Azure RemoteApp Generally Available

Azure RemoteApp, released on Dec. 11, 2014, provides Windows client applications on a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platform that is hosted and managed by Microsoft. Azure RemoteApp allows administrators to provision applications such as Office within a Windows Server 2012 R2 image, which is deployed and runs in Azure data centers. This gives mobile users access to Windows desktop applications from devices such as iPads without requiring on-premises VDI, which many organizations have bypassed due to high deployment and management costs. The service does not offer a full Windows desktop, only stand-alone applications, but this could prove more approachable to users than traditional VDI. The service is currently limited in the number of users per tenant that it supports, although this will likely increase over time.

Users access Azure RemoteApp applications through Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol clients for Apple iOS and OS X, Google Android, and Windows devices. Administrators can create and upload custom Windows Server 2012 R2 base images, install most applications, including Office 365 ProPlus and App-V applications, and specify up to three groups of users to receive custom collections of applications. While a trial copy of Office 2013 Professional Plus is available during an evaluation of Azure RemoteApp, only the Office 365 ProPlus subscription suite will be supported in production deployments of the service. Organizations can also integrate Azure RemoteApp with on-premises Active Directory to provide single sign-on for users through Azure Active Directory.