The ‘Cloud PC’ Arrives
Microsoft is aiming to revolutionise personal computing once again with the debut of a cloud-based, browser-accessible Windows desktop service. The new solution, Windows 365, kicks off what Microsoft is hoping will be the “cloud PC” era, where your device type and location are no barrier to using your Windows desktop.
The forthcoming Windows 365 offering also opens up an array of new opportunities for solution providers, said Melissa Grant, director of product marketing for Microsoft 365.
“We think this new category affords a ton of opportunity to our partners,” Grant said. To underscore the partner opportunity with Windows 365, Microsoft is announcing the solution at the company’s virtual Inspire 2021 partner conference this week.
What Is Windows 365, and Is It Secure?
Microsoft
Microsoft’s Windows 365 offers a remote Windows desktop you can access in a web browser. Businesses can offer Windows desktop software their employees can access on any device, from Macs, Chromebooks, and iPads to iPhones and Android phones.
What Is Windows 365?
Windows 365 is a subscription-based cloud PC service. When you or, more likely, your employer subscribes and sets it up, you get a remote Windows desktop you can access in any modern web browser.
Essentially, you’re accessing a remote Windows PC via a virtual desktop system. You (or your employer) can install whatever Windows software you like and access Windows applications and a full Windows operating system environment through the browser.
Microsoft wants to stream Windows to all your screens, including your Android devices
Cloud-hosted virtual desktops aren t anything new, but Microsoft, as a first party to Windows, hopes to do the competition better with Windows 365. Built on Azure Virtual Desktop, the subscription service will be available to businesses starting next month.
As the company describes, each user s personal or work experiences can be personalized down to the applications, data, and settings and streamed to any device including those on macOS, iPad, Linux, and Android. Booting will be instant with all of the above fed from the business s servers. Administrators will be able to delegate roles including licensing and management of hard or cloud devices to colleagues down the command chain. Multi-factor login authentication is also available.
Say hello to the Windows 365 Cloud PC
Say hello to the Windows 365 Cloud PC
It s finally here: A full Windows desktop-as-a-service is now ready to replace your Windows desktop on a PC. Credit: Microsoft
Tomorrow s desktop, as far as Microsoft s concerned, is going to be Windows running on its Azure cloud.
When I say, Windows running on the Azure cloud, I mean running on the cloud. There needs to be some kind of operating system on your PC, but, frankly, Microsoft doesn t care what you’re using. As Wangui McKelvey, Microsoft 365 s General Manager, said: Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft Cloud, securely streaming the full Windows experience including all your apps, data, and settings to your personal or corporate devices. This approach creates a fully new personal computing category, specifically for the hybrid world: the Cloud PC.
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Summary:
Microsoft Inspire 2021 sees the launch of Cloud PC, a SaaS package delivering a virtual Windows desktop - but was the launch of free access to Dynamics 365 data from within Teams even more significant?
(Microsoft)
Confirming a long-expected announcement, today s annual Microsoft Inspire event for its partner ecosystem saw the unveiling of the Cloud PC a packaged virtual Windows desktop service, positioned as the perfect solution for the world of hybrid working. As usual at Inspire, there were a raft of other announcements, including giving Teams users access to application data from Dynamics 365 even if they re not licensed for Dynamics, and a new Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, which aims to support organizations on the path to net-zero emissions.