN Suffix). Checking that your UPN Suffix is routable is extremely important to avoid problems later on.

With that done, you need to create an Organizational Unit that will allow you to properly manage your CloudPCs and dedicated GPOs. To perform this task, go to AD Users and Computers mmc and then head over to where you want to set your new Organizational Unit. Next, you can then either right-click an existing Organizational Unit or click where you want to create a new one.

Next, you need to ensure that Azure AD Connect is properly configured to get users synchronized with Azure AD. This you will do by opening Azure AD Connect and then selecting Configure device options.

Finally, you need to fill in the AD username UPN and the AD domain password. Then click Next. On the page, that then appears click Review+create. It should take no more than a few minutes to create the on-premises network connection. And if you have configured everything properly, you’ll see a “checks successful” status.

Creating a provisioning policy

The next step in this process requires you to create a Provisioning Policy so that you can provision the Cloud PC with an image of choice and is based on Azure AD security groups. Provisioning policies hold key provisioning rules and settings allowing the Windows 365 service to set up and configure the right Cloud PCs for your users. To create a provisioning policy, follow the steps below:

1.   Sign in to the MEM admin center and select Devices > Windows 365 (under Provisioning) > Provisioning policies > Create policy.

2.    On the General page, enter a Name and Description (optional) for the new policy.

3.    For OPNC select the connection to use for this policy > Next.

4.    On the image page, you need to select one of the following options for the image type:

• Gallery Image: Choose Select > select an image from the gallery > Select. Here you’ll get default images for your use.

• Custom image: Choose Select > select an image from the list > Select. This shows you the list of images that you uploaded using the Add device images workflow.55

5.    Select Next.

6. On the Assignments page, choose Select groups > choose the groups you want this policy assigned to > Select > Next.

7.    On the Review + create page, select Create. It can take up to 60 minutes for the policy creation process to complete, depending on when the Azure AD connect sync last happened.

Provisioning

With the information provided through the on-premises network connections and the creation of provisioning policies, Windows 365 can now provision Cloud PCs for licensed users. Performing the provisioning process will involve Windows 365 automatically completing the following stages:

• Core provisioning – this process does all the necessary tasks required to stand up a VM until a user can successfully sign in.
• Post-provisioning configuration – modifications can be made to the configuration for the purpose of optimizing the Cloud PC end-user experience.
• Assignment – a user is assigned to the Cloud PC and can now sign in.

User connectivity

After everything has been set up, users will then need to know how they can connect to the Cloud PC. We need to clarify what clients can be used as well as what options the end-users will have. Also, we need to know how administrative credentials can be provided to the end-user. Microsoft has provided two ways for users to connect to the Cloud PC:

I.        Web browser – the first method that users have for accessing the Cloud PC is via a web browser. All you have to do is simply navigate to windows365.microsoft.com. Once there you can log in with the user credentials that have a desktop provisioned and the portal will show you an overview of the desktops available to you. However, to access the Cloud PC using this website, users devices need to meet the following requirements:

• Supported operating systems: Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Linux.

• A modern browser like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox (v55.0 and later).

Various tasks

When using windows365.microsoft.com, end users can carry out various tasks on their Cloud PCs by selecting the gear icon on a Cloud PC card.

• Rename: doing this will change the name of the Cloud PC that the user sees on the website. But, performing this action doesn’t change any name in Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Azure Active Directory, on the device, or in the Remote Desktop Apps.
• Restart: this will restart the Cloud PC.
• Troubleshoot: whenever a user is encountering challenges with connecting to the Cloud PC, this will help you to troubleshoot and try to resolve those challenges. A few checks will be run including verifying that all the files and agents necessary for connectivity have been properly installed. There will also be a check for the availability of Azure resources.

II.        Remote desktop – the second method that Microsoft offers clients for connecting to the Cloud PC is by using the Microsoft Remote Desktop app.

This is designed to enable users to access and control a remote PC, including a Cloud PC. So for those who have been using Azure Virtual Desktop, this is an app they will already be familiar with. Setting up the Remote Desktop is a relatively simple process that requires you to follow a few steps:

1. First, you’ll have to download the Remote Desktop app. You can find it on the Download App page on www.microsoft.com/windows-365?rtc=1.
2. Next, you select Subscribe.
3. The next step will require you to enter your Azure Active Directory credentials.
4. You will then see the Cloud PC appear on a list. Simply double-click it to launch.

Managing Cloud PCs

Next, let’s discuss just how you’ll be managing your Cloud PCs. For the management of your Cloud PCs, you’ll be using Microsoft Intune. The latter is a 100% cloud-based mobile device management and mobile application management platform for your apps and devices. And this also includes your Cloud PCs. Signing in to Intune requires you to navigate to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center.

Overview page

To start, you’ll want to go over to the landing page for managing your Cloud PCs which is the Overview tab. To access it, you need to sign in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center > Devices > Windows 365 (under Provisioning).

This section is going to provide you with some information about how your Cloud PCs are performing. You’re going to see:

• Provisioning status: this summarizes your organization’s Cloud PC status.
• Connection health: this provides a summary of the health of your organization’s on-premises network connection.

All Cloud PCs page

On this page, you’re going to see a summary and list view with details regarding the status information for each of your organization’s Cloud PCs. The list view automatically refreshes every 5 minutes and by using it you can search filter, and sort. Users with multiple Windows 365 SKUs assigned to them will get multiple Cloud PCs and this means that in the All Cloud PCs list view there’ll be multiple rows for a single user.

Column details

Name – Name of the Cloud PC.

Device name – The Windows computer name.

Image – this is the image that was used during provisioning and so may not reflect the current Cloud PC version.

PC type – the Windows 365 SKU assigned to the user.

Status – this reflects the current provisioning status of the Cloud PC and possibilities include:

• Provisioned: shows when provisioning was successful.
• Provisioning: the provisioning is still in progress.
• Provisioned with warnings: shows when a non-critical step failed in the provisioning process but the user still has access.
• Not provisioned: this happens when a user has been assigned a Windows 365 license but doesn’t have a provisioning policy assigned to them.
• Deprovisioning: appears when the 7 day grace period has ended and the Cloud PC is undergoing deprovisioning.
• Failed: shows when the provisioning process has failed.
• In grace period: indicates when a license/assignment change occurs for a user with a current Cloud PC.
• Pending: it means that there are currently no available licenses in your tenant to process the provisioning request.

User – indicates the user to whom the Cloud PC is assigned.

Date modified – shows a timestamp reflecting the last status change of the Cloud PC.

Remote management

Like any other managed device, the option exists to remotely manage Cloud PCs using Intune. You’ll find that there are several remote management actions that Cloud PCs will support and they include:

• Restart
• Sync
• Rename
• Quick scan
• Full scan
• Update Windows Defender
• Reprovisioning*
• Resize*

*Reprovisioning and resizing are both remote actions that are unique to Cloud PC devices.

Conclusion About Cloud PC

Microsoft’s personalized desktop solution brings a lot of advantages to the way enterprises operate. As technology continues to evolve in leaps and bounds, so too are the devices at our disposal. This has brought us to a point where many people in their various organizations are using many different devices to perform work-related tasks.

And businesses realize that bring-your-own-device policies will be integral moving forward. This is why platforms like Windows 365’s Cloud PC are potential game-changers. Giving users access to their desktops from anywhere and using almost any device enables businesses to operate at a completely higher level.

Furthermore, the last couple of years have shown just how important the need is for workers to be able to work from anywhere. This has helped to keep a lot of companies operational. Not only that but leveraging cloud computing helps the organization to lower its overall hardware expenses.

The Cloud PC also allows organizations to stay within their budgets by selecting the options that are best suited to their business. And if the need to scale arises then that can easily be achieved. Windows 365 Cloud PC really does have the potential to do great things for any business. It’s certainly worth a try.