Windows 365 Enterprise

Windows 365 offers Microsoft-hosted Windows 10 and Windows 11 virtual desktops that are used and managed similarly to traditional Windows PCs. Windows 365 provides an always-available persistent desktop that is licensed to a specific user and uses monthly fixed-price billing for all compute and storage charges. Windows 365 may be useful for remote knowledge workers or in lieu of deploying physical devices for specific projects with short duration. However, task-based scenarios like call centers and service workers will be better supported by virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions, such as Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), which focus on purpose-designed, large-scale deployments that adjust to demand. This discussion covers Windows 365 Enterprise and Windows 365 Frontline; a Business edition is available for small to medium organizations with up to 300 users of the service in total.

Service Overview

Windows 365 provides a subscription-based Windows desktop that is used and managed in the same fashion as a dedicated PC, rather than the at-scale infrastructure of a VDI environment. (See the chart “Comparing Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365.”) Windows 365 provides a persistent Windows desktop called a Cloud PC that is dedicated to a single licensed user. Users of the service are always provided with the same Cloud PC instance each time they connect, with the same applications, data, and user state retained between sessions. A Cloud PC is like a dedicated single-user VM or physical device, and it does not require the load balancing, user profile mobility, or capacity scaling services typically needed for VDI deployments.