Azure virtual desktop
The Azure Virtual Desktop service of Microsoft can offer plenty of value and smart integrations with the other services of Microsoft. However, organizations need to understand the needs and architecture clearly before jumping in.
The AVD service, or the Azure Virtual Desktop Service, was released in June 2021. It serves as more like a traditional desktop as a service or DaaS offering compared to WVD or the Windows Virtual Desktop, and there are some notable points where AVD is crucial.
Why should you choose Azure Virtual Desktop?
While there were many overlaps between AVD and WVD, Microsoft provides some vital features and functionality to distinguish AVD among others. Some of those features include:
- MEM or Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Intune integrations for the multi-session virtual machine management for Windows 10.
- Offers enhanced support for AD or Azure Active Directory, which usually eliminates the requirement for a domain controller.
- Streamlined deployment within the portal of Azure, hence, making administration easier and faster.
Whether an organization is running on a remote desktop environment that is on-premise or an earlier implementation of another DaaS offering or WVD, Azure Virtual Desktop is useful from both a technical and business standpoint.
Understanding the requirements of the azure virtual desktop before its deployment can be a much easier task. So, let us go through the requirements for choosing Azure Virtual Desktop.
Azure Virtual Desktop requirements
- The main administrative needs for AVD give emphasis on the availability of the operating system and the framework of Active Directory. Moreover, the admin of the IT department cannot ignore the considerations of network and support for the physical devices of the users.
- Virtual Desktops that run on Azure provide multi-session Windows 10 or 11 functionality. Hence, it enables a more cost-effective way from a licensing perspective. The feature offered by Azure for virtual desktops is the functionality of multiuser workstation OS, separating it from other available options that are available in the market.
- Many organizations have adopted Azure Ad, which is a part of Microsoft 365, so this framework is already in use for organizations that have Microsoft 365 licensing. Most IT departments usually use Azure AD to provide support to the management requirements of AVD.
- Users need to reside in the same infrastructure of the active dictionaries as the virtual machines they will be using, regardless of whether Windows Server Active Dictionary or IT sources Azure AD. This requirement makes sure proper security and offers an authentication framework.
- The Azure-based VMs that users have been using may reside in any region of Azure, but organizations need to factor in network latency while planning where they should host them.
Customizations within Azure Virtual Desktop
- The customizations of Azure Virtual Desktop come under two key regions, application deployments and OS deployments.
- Organizations deploy AVD within the Azure portal through the administrative interface. It is a very easy and user-friendly mechanism.
- The service of AVD can deploy individual remote applications to its users. It admin can also get to enjoy the customization of user data storage, including profiles and files, depending on the requirements of the organization. Options for storage include OneDrive, file shares, and FSLogix.
- The administrators of the IT department should test apps from various accounts to ensure complete functionality.
So, Azure Virtual Desktop has a plethora of tools and benefits that can help in the success and growth of any organization.
