Windows Virtual Desktop Public Preview Available

• A public preview of Windows Virtual Desktop offers Azure-hosted Windows desktops on Microsoft-managed infrastructure.
• The service could be useful for deploying remote desktops and applications without purchasing data-center infrastructure.
• Additional capabilities have been added since the service was announced in Sept. 2018.
• International customers should be aware that some data will be stored in US Azure regions during the preview.

A public preview of Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) became available in Mar. 2019. It provides a managed service for hosting virtual desktops in Azure. The service could interest customers looking to move virtual desktops or remote desktop services to the cloud or to deploy new hosted desktop environments without investing in on-premises infrastructure.

Managed VDI and Session Hosts in Azure

WVD offers a set of Microsoft-managed services hosted in Azure that provide all the roles that are traditionally provided by Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS). Administrators can use WVD to deploy, manage, and scale virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and Remote Desktop Services session host environments within an Azure tenancy. Windows VDI and RDS session host technologies enable user desktops to run centrally on host servers to reduce overall client management costs, better secure data, and deliver Windows applications to tablets, smartphones, and other devices.