Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) formerly Windows 10 Virtual Desktop is not Hyper-V or a rehabilitated version Windows Cloud PC. It doesn’t even install on your local machine like VMware Workstation or VMplayer. Rather, AVD lets you deploy and scale virtualized Windows desktops and apps on Azure Windows Virtual Desktops. If you’re looking for more information about Azure Virtual Desktop, you’ve come to the right place. This Guide to Getting Started is perfect for those IT pros who are researching AVD, starting a trial with AVD or are onboarding AVD.

Windows 10 Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a desktop and app virtualization service that resides in the cloud and is then accessed by users using a device of their choice. Think of it as Desktop-as-a-Service powered by Azure. WVD delivers a Windows experience that is multi-session yet personable and persistent. While it delivers a Windows 7 experience, most organizations want Windows 10 since support. And of course, it delivers your essential O365 apps to your users.

Why Cloud, Why Now?

While it may seem out of the ordinary to push desktops from the cloud, it is the next step in the evolution of the digital transformation. Similar to how you scale enterprise web-based applications to your employees and customers, you can now quickly deploy desktop with the same scalability potential. If you’ve migrated your applications and data to the cloud, why not host the desktops there too. Centralization keeps everything congregated and increases performance potential. By software defining the desktop, you clip your dependency on rigid hardware and diminishing product lifecycles. While traditional VDI achieves this, deploying a cloud desktop platform is far simpler from a configuration and deployment perspective. Plus, you’re benefiting from the power, security, and scalability of Azure.

Windows Virtual Desktop Requirements

Before we dive in, you need to do some homework. There is a small list of things you will need to check off to repeat the outlined steps in this guide.

You’re going to need to be able to fund the project. You can support the project with enough Azure subscription credits to host the virtual machine resources (TIP: If you don’t have access to a subscription, you can sign up for a free account here. You will need a valid phone number and credit card as Microsoft uses these for identity verification. You will need access to your Azure Active Directory. You will need access to a user account that has Global Administrator access to Office 365, and owner role on the Azure subscription. You need to download and install the Windows Virtual Desktop cmdlets for Windows PowerShell on a Windows 10 machine. These cmdlets are what allows you to do the “actual work” we’ll perform later. Traditional Active Directory controls WVD. You can use your existing AD, or you can make a new domain controller in Azure… as if it was sitting in your datacenter. So you’ll need domain admin access to your on-prem AD, or, use this guide to make your own DC in Azure. So you may have a few things to do until the next leg of the journey. Once you’ve completed your homework, we will roll up our sleeves and begin the initial WVD set up by completing the early configuration steps.

Benefits of Windows Virtual Desktop

Companies are undergoing their digital transformations to become more agile, and Windows Virtual Desktop is a prime example of fluid flexibility. Users can access their expected desktop experience regardless of location. Access can be from any device that contains either the WVD native client application or a Windows Virtual Desktop HTML5 web client. Here’s a partial list of what WVD can do for you.

Virtualize both desktops and apps, then assign and connect users to them

Virtualize Office 365 ProPlus and deliver it to your users in an optimized environment

Reduce your CAPEX costs by lessening the impact of hardware product life cycles

Lower costs by pooling multi-session resources and reduce the number of virtual machines in your environment

Bring your existing Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and Windows Server desktops and apps to any computer with ease.

Publish as many host pools as you need to accommodate your diverse workloads

Reduce your CAPEX costs by reducing the impact of hardware product life cycles

Provides a unified and simplified management experience for your admins

To learn about Desktop as a Service Pricing visit, CloudDesktopOnline.