What is Azure Virtual Desktop?

Many organizations believe that remote working is a greater risk to the business. You can mitigate those risks with the right solution in place. The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to work remotely and to lean on virtualization to do it.

In this article we’ll look at Azure Virtual Desktop and the benefits it brings to organizations. Let’s get started.

What Azure Virtual Desktop is

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a desktop and app virtualization service running in the cloud. A virtual desktop runs on a remote server, letting you securely reach work applications and data from remote locations.

It allows you to:

• Set up a multi-session Windows 10 deployment
• Provide Windows 7 virtual desktops with extended security updates
• Optimize for Microsoft 365 applications
• Virtualize both applications and desktops

Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop

Increased flexibility and productivity

Azure Virtual Desktop makes your IT infrastructure more agile when desktops are hosted virtually. Employees can reach applications and services from remote locations, with a full Windows experience.

Reduced infrastructure and licensing cost

AVD can reduce expenses where a server is already up and running. Existing Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Enterprise subscribers already have AVD at their disposal.

Improved security

Organizations using Azure Virtual Desktop can harden their security by joining AVD virtual machines to Azure Active Directory. Single sign-on strengthens that further, and Azure handles the underlying software maintenance.

Deploy and scale quickly

The Azure portal is the management hub for Azure Virtual Desktop. You can configure settings, deploy desktop applications, add users, and enable security in a few clicks — and set up automated scaling.

Final words

Azure Virtual Desktop suits all kinds of organizations, particularly those whose employees work remotely or who bring in external consultants. Virtual desktops offer a lot over conventional desktops.

If you want to talk through whether AVD fits your environment, get in touch.