Windows 365 provides organizations with a virtualization service that encourages remote work. It’s a suite of solutions that offers clients a simplified way of having a PC that runs on the cloud and that you can access anywhere.

This means that Cloud PC users don’t need to be at a physical workstation in the office to complete their tasks. They can easily do so in the comfort of their homes on whatever devices they have – whether MacOS, Linux, Android, or iOS.

However, with all the convenience that comes with Windows 365, the issue of apps cannot be ignored. Most people have certain apps that are essential to the way they work and they are not willing to substitute them. Therefore, we need to know what the app situation is with Windows 365.

Default apps

Let’s start by looking at what Microsoft is going to offer you straight out of the box. This is important for users to know what their Cloud PCs come with and what they will need to do for other apps. The following are the apps that you’ll get by default:

Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise

Users will be thrilled to have this available. According to Microsoft, this offer gives you the most productive and secure Office experience for your organization. By using Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, your teams can easily collaborate from anywhere, anytime. Users get all their favorite Office apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.

And to enhance your security, all these Office apps will get the latest software updates as soon as they are available. Users will also be able to utilize this platform across multiple devices and thus work remotely on iOS, Android, or Windows devices. In addition, Microsoft will enable users to leverage AI to improve the quality of work produced.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based service designed to provide workers with a platform to facilitate collaborative teamwork, video chats, workplace conversations, and sharing of documents. Features such as recording of meetings offer great convenience to your workforce, especially those working remotely.

By integrating with other Microsoft business apps such as PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Exchange, Teams provides you with a comprehensive alternative to the likes of Slack and Google Workspace. As the push for remote work has grown over the last few years, Microsoft Teams has taken a central role in Microsoft’s workplace productivity and collaboration strategy.

Accessing Teams can be done via a desktop app, a web browser, or a mobile app. Furthermore, it is supported by all major operating systems including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

Microsoft OneDrive

This service provides clients with an online storage platform. Users can take advantage of OneDrive to store all their files in one place as well as easily collaborate and share with other users. What’s more, you can access your files or photos from any device, anywhere.

Arguably the main benefit of using OneDrive is that it syncs across multiple platforms and integrates with some of your favorite apps and services such as Office, Outlook, and plenty more. Files that you uploaded on your PC or Mac can be edited later on your laptop, tablet, or phone.

And with support for well over 200 file types, you’re unlikely to run into difficulties. As you can imagine, this makes it an ideal storage solution for users of the Windows 365 Cloud PC.

Microsoft Edge

In 2015, Microsoft finally decided to put Internet Explorer behind and released the new and improved Microsoft Edge. And many would argue that it was long overdue. By definition, Edge is what is known as a Chromium browser.

What this simply means is that it can run hundreds of extensions that are typically aimed at users of Google Chrome. Also, by signing up for a free Microsoft account, you can sync your browsing data across different devices.

With its sleek appearance and multiple features, Microsoft can now offer a browser that is a good alternative to the likes of Chrome and Firefox. The most attractive features include smart copy, vertical tabs, tracking prevention, Password Monitor, and plenty more.

As it expectedly continues to improve, Microsoft’s flagship browser will look to cut into the browser market share that has been dominated by Google Chrome.

What Windows 365 app formats are supported?

One of the key things with Windows 365 is the principle of ease of use. Microsoft wants the Cloud PC to be simple to provision and deploy even for organizations without a team of specialized IT professionals. To that end, there are several app formats that are compatible with Windows 365. And these include:

• MSI – within Intune, MSI format installers will be supported by both LoB and win32 options.
• MSIX – MSIX is an application packaging solution for Windows designed to enable easy and optimized app installations for users. Meant to set a new standard, MSIX contains all the best components of the packaging solutions already available in the Windows ecosystem. It enables modern packaging and deployment features to Win32, WPF, and Windows Forms apps. In short, it brings together the best of MSI, .appx, and App-V.
• AppX – these are distributable file formats used for the distribution and installation of apps. In the Windows Store as part of Windows 10/11 Enterprise, apps will be automatically distributed in AppX-UWP format. The AppX approach is more effective across multiple platforms than traditional installers. Thus it’s a great way for distributing apps suited for multiple devices such as PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
• Office – as far as Office is concerned, Windows 365 Cloud PCs will only support the Microsoft 365 Apps version.
• Universal Print – this platform simplifies its print infrastructure by leveraging cloud services from Microsoft. For Windows 365 Enterprise, Universal Print can be used either natively or through one of the Universal Print partners. However, it still remains possible to opt for legacy print-server environments when using Windows 365.

Installing Windows 365 apps

In addition to the default apps that come with Windows 365, users can install apps on their Cloud PC. And it’s easy, just like they normally expect in Windows. For whatever application you want to install, simply go to the application’s website and download it.

Or, you can download it from the Microsoft Store. Simply put, whatever apps you are currently using should work with Windows 365. As Microsoft said at the launch of Windows 365:

“Windows 365 is a powerful system that offers instant boot-on to personal Cloud PCs thereby allowing users to stream all their applications, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device. Windows 365 provides the full PC experience in the cloud. The cloud also provides versatility in processing power and storage, enabling IT to scale up or down, based on their needs. With a choice of either Windows 10 or Windows 11, organizations can choose the Cloud PC that works for them with per-user per-month pricing.”

And with what Microsoft is offering it is not surprising that one of the main goals of the Cloud PC was to ensure compatibility. As a potential user, I’d like to know that being able to stream my apps means that I won’t have compatibility issues.

More to know

But, Microsoft suggests that as long as your apps worked on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 then they will also work on Windows 365. Microsoft goes so far as to say that if you happen to have any problems with your apps you will receive help at no cost with an eligible subscription through the Fast Track App Assure program.

If you want to download an app from the Microsoft store, you can follow the steps below:

• Open the Microsoft Store app on your Cloud PC.
• Use the search feature to look for the app you want.
• Once on the app’s page, select Get.
• When the download is complete, you can open the app.

In some instances, the app will require you to have administrator privileges. And so to modify a user’s role/privileges, you can check out the information here.

What is App Assure?

As mentioned above, app compatibility is a major concern for most people. It’s one of the things that could hinder an individual from using certain services or upgrading their operating system. To address this potential problem, Microsoft provides us with a free program called App Assure.

By using this service, users can work with Microsoft engineers to ensure app compatibility and to gain assistance in resolving challenges. The services offered by Microsoft’s engineers include:

• Remediation of in-house developed LoB apps.
• Helping you engage third-party software manufacturers to remediate their apps and provide Windows-As-A-Service support statements.
• Addressing challenges that you may encounter with Microsoft products.

Assigning Windows 365 apps to Cloud PCs

Just like setting up most of the other features of Windows 365, the assignment of apps to Cloud PCs is relatively straightforward. To deploy Intune Windows client apps to your Cloud PCs, you’ll only have to follow the steps below:

• Navigate to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center and sign in. After that, go to Apps > All apps > select an app.
• Select Properties > Edit (next to Assignments) on the app page.
• Next, you’ll need to find the Assignments page where you’ll select Add group under Group.
• In the Select groups to include, choose the groups to which you want to assign this app > Select > Review + Save.
• With all that done, you can select Save on the Review + Save page.

Data storage with Windows 365

One thing that makes Windows 365 as flexible as it is, is the method of data storage. Because Windows 365 allows users to access their Cloud PCs on almost any device, it’s only logical that data is stored on the Microsoft Cloud. Doing so ensures that users can remain as mobile as they need to be without worrying about carrying devices with them.

Organizations should know that Windows will store all Office apps, settings, and work data in the cloud. That means all Word documents, Excel spreadsheets PowerPoint presentations, or animations, among others, will be safely stored on the cloud.

This helps you to save on storage by backing up application data on the Azure Cloud. It also significantly enhances data security. When you consider the massive data breaches companies face today and in recent years, storing application data on personal devices would present huge risks.

However, Windows 365 leverages the very high security standards of the Azure Cloud to ensure that your organization’s data remains extremely secure.

Wrap Up

Flexible working environments can be of great benefit to the development of an organization. The ability to engage people who can work remotely opens up so many possibilities.

For instance, your organization doesn’t have to limit its talent search to those who are available locally. Because of the features that the Windows 365 Cloud PC offers, certain projects are now seamless to manage and complete by individuals working together and collaborating from different parts of the world.

And Microsoft ensures that you’ll be able to do that without issue. And it provides you with your favorite apps including Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft OneDrive, as well as your trusted Office apps.

In addition to the applications you get by default, you’ll also be able to use the various other apps that you’ve come to love. As long as they worked on recent Windows OS versions, you shouldn’t have too many difficulties on your Cloud PC. So as far as features that enhance the user experience for Cloud PC users, the access to various apps certainly makes Windows 365 a better product.

For a lot of businesses, making the switch to cloud computing services, including Windows 365 solutions, represents a major shift from the way they have been operating for years. What possibly complicates the decision-making, even more, may be a lack of information on what cloud technology is and how it can improve their way of doing business.

Microsoft has done a good job of providing us with plenty of information on this topic. As one of the big cloud service providers, they have been providing clients with plenty of products over the years.

And in 2021, Microsoft took an even bigger step into the future with the announcement of a desktop in the cloud. It’s a PC that you can take with you anywhere and access at any time on almost any device.

In this blog, I will go over the major reasons why Windows 365 is a great investment for your organization.

Getting familiar with the cloud

Making a decision about which infrastructure is best suited for your business is no small matter. Because whatever you end up deciding will play a huge role in how your business operates. Certain businesses have legacy IT systems or on-premises infrastructure that has served them well over the years.

As such, businesses like this usually prefer to stay with tried and tested solutions rather than make the leap to the cloud. But, whether you prefer your on-prem infrastructure to anything else out there, it’s still important to understand technology such as Windows 365. Doing so will help you to make an informed decision about your business’ IT systems.

So whether you choose to invest in Windows 365 or continue using what has brought you success thus far, at least you’ll be fully aware of the options available to you.

But, just what exactly is the difference between your on-premises infrastructure and what Windows 365 offers? The simplest answer to that is location. There is the on-premises computing model. This refers to the physical hardware you own, such as computers and servers, that reside on your business premises. It also refers to the software that has been downloaded and installed on the hardware. On the other hand, cloud service providers own the servers, storage, databases, and software, and provides them to clients “as-a-service”.

Thus the major difference is that a company like Microsoft is responsible for purchasing, running, and maintaining the hardware. All you have to do is pay for the computing resources that you need. And forget worrying about everything else.

So what is a Cloud PC?

Now that we understand what cloud computing is, we need to know what then is a Cloud PC? According to Microsoft, a Cloud PC is a highly available, optimized, and scalable. It’s a virtual machine that is going to provide users with an enriched Windows desktop experience. This takes Windows and gets it running on the Azure cloud.

As Microsoft 365’s General Manager Wangui McKelvey said, “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 computing category, specifically for the hybrid world: the Cloud PC.”

So basically, Microsoft is giving you a PC that runs on the cloud. Meaning that you can access it anytime using most devices.  And for the most part, it really doesn’t matter what operating system is running on your device. Whether you’re using Mac or Linux PCs, Android or iOS devices, you’ll get a consistent Windows experience.

Therefore, whatever you are working on won’t be affected by the device you are using. Since the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, you will always pick up right where you left off. The service will allow you to have access to plenty of great apps.

Using the Windows 365 portal, you can access Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, native support is available for Microsoft Teams, Adobe Reader, the Edge browser, and Microsoft defender antivirus software.

Built on a sound platform

Ideally, any service that you want to invest in needs to have a proven track record. However, given that Windows 365 is still less than a year old there’s not much of a track record to go over. This is why it’s important to understand the foundation on which Windows 365 is built. The company that gave us Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is the same entity responsible for the Windows 365 Cloud PC.

And if there’s anything that AVD has shown us it is that Microsoft has a good handle on cloud computing services. This is vital for you when considering Windows 365 because Microsoft has built it on its Azure infrastructure.

So if you go with Windows 365, you’ll be investing in a service founded on a tried and tested platform. Therefore, we can take a look at AVD’s track record and some of what it has to offer clients.

Azure Virtual Desktop

Azure Virtual Desktop has proven to be a cost-effective alternative to scaling up a traditional virtual desktop environment in your own data center. The reduction in expenses is something that could very well help you to have a better ROI.

AVD has also proven to be invaluable to companies because of how it lets organizations control apps and data. They can do so while allowing their employees to access those resources on their own devices. This means that you can offer your workers greater flexibility in how they work. And you’ll still retain overall control and maintain high security standards.

Although you could get some of these benefits from a traditional VDI environment, the service that you get from Microsoft comes at a better price point with better security.

One of the greatest benefits that you will gain from investing in Windows 365 is that it will allow you to experience Windows 10 or Windows 11 at its very best. That’s in addition to having the full power of Microsoft 365 in your hands. AVD has built a reputation for offering clients a smooth experience when using these Microsoft products. And with Windows 365 being based on AVD, you can expect the experience to be even better.

The strength of Azure

The reason that makes Azure as impressive as it is, is the fact that it takes traditional on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. Because of this migration, Microsoft frees you from the responsibilities of a traditional VDI such as brokering, load-balancing, compute, storage, and diagnostics. What this then does is to create more time for IT pros in your enterprise to improve your business operations and promote growth.

And then there are Azure’s state-of-the-art security measures. As undoubtedly one the most secure public cloud platforms you can find, Azure significantly reduces the risk of falling victim to cyber criminals.

Azure Active Directory’s strict authentication process offers the only way that users can access their virtual machines. Clients can leverage features such as conditional access and multi-factor authentication to add layers of security to their access protocols.

Enhancing your business

Now that we’ve established how the cloud is different from your on-prem infrastructure, you could still ask why do I need it? If we already have our own hardware and software, why look to someone else to offer us a service? Now, these are very valid questions. But there are plenty of ways that taking advantage of cloud computing can enhance your business. For instance, we could take a look at the services you can get:

• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – this is where a cloud service provider operates resources such as servers, virtual machines, storage, networks, and operating systems. Clients can then use these services over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis.
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – clients can use this service to pay for on-demand resources such as hardware, software, and infrastructure that they can use to develop software. Therefore, developers, in particular, can take advantage of this to test, deliver, and manage software applications.
• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – this is a subscription-based model that allows clients to have access to whatever software applications they need without concerning themselves about licensing or software management.

What’s clear from the services Microsoft can offer is that your organization can have access to almost limitless resources. And arguably the biggest benefit you stand to gain is that the cloud computing model places the responsibility for the maintenance of the physical infrastructure on a third party.

So when using the Windows 365 Cloud PC there are no longer any complex hardware management issues to deal with. In addition, by eliminating hardware-related expenses your business can grow a lot faster and simultaneously become more productive.

Choosing Windows 365

If you’ve made the decision to migrate your business to the cloud, you’ll still need to decide about which solution to choose. But, Microsoft intends the Windows 365 Cloud PC to be a great option that is affordable, easy to run, and simple to set up.

For instance, if you were to go with Azure Virtual Desktop, you would need individuals with the necessary expertise to run the system for your business. However, Windows 365 doesn’t require that. Microsoft will set up Windows 365 for you and allow you to control how to scale your Windows 365 instances and monitor Cloud PC’s performance.

The ease-of-use approach you get with Windows 365 means that you don’t need to have an Azure Solutions Architect Expert on staff to create and manage virtual PCs. So one could look at it this way. Azure Virtual Desktop offers flexibility whereas Windows 365 is going for ease of use.

As far as pricing is concerned, Windows 365 offers clients a simple and flexible pricing structure in keeping up with the theme of ease of use. Clients will also be allowed to change their configuration should they decide to. This makes it a lot easier for businesses to scale up or down depending on their particular needs.

Thus you can add or remove resources and adjust your monthly subscription accordingly. As for accessing your Windows 365 Cloud PC, you can do so on just about any operating system out there. Although, you may want to download the Remote Desktop Client for the most optimal experience.

Different options available

To ensure that any business that wants cloud computing services can have access, Microsoft gives you various options. This allows you to choose a subscription plan that is most ideal for your business. Something that suits your budget. The options that you get with Windows 365 provide two available editions – Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise.

Business edition

The Windows 365 Business edition is designed for small to medium-sized enterprises. So if your company requires only a few desktops as well as fixed pricing, then the Business edition is the right choice for you. You can expect a fixed rate for the Business desktop and the prices will depend on the hardware configuration you select.

Also, because your Business desktop is attached to a managed Microsoft vNet, you won’t have to deal with any network egress fees. This edition comes with a maximum number of 300 users. And there are no licensing pre-requirements to purchase and deploy the Cloud PC.

But, if users are licensed for Microsoft Endpoint Manager they will have access to other features such as device management. The provisioning won’t present any problems as it uses default configurations.

So as soon as a Cloud PC license is assigned, the Cloud PC is automatically provisioned with a standard image. When it comes to actual pricing, you get to choose from 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 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 provides 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.

Enterprise edition

If your organization is a larger one, then the Business edition is not going to be adequate for you. The Windows 365 Enterprise edition will best serve large businesses. It’s especially helpful for those interested in integrating the desktops with their existing Azure virtual network. And they’ll have endpoint security with comprehensive features as well as single sign-on.

Unlike Business desktops, Enterprise desktops are attached to a customer’s vNet. So the standard fees for network egress traffic will apply. This edition allows clients to manage and roll out their own customized images.

In addition, you’ll be able to use other features including Universal Print, troubleshooting, etc. Also, the provisioning process can be configured and tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization.

Depending on the various needs of your business, you can select a subscription plan from the options given below:

• 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 provides 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.

Improve 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. You can put the right people in the right place at the right time. And it will enhance your clients’ 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 emphasizes 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. They additionally simplify working together for teams who may be in different locations.

Communication is paramount

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 have access to your Windows 365 Cloud PC from anywhere on just about any device.

Additionally, you can create various groups of people on Microsoft Teams. This provides those managing people and working on the same project, with a simpler engagement. This works 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 extensive 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.

Something for everyone

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 is easy and relatively affordable. It allows you to acquire more resources as your business expands.

Another improvement for 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, you won’t need to worry about your hardware anytime in the near future.

Reduce your physical footprint

Windows 365 can also be instrumental in helping you to reduce your physical footprint. This means that when you use cloud computing you won’t need as much office space as plenty of other businesses.

Because of the flexibility that Windows 365 provides, you may no longer need to have physical offices for a significant section of your workforce. You can simply take full advantage of having a hybrid work environment and remain productive in that way.

So you can have people working for you from all corners of the globe in the comfort of their own homes. Working this way may even enhance the working experience for some of your employees. This increases the possibility of employee satisfaction and higher levels of productivity. Moreover, using Microsoft Teams will ensure that communication and collaboration are carried on without difficulty.

Other benefits

Offices for your employees aren’t the only area where you can save space. When considering setting up your on-premises infrastructure, a significant amount of space is required for your network servers. As you can imagine, you’ll need to have plenty of space for the servers themselves. And you’ll need security measures, such as cages to enhance protection.

Your data center will also need state-of-the-art security to ensure that the risk of a security breach is reduced. And then we obviously can’t forget the staffing resources that will be required. You need to have teams of people who will be responsible for maintaining the servers and monitoring security to try and prevent hacker attacks.

These staff members will probably require an operations center and that means more building space. In addition to these IT people, you should have reliable security personnel guarding the physical premises. All of this will cost space and money. A lot of it.

Ultimately, having a significant portion of your workforce work remotely can help to increase your revenue streams. By reducing expenditure on building space, you can invest more in core business areas that will focus on attracting clients.

Communication and collaboration

This is an area that is fundamental to the success of every business. Especially when working in a hybrid environment. Windows 365 allows clients to take full advantage of the power of Microsoft Teams to ensure that communication in your organization happens smoothly.

You can set up teams in a way that will work best for you. When your organization is ready for users to start using Teams, the users can download the Teams client from https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads.

The Teams client can then be installed on your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC as well as on your Android or iOS device. However, you’ll need to ensure that all these users have the necessary Teams license.

Some of the more important elements in Teams include chat, teams, and channels. With chat, you can have one or more users talking, sharing files, or meeting privately. Teams will enable collaboration on any project at any time. And it can be visible to the entire organization or just the relevant team members.

Additionally, channels can help segment topics, projects, or anything else within teams in a way that suits the way you would like to work. Meetings and conferencing are two major things that businesses need to conduct to keep things moving smoothly. By using a Teams or Skype for Business client, individuals can participate in meetings to which they’ve been invited.

For small businesses

Even if you happen to have a bad internet connection you can still participate in meetings via audio conferencing. All you need is your regular phone, the conference phone number, and the meeting ID. Although meetings are enabled by default, you can still retain control of the meeting experience.

For smaller businesses with fewer than 300 users, consider using Microsoft 365 Teams Phone with Calling Plan to establish an office phone system without having a complex, costly on-premises phone system.

The system will include a phone system menu, caller ID, voice mail, and other great features. So all of these features are going to enable the Windows 365 Cloud PC experience to basically simulate the office experience.

Those working remotely won’t miss out on collaborating with their colleagues, sharing ideas, and crucially maintaining social connections with others. Without this, working remotely could quickly become a difficult, isolated affair.

Disaster recovery strategy

Every business needs to have effective data recovery strategies in place. The brazen nature of cyberattacks recently has shown that no enterprise is too small or too big to fall victim to hackers. And statistics suggest that in the last decade up to 4 billion people had their records stolen. Here are a few of the more notable data breaches of the last decade:

• In 2013, Target fell victim to cyber criminals who managed to compromise their network. This unfortunate incident was able to expose 40 million credit and debit card accounts.
• The very next year in 2014, another massive enterprise, eBay this time, suffered a massive breach of information. Estimates say that up to 145 million people may have had their login credentials stolen.
• In 2018, the Marriott also fell victim to hackers. This time, they managed to compromise the reservation system and steal names, addresses, credit card numbers, and phone numbers of hotel guests. They also collected information on travel itineraries like passport numbers and arrival and departure dates.

Incidences like this can be very costly for a business. Losing the trust of clients can see your share price drop like a rock. But, by using Windows 365 and having access to the Microsoft Cloud, you can massively reduce the risk of suffering such a disaster. As leaders in the industry, Microsoft will ensure that your data is protected to the highest degree.

Furthermore, the distribution of data centers means that anyone using the Windows 365 Cloud PC won’t have to worry about a data center being possibly taken down. The redundancies in the system will make sure that your data remains secure and available.

The vast resources available to Microsoft mean that they are well placed to withstand just about any unforeseen disruptive events. These include hardware/software failures, natural disasters, and power outages. Microsoft resources also ensure high application availability and business continuity.

Increased accessibility

If there’s anything that just about every business has had in common over the last few years it has been the challenge of accessibility. During a certain period, the global pandemic had managed to bring businesses to barely a crawl. Others were brought to a grinding halt. The economic repercussions have been evident for everyone to see and it has not been a pleasant situation.

There are companies that have had to shut their doors meaning thousands of people have lost their jobs. Having gone through this, most businesses would be happy to have a solution that can save them from having to experience anything similar again. And Windows 365 is there to give your business a service that has the necessary solutions.

Cloud PC

The Cloud PC is certainly not the first cloud computing service to come into existence. Virtualization and remote access to PCs have been around for several years now. But, as a product that was announced last year, Windows 365 is packed with new features that previous services did not offer.

These are what you will need to ensure that even in the event of a pandemic, your organization can keep operating as smoothly as possible. The accessibility of the Windows 365 Cloud PC makes it that much easier for your employees to remain productive from anywhere across the globe. And they can do this without having to worry about what device they are using. Be it on a desktop computer, tablet, mobile phone, etc, you can still attend meetings, collaborate on projects with colleagues, and maintain communication with your fellow workers.

Hybrid improvements

In addition, Windows 365 aims to make the hybrid work situation as seamless as it can be. This will mean that accessing company resources that are necessary for your work will be a simple and straightforward process. There are concerns about the ability to access files, folders, or internet apps that may be on your local office’s network and are normally accessed either directly in the office or via a VPN.

However, Microsoft assures clients that the hybrid work experience they have created caters to this scenario. Since Cloud PCs can remain constantly connected to your work network, you don’t need to worry about local or VPN access from personal devices. The main objective of the Windows 365 Cloud PC is to provide users with their ‘desktops’ anywhere, anytime.

Therefore, regardless of where you are you’ll still have the same experience as though you were sitting at your desk in the office. This smooth and highly secure experience is available to all employees regardless of which department they’re in.

According to Microsoft

According to Wangui McKelvey, a general manager for Microsoft 365, “Windows 365 provides an instant-on boot experience.” It is a product that is meant to take a huge step into the future of the desktop-as-a-service domain.

The availability that you benefit from allows your employees to stream their Windows session with all of their same apps, tools, data, and settings across Macs, iPads, Linux machines, and Android devices.

Basically, this creates a scenario where business employees don’t need to go to the office. And they won’t need access to their office PC to work. With the Windows 365 Cloud PC, your ‘desktop’ is wherever you are.

All you need is an internet connection and the rest is easy. McKelvey went on to add, “You can pick up right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, even when you switch devices.”

Simplifying life for admins

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 also see changes when compared to other services. And the reality is, 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 with Windows 365. For starters, there won’t be 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 ideal 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 be similar to the management of Cloud PCs. For example, 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.

Process improvements

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 two requirements. 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. There 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.

Wrap Up

When we look at Windows 365, it’s clear that Microsoft has not created a completely new product. Cloud computing services have been around for a while and so has virtual machine technology. However, Microsoft does intend to improve on the existing technology to give clients a highly enriched desktop-as-a-service experience. An experience that they can access anywhere at any time on a very secure platform.

And what will attract clients, even more, is the ease of use of the service. Businesses don’t need expert IT professionals certified in Azure Solutions to be able to create and manage new virtual Cloud PCs. The provisioning and deployment process is relatively uncomplicated enabling businesses to quickly and easily join the hybrid computing revolution.

Windows 365 can simplify the virtualization experience for end users thus allowing them greater control over various details. With all the features availed to your business, Windows 365 looks like a very worthwhile investment.

When Windows 365 unveiled by Redmond at its Microsoft Inspire 2021 event in July, there was expectedly a lot of buzz around it. And as with most major announcements, there were a lot of questions mixed in with the excitement. Additionally, those initial questions only seemed to inspire more speculation than clear answers. Until now.

With the launch of Windows 365, clients can start to look into what exactly Microsoft is offering and why today’s businesses need it. You can now take Windows 10 or eventually Windows 11 with you on your travels, wherever those may lead.

As the workplace environment continues to evolve, this capability offers businesses a better solution to some of the challenges they have been facing. So, with that said, let’s take a deeper look into Windows 365.

Getting set up with Windows 365 Business

You’ll have to start by accessing the virtual operating system and acquiring Windows 365 licenses. To do that, go to the admin center in the Microsoft 365 account, navigate over to the ‘Billing’ section, and select ‘Purchase services’. Once there, proceed to select the configuration that is most ideal for your needs. You can then complete the ordering process as you would when purchasing other Microsoft services.

With that done, head back to the Microsoft 365 admin center console and begin assigning licenses to users. Go to the ‘Users’ section, and select ‘Active users’. From here, you can assign users in your organization a Windows 365 deployment.

For each user, select ‘Licenses and apps’ on their profile. Next, assign a Windows 365 license and then save the changes. After this, users can start using Windows 365 by going to the Windows 365 web portal and logging in with their details.

Windows 365 Enterprise

For the most part, the process for setting up the Enterprise version is not a lot different. But, because this version has extra features and tools that the Business version does not have, the process does have some variations.

To start, confirm purchases and assignment of the licenses. You’ll need an on-prem network connection to create Cloud PCs, join them to your domain, and allow you to manage them via MEM.

After that, create a group policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Then, choose an image and select the Windows 10 Enterprise version. Then assign the Azure AD group to apply to the provisioning policy. After this, you can save these settings and create the policy.

It’s at this point that the Azure AD group members you’ve successfully assigned to the policy will directly receive the Cloud PC licenses that you add. The Cloud PCs will need about 30 minutes before they are ready to use. And then, just like the process for the Business edition, users can start using Windows 365 by going to the Windows 365 web portal and logging in with their details.

Plans and pricing

Over the last few weeks, this topic has been hot, generating great interest. Despite all the information about Windows 365 that Microsoft had made public, one key area remained unaddressed. But now, with the product launch official, that confusion is gone.

There are two subscription options on offer, Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise. The former is targeted at companies with no more than 300 employees. The latter is best suited for larger organizations. However, they both share the same range of features with a total of twelve Windows 365 cloud PC configurations to choose.

At the lower end, is a subscription ideal for frontline and call center workers that costs $20 per user per month. On offer is 1vCPU, 2GB RAM, and 64GB storage. This is likely adequate for the lightweight computing tasks that this group performs.

And at the other end of the pricing spectrum, you get support for 8vCPU, 32GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and 70GB of outbound data as an option. This will cost $158 per user per month. And it’s for users who perform compute-heavy tasks.

The pricing and configuration options are consistent across both Windows 365 Business and Enterprise.

The launch has gone well

If the first few days after the launch are any indication, then Microsoft may potentially have a winner on their hands. As expected, there were doubts about whether clients would be interested in Windows 365 when they already had Azure Virtual Desktop. But, the demand for free trials was so overwhelming that Microsoft had to press pause. After only a single day of sign-ups, the service reached maximum capacity. 

Microsoft has had to come out and address the situation. “Following significant demand, we have reached capacity for Windows 365 trials,” reads a statement from the Microsoft 365 Twitter account. “We have seen an unbelievable response to Windows 365 and need to pause our free trial program while we provision additional capacity,” explains Scott Manchester, director of Windows 365 program management. It obviously would be far too premature to call Windows 365 a success. However, if it delivers as promised, then we can expect interest in the service to grow even more.

Business or Enterprise?

As already mentioned, Windows 365 has two versions on offer, Business and Enterprise. But, is the difference as simple as one is targeted at smaller businesses and the other at larger organizations? Truth is, it’s a little more than that.

Windows 365 Business is the simpler version of the two. And it’s ideal for businesses with no more than 300 users. Because everything aligns with Azure AD natively, and all the components run in the Microsoft cloud, prerequisites are simple. There are no technological prerequisites. And there is no need for an Azure subscription or a domain controller.

Windows 365 Enterprise, meanwhile, is best for larger organizations. Additionally, it offers a wider range of tools and features for maintenance and security. As a result, it’s more complex and requires greater technical expertise to deploy and manage. Features that come with the Enterprise version include the following:

• self-serve upgrades
• universal print integrations
• partner and programmatic enablement
• custom images and image management

Impact of Windows 365

Windows 365 is designed to be a simple, secure, and versatile solution that can transform your IT operations for the better. It utilizes the power of the Windows operating system and the strength of the cloud to offer businesses greater peace of mind in three key ways:

Powerful: Users can instantly boot on to their personal Cloud PCs to stream apps, data, tools, and settings from the cloud and across any device. This will give you the full PC experience in the cloud. And because of the capabilities of the cloud, you’ll get versatility in processing power and storage and this enables IT to scale up or down, based on their needs.

Simple: Windows 365 provides an all-around simplified cloud computing experience. Users can log in and pick up right where they left off across devices. And for IT pros, deployment, updates, and management are a lot less complicated to perform. Mostly because Windows 365 doesn’t require any virtualization experience.

Since the service is optimized for the endpoint, it makes the job easier for IT to procure, secure, deploy, and manage Cloud PCs for their companies just as they manage physical PCs through Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

Secure: By leveraging the power of the cloud as well as Zero Trust, Microsoft has made Windows 365 a highly secure platform. This enables businesses’ data to be kept secure on the cloud and not on devices.

Additional user information

Before signing up for Windows 365, there are a few things that clients need to be aware of. Things that they can and cannot do. For instance, you only get allowance for 1 user per license and so there is no support for multiple users on a single Cloud PC.

Another thing is that if you need to cancel your Windows 365 subscription, all you need to do is go to the Microsoft 365 admin center. However, you should know that when you cancel a subscription, all associated data will be deleted.

If you are an Enterprise client and you want to upgrade to another Windows 365 plan, use the Resize feature to upgrade the RAM, CPU, and storage size to meet the users’ needs. This can be a great benefit for users who may need a more powerful Cloud PC to run CPU-intensive apps.

On the other hand, though, you cannot as yet perform a downgrade. Also, if you have a Windows 365 Business license, you cannot convert it to Windows 365 Enterprise. The only viable way around it would be to purchase the Enterprise license.

Hybrid benefit

Microsoft also offers another feature known as Windows Hybrid Benefit that is meant to make the Windows 365 experience even better. The former is a licensing benefit that helps reduce the cost of Windows 365 Business. In actual figures, what Windows Hybrid Benefit offers clients is a discount of up to 16 percent. And this will apply to your Windows 365 Business subscription for clients that are already using Windows 10 Pro on a device.

Therefore, Windows Hybrid Benefit is a feature that you have access to if you have devices with valid Windows 10 Pro licenses. A couple of things are necessary from all users that are assigned a Windows 365 Business license with a Windows Hybrid Benefit license:

1. The user must be the primary user of a Windows 10 Pro licensed device,
2. The device in question needs to be their primary work device.

However, you’ll need to maintain your discounted pricing during the subscription term in which you access the Windows 365 service. And to do that you must access the service from your Windows 10 Pro licensed device at least once during that term.

What about Microsoft partners?

Over the years, Microsoft partners have played a key role in the delivery of Microsoft services to clients across the globe. The broad range of products and services in Microsoft’s portfolio translates to partners having the power to build innovative, industry-specific solutions. And Windows 365 intends to continue that trend.

The new Cloud PC offers Microsoft partners plenty of opportunities to deliver new Windows experiences in the cloud. Whether you’re an independent software vendor (ISV), managed service provider, or an original equipment manufacturer, there are opportunities to take advantage of.

Businesses still need systems integrators and managed service providers to get the best from their Microsoft products. ISVs can still create Windows apps that can enhance how businesses operate while OEMs have the opportunity to better integrate Windows 365 into their wide array of products and services. By doing this, Microsoft partners can facilitate the creation of innovative, new ways of doing business that can bring about digital transformation. Therefore, the decades-long partnership that has benefited clients so immensely will not be ending.

Conclusion

Microsoft is looking for ways to constantly improve the work experience by leveraging the power of the cloud. And with Windows 365, the idea is to provide employees with technology that is secure, efficient, and easy to use. All this while enabling employees to remain productive anywhere and using any device.

Also, by giving users a familiar experience and IT simple processes for managing and deploying Cloud PCs, this cloud-based service will optimize IT operations for everyone. However, as a recently launched service, only time will tell how exactly and to what extent Windows 365 will affect the way businesses operate.

Once most clients have had an opportunity to use and review it, then conclusions can be made. But, the early signs point towards a positive, modern transformation that will boost most businesses.