Windows 365 and Other VDI: Decoding Client OS Licenses

• Client-side Windows licenses are an important cost for Windows 365 and other virtual desktop infrastructure.
• Hosting, client device OS, and license agreement choices can optimize costs.
• Virtual desktop licensing favors Microsoft over other cloud providers.

The accompanying table lists client-side licenses that provide rights to run Windows client OS–based virtual desktops (sometimes called a VDI, virtual desktop infrastructure) and to make these virtual desktops accessible to users in a variety of hosting scenarios. Each table cell indicates whether a specific license type covers a particular VDI scenario. The possible answers are “No,” “Yes,” and “Yes with conditions.” Explanations of the two types of conditions appear below.

VDI Hosting Scenarios

Each column in the table represents a different hosting scenario. Major differences across scenarios include who controls the equipment used to host the VDI and whether the equipment is shared (multitenant) or dedicated to a specific customer.