Azure Virtual Desktop enterprise scale
Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is an Azure service that, combined with appropriate licenses, services, and resources, delivers a complete virtualized multi-user Windows 10 (or a single-user Windows 7) experience together with Office 365 ProPlus. WVD includes centralized management and monitoring; system administrators can quickly deploy and manage desktops, apps, and Windows servers in the Azure Cloud. Show
WVD helps businesses seamlessly scale their virtualization requirements while benefitting from the top-of-the-line security features on Azure along with the cost benefits of its subscription-based model. With WVD, users can enjoy a richer virtualization experience for accessing hosted applications when compared to the existing Windows Server-based Remote Desktop Services (RDS) platform that leverages Microsoft Partner community support for similar solutions.
Ideal WVD Use ScenariosBusinesses of varying sizes (10-1000+) with a significant percentage of mobile staff working from different locations would find Azure Windows Virtual Desktop an ideal solution. Here are some scenarios that benefit from WVD.
Windows Virtual Desktop AdvantagesWVD offers serval advantages over traditional virtualization solutions. Decreases costsBy moving their desktops and applications to Azure with WVD, businesses can efficiently manage their cost constraints for running virtual desktops with Windows OS such as Windows 10 and 7. Windows 10 Virtual Desktop reduces costs in the cloud by allowing session-based desktops on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) which results in improved utilization of costly resources. By simplifying licensing for the use of Windows 10 on WVD environment, and not requiring additional Client Access Licenses (CALs) for access, as a Server OS would require, the Microsoft licensing costs come down. Companies that prefer Windows 7 on a desktop can continue getting free updates and support for Windows 7 for another three years, which expired in January 2020. Improves flexibilityMoving Office IT infrastructure to the Cloud simplifies operations for both IT staff and the end-users. End-users can access their desktops and applications from various devices and browsers. Office 365 applications have now been optimized to work with WVD, and the end-user experience is smoother. After moving to the Cloud, IT staff do not spend as much time managing physical machines and local networks. All apps, data, and resources can move to the Cloud. Desktop apps are easier to manage as WVD allows Windows 10 or Windows 7 OS. IT staff can generate persistent and personal desktops from desktop images. In WVD, the user profiles and apps are stored in separate containers, and this can improve flexibility and scalability. Superior Office 365 CompatibilityOther advantages of moving to Azure WVD is the availability of a virtually infinite variety of services and resources in the Cloud and better integration with Office 365 products. Office 365 products, themselves on the Microsoft Cloud, will see improved performance on WVD environments. Similarly, there would be improved performance of other applications that require minimum latency to the desktop. For graphics-intensive applications, virtual graphics processing is available. Persistent and Non-Persistent WVDWindows Virtual Desktop supports the complete range of experiences including full desktop virtualization and application virtualization, persistent and non-persistent states as well as dedicated and multi-session modes. Persistent virtual desktop infrastructure (stateful VDI) is a setup in which each user owns a virtual desktop whose settings and customizations are available to the user each time they log in. The consistency of user experience and familiarity with the customizations help users get accustomed to these virtual desktops faster. On the flipside, persistent VDIs have high storage requirements primarily because of their customizations and more complex image management. With Azure WVD, there are fewer storage constraints than regular persistent VDI solutions. It also simplifies image management with a unified portal. In the case of non-persistent VDIs, the data and settings on a virtual desktop are erased at the end of the session. Users will have a new image when they begin a session. The primary advantage of a non-persistent VDI is that it requires much less space and is more easily managed. The ephemeral nature of the non-persistent VDI makes it an ideal solution for tasks that require more security. With the inclusion of FSLogix technology, working on non-persistent WVD is nearly as user-friendly as a persistent solution with the ability to dynamically attach user-profiles to computing environments. Windows Virtual Desktop Implementation RequirementsWhile Azure Cloud takes away the headaches of dealing with physical machines, cabling, and network equipment; deploying Azure WVD requires at least mid-level system administration and networking skills, and familiarity with Azure services and resources. Remember, when your resources are in the Cloud, they need to be managed in a manner that is different from on-premises resources. Unless you have such resources in-house, it is advisable to find a dependable Azure Cloud Service Provider to work with you. Azure Windows Virtual Desktop ComponentsWhen you are buying an Azure WVD subscription from Apps4Rent, here's what you get as a part of the plan.
Profile Management in WVDFSLogix replaces existing tools and solutions such as roaming profiles, folder redirection, and user profile disks from Microsoft and its partners and works seamlessly with WVD for user profile management. Not only does it enhance control over settings and configurations for managing user interactions with their WVD solution but also improves end-user usability. When users customize their environment, FSLogix carries over the changes they have made to their profile to their next session. Our article on Windows Virtual Desktop profile management explains FSLogix in detail Security FeaturesWVD is designed with so many security capabilities that will keep your business secure. Microsoft takes security very seriously, and thus it has invested over $1 billion on R&D associated with cybersecurity, and 3,500 security experts are assigned for data security and privacy. If you are looking for compliance, Azure has the most compliance certifications which will meet your compliance regulations such as HIPAA, IRS, CJIS, ISO/IEC, CSA/CCM, ITAR, and more. In WVD's deployment, Microsoft manages some parts of the services on behalf of the customer. The WVD service has many default sophisticated security features, such as Reverse Connect, which enhances the safety of remote desktops. Components of WVD EnvironmentThe Windows Virtual Desktop environment comprises of the components that relate to each other to form the setup.
Working of Windows Virtual Desktop
WVD TimelineVirtual Desktops as we know it today came into existence in 2009 with the use of a hypervisor for consolidating servers. Microsoft extended support for VMware's new solution on Windows XP and Vista. Until 2010, Microsoft licensed Virtual Enterprise Centralized Desktop (VECD) license to run virtual desktops running on Windows. This changed with the launch of Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) license which reduced costs significantly and led to more users adopting VDI. When Windows Azure became Microsoft Azure in 2014, the cloud services had been extended to include Azure RemoteApp, a platform as a service (PaaS) solution that was eventually retired in 2016 in favor of Self-managed (IaaS) and Fully managed (PaaS/SaaS) solutions. Parallelly, Windows 10 Enterprise was made available through Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channel for Windows 10 Pro users with Azure AD subscription. In 2017, Microsoft started working on the Remote Desktop Modern Infrastructure (RDmi) project that evolved into a Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) as we know it today. With the acquisition of FSLogix in 2018, Microsoft simplified WVD provisioning and profile management. In 2019 Microsoft WVD was made available in public preview and general availability in the latter half of the year. With the end of extended support for Windows 7 in January 2020, WVD has become one of the most preferred solutions for hosting legacy applications as well as a comprehensive solution for virtualizing desktops and applications running on Windows 10 and Windows Server.
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