Discover your first workload: Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

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What is Azure?

Think of Azure like a big box of LEGO bricks. Just like how you can use LEGO bricks to build anything you imagine, Azure provides a wide range of products and cloud services that you can mix and match to create custom solutions for your business needs.

Azure is a powerful cloud platform with over 200 products and services designed to help you bring new solutions to ife. Whether you need to solve today’s challenges or innovate for the future, Azure has the tools you need.

With Azure, you can build, run, and manage applications across multiple environments—be it in the cloud, on-premises, or at the edge. And the best part is, you can use the tools and frameworks you’re already familiar with, making it easier to integrate Azure into your existing workflows.

Just like with LEGO, where the only limit is your imagination, with Azure, you have the flexibility and power to build the solutions that are just right for your business.

Azure is Hyperscale

Imagine if those LEGO structures we built could expand infinitely to meet any need, no matter how big. That’s what Azure’s hyperscale infrastructure is like.

Microsoft datacenters make up a globally distributed network designed to power the Microsoft Cloud.

This massive infrastructure brings applications closer to users, ensuring fast performance and compliance with local regulations. It offers comprehensive compliance and resiliency options, delivering a secure, reliable, and sustainable cloud service that you can trust.

This network includes over 60 Azure regions and more than 300 datacenters worldwide. This global reach ensures that wherever you are, Azure can provide the necessary resources and support.

With such a robust and expansive infrastructure, Azure ensures that your applications are always close to your users, maintaining high performance and availability.

Why is Azure important?

Firstly, securing and managing on-premise environments is becoming increasingly challenging. With cyber threats on the rise and regulatory requirements becoming more stringent, maintaining robust security and compliance on your own infrastructure can be both complex and costly.

Secondly, as new technologies emerge, you’ll need more advanced infrastructure to utilize them effectively. Azure provides state-of-the-art infrastructure that is continuously updated to keep pace with technological advancements, ensuring that you can leverage the latest innovations without the need for frequent hardware upgrades.

Thirdly, buying servers and their licensing is costly, complicated, and inflexible. With Azure, you can scale resources up or down as needed, paying only for what you use. This flexibility helps reduce capital expenditures and avoids the complexity of managing physical hardware.

Lastly, many businesses today do not need to rely on on-premise solutions. Cloud solutions like Azure offer greater agility, allowing businesses to deploy and manage applications more efficiently and respond to market changes quickly. This is especially beneficial for businesses looking to innovate and grow without being hindered by the limitations of traditional IT infrastructure.

Azure provides a secure, scalable, and flexible solution that adapts to your business needs, allowing you to focus on what matters most—innovation and growth.

What is meant by Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD)?

These are a type of virtual machine that can be used a lot like a regular computer desktop experience.

You sign into an account and your desktop is effectively “streamed” to you from the cloud in the same way you might stream a video from a source like Netflix.

You can think of a “Virtual Machine” or “VM” as a ‘pretend’ computer that does everything a real one does, but it’s software running on Microsoft’s servers.

Azure Virtual Desktop

Azure Virtual Desktop

AVD offers a flexible solution for managing virtual desktops.

  • Multi-session Windows 10/11: It’s the only service providing a multi-session Windows 10/11 experience, scalable and always up to date, supporting multiple users on the same Windows instance.
  • Office & M365 Optimisations: It enables optimisations for Office and Microsoft 365, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency for your users.
  • RDS Desktop Migration: Easily migrate your Remote Desktop Services (RDS) desktops and apps, simplifying licensing and reducing costs.
  • Rapid Deployment and Scalability: Deploy and scale in minutes with a unified admin interface in the Azure Portal, providing a streamlined management experience.
  • Support for Any Device: Supports any end-user device platform, including Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, and HTML5, allowing your workforce to access their desktops from anywhere.

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) offers a flexible, cost-effective way to tackle IT challenges and unlock new use cases.

Data Security:
Improve regulatory compliance and intellectual property protection through data centralisation and a reduced threat surface.

High-capacity Computing:
Leverage cloud-scale compute and storage to support specialised workloads like design and development.

BYOPC Programmes:
Enable secure virtual desktops, even on personal devices.

Disaster Recovery:
Ensure continuity and access to company data for your workforce, even in challenging circumstances.

Temporary Workforces:
Simplify and speed up the onboarding and offboarding process for elastic workforces.

Mergers & Acquisitions:
Provide seamless transitions and access for growing businesses.

What is the difference between Traditional Remote Desktop Services (RDS) with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)?

Traditional RDS:

  • Requires an RDS licence with Software Assurance (SA), a Server OS licence, and a compatible version of Office.
  • Offers only a “Windows 10 desktop experience”.
  • Faces functional limitations and application compatibility challenges.
  • User Profile Disks have limited functionality, not supporting features like OneDrive and indexed Outlook search.
  • Requires installation and management of RDS infrastructure roles on individual virtual machines.

Azure Virtual Desktop:

  • All licensing is included with Microsoft 365.
  • Microsoft created a special multi-session version of Windows 10 for AVD.
  • New profile container technology from FSLogix eliminates previous limitations.
  • Infrastructure roles are hosted and managed by Microsoft.

AVD simplifies licensing, enhances functionality with FSLogix, and reduces the burden of managing infrastructure roles, making it a superior choice over traditional RDS.

Three ways to save when migrating RDS to AVD

Infrastructure Costs:

  • With AVD, you can scale your infrastructure up or down based on your business needs in Azure, ensuring you pay only for what you use.
  • Utilise multi-session and reserved instances to maximise virtual machine usage, enhancing cost efficiency.

Licensing Costs:

  • Use existing eligible Windows or Microsoft 365 licences, eliminating the need for additional licensing costs.
  • No RDS Client Access Licence (CAL) is required with AVD’s multi-session capability.
  • App Assure is available to address any compatibility issues, ensuring a smooth transition.

Total Cost of Ownership:

  • AVD eliminates the need for brokering, Gateway, or Web Access, reducing overall management costs.
  • Track performance and resolve issues using Log Analytics and Azure Monitor, ensuring operational efficiency.
  • Automate deployment with Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and Azure DevOps, streamlining processes and saving time.

Are you eligible for Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)?

Client

Customers are eligible to access Windows 10 single and multi session and Windows 7 with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) if they have one of the following licenses*:

  • Microsoft 365 E3/E5
  • Microsoft 365 A3/A5/Student Use Benefits
  • Microsoft 365 F1
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium
  • Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5
  • Windows 10 Education A3/A5
  • Windows 10 VDA per user

Server

Customers are eligible to access Server workloads with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) if they have one of the following licenses:

  • RDS CAL license with active Software
    Assurance (SA)

Pay
Pay only for the virtual machines (VMs), storage, and networking consumed when the users are using the service

Take advantage of options such as one-year or three-year Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances, which can save up to 72 percent versus pay-as-you-go pricing. Now with monthly payment options!

Interested in tranform your workplace with Azure Virtual Desktop?

Request a demo or contact sales on: 0207 448 8500

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