If your staff work from different places, or you want to stop worrying about individual PCs, you may be considering a desktop in the cloud. The terms are confusing: hosted desktop, virtual desktop, Cloud PC. Here is what they mean and how to choose.
The options
Hosted desktop
A provider runs Windows desktops on its own servers or in a data centre, and your staff connect to them over the internet. Your applications and data live there, not on the local PC.
Windows 365 Cloud PC
Microsoft’s Windows 365 gives each user a personal Windows PC running in Microsoft’s cloud, for a fixed price per user per month [1]. You know the cost up front, and it is managed alongside your Microsoft 365 tenant.
Azure Virtual Desktop
Azure Virtual Desktop runs desktops on Azure virtual machines that you size and pay for based on usage, plus storage and networking [2]. It can be very cost-effective when well designed (for example, several users sharing one session host), but it needs more expertise to set up and manage.
How to choose
- Want predictable costs and simple management? Windows 365.
- Lots of staff working similar hours on the same apps? Azure Virtual Desktop can be cheaper, if it is designed and monitored properly.
- Need a provider to handle everything, including legacy apps? A managed hosted desktop service.
Things to check first
- Internet connection: everything depends on it. Test the connection at every location staff work from.
- Applications: some software, especially with dongles or heavy graphics, does not run well in the cloud.
- Printing and scanners: make sure local devices will work.
- Licensing: check what Windows and Microsoft 365 licences you need.
- Data location and backup: know where data is stored and how it is backed up.
Do you need a cloud desktop at all?
Many small businesses get most of the benefit by moving files to SharePoint and OneDrive and managing laptops properly with Microsoft Intune. Cloud desktops make most sense when you have applications that cannot move to the cloud by themselves, need tight control over where data lives, or want to use cheaper, older devices as terminals.
When to speak to BMT
Our hosted desktop and cloud solutions services can help you work out whether a cloud desktop is right for you, and which type. Call us on 0161 672 7461 or 01706 391 047, or get in touch online.
Related reading: Why cloud solutions matter for UK businesses · Cloud services: data exports and exit plans
Sources
[1] What is Windows 365 Enterprise? – Microsoft Learn
[2] Understand and estimate costs for Azure Virtual Desktop – Microsoft Learn