What is Windows Virtual Desktop?

Windows Virtual Desktop enables secure remote work. It provides end-users with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows 10 that they can run on their device, meaning a scalable, multi-session experience without procuring new Windows licenses. At ServiceScaler, we manage end-to-end Windows Virtual Desktop deployment alongside other Azure services within the Azure portal.

In this blog we’re going to be breaking down a few concepts to help you get your head around Windows Virtual Desktop and why it could be useful for your firm. Some things to note before we start…

1. Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure are two completely separate things
2. Microsoft is SaaS and Microsoft Azure is laaS
3. Microsoft is software applications
4. Azure is servers and network
5. ‘Tenant’ is your personal space on the datacentre for each service

What are the benefits of laaS (Azure)?

• Bandwidth – remote connections are completed over fast links
• Scalability – endless resources to throw at your network on demand
• Flexibility – provision and decommission services seamlessly, that you can access from anywhere
• Simplicity – management overhead is reduced with consolidation and no endpoint management
• Reliability – a shared data centre means no business interruption in the event of failure
• Security – backups and DR, plus information management controls, for example, you can block the downloading of data

Why Windows Virtual Desktop?

• It uses Windows 10 (also Windows 7) which allows users the familiarity and compatibility of existing software
• You can have 1 to 1 or multisession hosts, i.e., one Virtual Computer, or multiple user sessions on a single host
• You can leverage host clustering (multiple hosts with load balancing and failover)
• Session configuration (setting different security and permission configuration for different users or groups)
• It’s simple to provide access (with applied license allowed logins) and just as simple to deny access as well
• Its session broker configuration means that you can limit what comes in and what can be taken out of the session, for example, printing, copying data, downloading files
• The single gateway to the Internet allows for the locking of SaaS applications to only accept connections from the WVD tenant
• It meets all data sovereignty requirements with all Australian based servers
• WVD supports Microsoft Teams with both voice and video

Limitations of Windows Virtual Desktop

• You can’t access WVD without access to the Internet as it has no offline capabilities whatsoever
• You will still need a computer or laptop device to access it
• At its core, it’s just using someone else’s computer from another location. So, if all of your employees always work from one office, it doesn’t make sense to use it
• It can be expensive on TCO calculations depending on your consumption requirements

To watch us go deeper into an explanation about Windows Virtual Desktop, watch our webinar here: Windows Virtual Desktop Webinar by ServiceScaler

So, there you have it… everything you need to know about Windows Virtual Desktop. Contact us if you want one of our legal technology experts to assess if it would be the right fit for your organisation.

ServiceScaler works exclusively with Australian law firms. Contact us if you need specific advice or assistance with foot pedal implementation.

enquiries@servicescaler.com | (02) 9146 6339 | www.servicescaler.com

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