Windows 365 Frontline Expands Reach of Cloud PCs

• A Frontline license and other recent changes make Windows 365 cost-effective for more virtual desktop scenarios.
• Organizations should re-evaluate Windows 365 for new virtual desktop projects, even if they ruled it out in the past.

The Windows 365 Frontline license offers discounted rates for shared pools of dedicated Cloud PCs (see fig. 1), and for shared Cloud PCs that can be used by any  worker (fig. 2).  Windows 365 hosts virtual desktops called Cloud PCs for remote employees, contractors, and others for whom hardware PCs are too expensive, inflexible, or difficult to manage. Windows 365 Frontline, introduced in 2025, can be more cost-effective for shift worker desktops and information kiosk than the service’s other license, Windows 365 Enterprise.

A Windows 365 Frontline license can be used in two modes, dedicated and shared.

Frontline in Dedicated Mode

This mode might be used for sets of three call center agents that work three different shifts, as shown here. Each agent gets their own persistent Cloud PC which stores their personal configuration and session state, so the agent starts each shift where they left off the previous day.