Windows 8 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Licensing

With the release of Windows 8, licensing Windows to run on a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) will undergo substantial changes. In particular, Windows RT tablet devices will include important rights for accessing a VDI, and other types of personally owned devices such as Apple iPads will be permitted to access a VDI under a new Companion Device License. The planned rules could give organizations an incentive to choose Windows RT tablets over iPads, the current dominant tablet device. However, since many licensing details remain unresolved, it’s not yet possible for customers to fully assess cost and compliance implications.

VDI Rules Under Windows 7

In a VDI, each user’s desktop (including the OS, applications, and user data) executes in its own virtual machine (VM), hosted on a centrally managed server. The user’s client device—such as a PC, terminal, or iPad—accesses the VM remotely, with user input and display output traversing the network between the VM and the client device. Today, each desktop VM in a VDI typically runs a business edition of the Windows client OS, such as Windows 7 Professional or Windows XP Professional.