Microsoft announced Windows 365 at Microsoft Inspire 2021: a ‘Cloud PC’ that makes hybrid working easy. With Windows 365, you work anywhere and from any device on your Windows workplace in the cloud. This service / Cloud PC is available for use as early as Aug. 2.
It may sound a little confusing, because Microsoft previously bundled Office 365 into Microsoft 365 and now you have Windows 365. Windows 365 is just a completely different service, which is a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution. VDI allows your employees to work from their devices on a virtual desktop. Both the operating system and all applications are not installed locally, but run in the cloud. This means that a simple (less powerful) device (laptop, tablet) is enough for your employees.
For Windows 365, this means that employees can also access their Windows desktop from a non-Windows device, such as an iPad or Chromebook. With an Internet connection, employees work anywhere, anytime and with any device. As an organization, you don't have to worry about the infrastructure. And because users don't store anything locally, stolen and lost devices don't cause data breaches. Microsoft offers Windows 365 as a Business license (small and medium-sized businesses) or Enterprise license. You pay per user per month and can easily scale up and down.
What's the difference now? There was a Virtual Desktop solution from Microsoft anyway. Windows 365 requires less management work than other VDI solutions. You give employees a virtual desktop by assigning them a license, and management is possible through Microsoft Endpoint Management. This means that with Windows 365, you have less to set up and less to manage. Azure Virtual Desktop requires more management but you, as an organization, put it more in your control with that. For a standard solution, Windows 365 is perfectly suited, but if you want more customization in your organization, we still recommend using Azure Virtual Desktop.
Like other VDI solutions, Windows 365 offers the flexibility to work anywhere and from any device. Employees do not need a powerful device and can also work from their personal device. Ideal now that many people work from home.
Windows 365 is of interest to organizations looking to cut costs for workstations without impacting security. Especially at the enterprise level, organizations soon have employees around the world. Or externals on the other side of the world who also need a workstation. In these cases, it costs a lot of money, time and effort to purchase devices, reel them in and send them that way. With Windows 365, they can provide these employees with affordable workstations on the spot.
Microsoft offers the cloud PC in different sizes so that the virtual machine can always handle the work of your employees. These SKUs range from light office work to heavy graphics and video work.
