Less than a month after rolling out Windows 11 as its latest desktop operating system to Insiders in the Dev channel, Microsoft has now announced Windows 365, its new thin Windows PC client for businesses in the Cloud. It arrives as an expansion to the Microsoft 365 software suite. So, what is Windows 365 Cloud PC, how does it work, and how it differs from Microsoft’s existing remote desktop solution, Azure Virtual Desktop? That’s exactly what we will discuss in this article.

Microsoft has described Windows 365 as a “cloud service that introduces a new way to experience Windows 10 or Windows 11 … to businesses of all sizes”. However, many are already arguing that it’s a whole lot of PR to repackage Azure Virtual Desktop in a more swanky avatar at a premium price. We will try to get to the bottom of it as part of our in-depth look at the upcoming Cloud PC service in this article.

  • What is Windows 365?
  • Windows 365 Target Audience
  • Windows 365 Security
  • How to Set up Windows 365 Cloud PC?
  • Windows 365 vs Azure Virtual Desktop: What’s the Difference?
  • Windows 365Device Compatibility
  • Windows 365 Price and Launch Date

What is Windows 365?

Windows 365 is a new SaaS (Software as a Service) offering from Microsoft, combining the power, security, and convenience of the cloud with the versatility and simplicity of a client PC. Much like the Azure Virtual Desktop, the new service delivers a cloud virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platform that offers virtual desktops and remote apps for a subscription fee. In a press statement, Microsoft expressed hope that the new Windows 365 service will help teams and organizations be more agile and productive. Image Courtesy: Microsoft

Windows 365 Target Audience

Windows 365 is strictly an enterprise offering and not a consumer product for retail users. Businesses of all sizes are eligible to sign up for this Cloud PC service, meaning small companies with only a handful of employees as well as large corporations with thousands of workers spread across multiple locations around the world can all use Windows 365.

Windows 365 Security

Microsoft is harping on security as one of the cornerstones of Windows 365. According to the company, the product is “secure by design” and built with the principles of Zero Trust. With cybersecurity threats on the rise, you expect nothing less from a service that will have access to all of your confidential corporate data, which could be of immense benefit for cyber-criminals if they can break into the system.

As we have mentioned already, the Windows 365 setup process is complex, arduous, and best left to professional IT managers. Microsoft has designed the product as a fully-managed service that will require IT to assign and configure Cloud PCs using enterprise tools like Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

One of the interesting aspects of Windows 365 is the ability to change the Cloud PC’s specs to match the demand on that device. According to Microsoft, this nifty feature will help organizations dedicate the right amount of resources to various users based on their requirements.

Microsoft is yet to announce all the details for its upcoming remote desktop service, so it’s difficult to pinpoint every similarity and difference between the two services. However, as per Microsoft’s official blog post, the Windows 365 service will be far more streamlined than the existing Azure Virtual Desktop solution.

Cloud PCs are now much easier to set up for IT admins and much easier to use for remote workers. It will also apparently involve none of the complexity of setting up a full remote desktop environment in the Azure cloud, making it easier to deploy.

Windows 365 is a platform-agnostic service that you can virtually access from any device that can run a standards-based web browser. You can use it on Windows PCs as well as Macs, Linux computers, Chromebooks, iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones, and tablet PCs.All you need to access the Cloud PC service is a modern web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, etc.

Microsoft is yet to announce anything on the pricing front but has mistakenly revealed one of the subscription tiers. While the price of the lowest-end Windows 365 Cloud PC with a single CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage is still under wraps, the Cloud PC with two CPUs, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage is priced at $31/ month per user. That’s not all, though. The Redmond giant will offer more SKUs, giving IT admins the choice to deploy an even powerful Windows 365 PC for remote workers.

While Windows 365 is a thin client at its core, the idea could still take off if Microsoft can market it right. Either way, the company says it will share more details about the service when it launches next month. Until then, it is anybody’s guess as to how the service will be received and how it will fare in the long run. It will be interesting to see if many businesses will upgrade to Windows 365 from Azure Virtual Desktop? Meanwhile, on the question of virtualization services, check out how to install Hyper-V on Windows 10 Home and how to run Android on Linux using virtual machine.