Updated: July 14, 2020 (February 3, 2014)

  Charts & Illustrations

May I Access VDI?

My Atlas / Charts & Illustrations

442 wordsTime to read: 3 min
Rob Horwitz by
Rob Horwitz

Rob Horwitz analyzes and writes about Microsoft licensing programs and product licensing rules. He also trains organizations on best Microsoft... more

The right to access a Windows client OS-based virtual desktop hosted on an organization’s virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is contingent on a variety of factors, including the presence of various device-based subscription licenses and attributes of the client access device being used, such as its OS type and location of use. On a VDI, a Pro or Enterprise edition of Windows (typically version 7 or 8) runs in a virtual machine hosted on servers in a data center so that they can be centrally managed. This flowchart illustrates the ways an organization can acquire the right to run Windows client OS-based virtual machines on a server and make them accessible to users. Applications running in the virtual machines and other VDI components (such as specialized management tools and deployment tools) must also be licensed appropriately.

The simplest way [Path A] for a device (D1) to obtain the right to be used to access a virtual desktop hosted on an organization’s VDI is to be a Windows PC the organization has covered by Software Assurance (SA) or a device the organization has covered by a Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) subscription license. Anyone using devices licensed this way may use them to access a virtual desktop.

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