9 Great Features of Azure Virtual Desktops
Azure virtual desktops are a great way to help your company connect wherever they are. Whether you’re managing a multitude of flex-spaces throughout the country, letting your employees work from home or hiring people throughout the globe, an Azure remote desktop can make it possible to connect as though you’re in the same infrastructure and in the same offices. Azure virtual desktops provide a consistent, intuitive environment through which employees can work as though they are on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 deployment — because they are.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important features of Azure Virtual Desktops.
1. Your Employees Will Be Able to Work Completely Remotely
With Azure VDI, employees are able to work completely remotely. And that’s important in an increasingly remote world. Not only are employees reluctant to go back to work if their employees don’t at least provide them flex-time, but employees are also more productive and efficient when they work remotely.
If you want your employees to work as effectively as possible, you need to give them options. Having the Azure remote desktop system available can help.
2. Employees Will Operate in an Environment Familiar to Them
Rather than having to get used to a new system, employees can consistently work on the same desktop, tailored for them. When they log into their Azure remote desktop, regardless of where they’re logging in, they will have the same experience. And because it’s already connected to Microsoft 365, it’ll be an experience that’s familiar to them. Familiar experiences require less support and provide less disruption, unlike other virtual desktop tools which may be an entirely unique learning experience.
Furthermore, employees will feel more empowered to take advantage of all the features they can in Azure Virtual Desktop because the environment will be familiar to them.
3. Security Can Be Managed in a Single, Consolidated Center
Azure Virtual Desktop has its own security functions and integrates with the security of Microsoft 365. Organizations will be able to control and consolidate their data, ensuring that their data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Through proactive security measures, organizations can also reduce the chances that they might fall prey to a major security flaw.
Today, a large amount of an organization’s time is spent managing security. Not only can Azure Virtual Desktop help reduce this burden, but so can an experienced MSP.
4. Azure Virtual Desktop Comes with Microsoft 365
Want Azure Virtual Desktop? If you have Microsoft 365, you already have it. Azure remote desktop functionality already comes with Microsoft 365. Not only does that mean it doesn’t have to be requisitioned, but it also doesn’t cost you any more than your Microsoft 365 license. You’ll be able to use Azure Virtual Desktop within your Microsoft ecosystem without increasing your costs.
If you want to reduce or optimize your cloud costs, you may want to consolidate your tools. Having more cloud systems and SaaS solutions isn’t always better. Many organizations are now pulling back and consolidating their technologies under a single banner. Consolidating under Azure gives you all the advantages of Microsoft 365 technology, along with all the integration Microsoft has done to house other technologies.
5. Desktops and Resources Can Be Scaled On-the-Fly
Through Azure Virtual Desktop, an organization can launch additional resources or pare back on resources, depending on what the organization needs. This flexibility and agility can be used to reduce overall costs, while still ensuring that the organization always has the resources that it needs to operate at peak efficiency.
Some companies find that their “busy seasons” are volatile. Other companies find that it’s highly chronological; there are dead times of the year. Still others are simply growing so aggressively that they cannot anticipate their own needs. Either way, having the ability to scale on-the-fly can help.
6. The Azure Portal Can Be Used for All Management and Configuration
Through the Azure Portal, deployments, management and configuration can all be administered by an IT administrator internally or by an MSP. The Azure Portal simplifies the entire process of deploying and controlling Azure remote desktop instances and ensures that you can consistently provide Azure desktop as a service.
7. There Are No Contractual Commitments with Azure Remote Desktop
Because Azure Remote Desktop comes with Microsoft 365 contracts rather than being a separate licensing process, there are no contractual commitments. Other virtual desktop solutions might require that your organization stay with them for a quarter or a year. Azure Remote Desktop lasts as long as your Microsoft 365 license does, so there’s nothing more to track and nothing more to manage. Use it or don’t; the choice is with you.
8. Employees Can Connect through Virtually Any Type of Device
Employees utilizing Azure Remote Desktop can connect with iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS and more. They can connect with mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. This freedom to operate wherever they want and whenever they want can only improve their productivity and efficiency, while the built-in security features of Azure Virtual Desktops ensure that the organization’s data and infrastructure still remain secure.
As employees are increasingly working from home or bringing their work home, it becomes necessary for companies to support all environments. But it’s not always possible for all environments to be supported with a native solution. Azure Virtual Desktops are platform-agnostic so they can be launched in a variety of environments, including HTML5.
9. Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) for Quick Onboarding
Employees can use their existing equipment to connect to secure desktop sessions which contain the applications necessary for them to get their work done. This can be helpful in onboarding new employees as well as merger and acquisition scenarios. Azure virtual desktops provides the flexibility to extend your business quickly and securely to new employees. This can alleviate lead-time pressure for hardware, and costs to your business for new equipment; all while delivering immediate access to business tools and applications so employees can work now.
Should Your Business be Using Azure Virtual Desktops?
Azure Virtual Desktop isn’t a wholly new technology, but it has recently been rebadged. If you’re interested in finding out whether the benefits of Azure Desktop as a Service make it the right solution for you, you should assess your organization’s current needs. An MSP can help.
At Red River, we can go over your current technology needs and requirements and suggest the ideal solution for you. That could be Azure Virtual desktop and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem — or it could be something else entirely. Contact us today to find out.
