Windows Virtual Desktop Intro Q&A

In this article I have collaborated with our Principal Consultant, Toby Skerritt here at Foundation IT to chat all things Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD). We have been putting WVD to the test since the preview was released back in March and have been very impressed. Here’s what Toby thinks:

o  What is Windows Virtual Desktop? 

Windows Virtual Desktop is a cloud-based platform which allows organisations to deliver Windows desktops and applications to users via either a web browser or locally installed application.

o  What prerequisites are required for pre-deployment?

Customers require a local Active Directory and a synchronised Azure Active Directory. A Microsoft 365 subscription is also required to cover the Windows licence.

o  Once the pre-reqs are dealt with, what should the business do to prepare to roll out?

The service can be rolled out in a controlled fashion, meaning individual departments can be migrated as appropriate. I think the best approach is to build the basic service within the IT team, test, and then roll out to a small group of responsive users who will benefit from the service and provide useful feedback. Remote workers are a good option for this.

o  What are the key benefits from adopting WVD?

Delivering desktops and applications centrally has many benefits. Centralised management means that the environment is always up to date, and therefore the user experience is consistent. Remote users can also benefit from being able to access business applications from any device, without the need to be in the office.

Using the cloud to deliver these services also removes the need for costly hardware purchases, and if you need to scale the service up or down this can be done almost instantly. WVD therefore is a logical upgrade path for organisations with traditional on-premise VDI deployments that are looking to move more services to the cloud.

o  Are there any limitations with the platform that businesses should be aware of? 

WVD is a new service which is evolving quickly, with continuous development by Microsoft and the community. Some features such as management consoles are less functional in the core WVD service than in some more established remote desktop products, but this is changing quickly.

o  Are there any other platforms similar to WVD? If so what?

Virtual Desktop services for on-premise deployments have been around for a long time, there are many different vendors who provide these services including Citrix, VMWare and Microsoft. There are also several Cloud based desktop providers who offer Desktops as a Service (DaaS).

The difference is that Windows 7 and Windows 10 ‘Multiuser’ desktops can only be delivered from Azure. Citrix and VMware both offer solutions to deliver these from Azure, and these services are also designed to connect with your on-premise Citrix or VMware Horizon environments if you have them.

o  What makes WVD stand out from the other options?

WVD allows for the delivery of Windows 7 and Windows 10 ‘Multi-User’ desktops without the cost or complexity of managing the ‘control plane’ – a group of infrastructure servers which control access to and delivery of the desktops to users. This is provided ‘as a service’ by Microsoft. The cost for this and the Windows desktop licence is covered by the Microsoft 365 licence mentioned previously.

If you have an M365 licence, then the only costs you pay for this service are the costs to run the Virtual Machines in Azure and the cost of storage.

By using WVD, you also get to take advantage of some of Microsoft’s new and upcoming technologies, such as the profile management tool FSLogix and the application delivery tool AppAttach.  

Have you had any experience of using WVD? What are your views?

Feel free to connect with Toby on LinkedIn if you have questions, comments or thoughts.