May Device Be Used to Access a Virtual Desktop?

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

In Path A, virtual desktop access rights are granted because the particular user accessing the organization’s server-based desktop is assigned a Per-User Windows Enterprise Upgrade License plus Software Assurance (L+SA) subscription or a Per-User Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) subscription. Anyone licensed this way may use any device to access the organization’s VDI.