Previously known as Windows Virtual Desktop, Azure virtual Desktop is the service that enterprises are turning to more and more Especially now with the new variant of Covid-19 spreading around the world and governments are calling for lockdowns once again.

Enterprises around the world are adopting new ways to keep people working from home, and one of the most common methods is adopting AVD as a solution.

What is Azure Virtual Desktop?

Azure Virtual Desktop is an instanced virtual machine powered by Microsoft’s cloud service, which hosts a desktop and application virtualization so you can experience applications and your own operating system from anywhere at any time.

Depending on how it’s configured, the platform can bring together M365 and Azure to provide the users with a multi-session Windows 10 experience, which includes scaling and reduced IT costs.

AVD can be configured to run Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows Server 2021 R2, 2016, 2019, Windows 8 and 8.1, in addition to Windows 10 Enterprise.

The following Remote Desktop clients support AVD:

• Windows Desktop
• Web
• Microsoft Store Client
• Android
• macOS
• iOS

How to set up Azure Virtual Desktop?

1. When you log in to the Azure Portal, you’ll be welcomed with this message:

2. Next, sign in to Azure and head to Azure Virtual Desktop Management, then select the Getting Started tab Which will open the landing page for the Getting Started feature.

3. Select Create and in the Basic tab select the following values:

• For Subscription, go to How is your subscription configured and select Existing Setup.
• In the Location, select the location where your resources will be deployed.
• For Azure Admin UPN, enter the full user principal name (UPN) of the account with admin permissions in Azure Active Directory and owner permissions in the subscription that you plan to use.
• For AD Domain join UPN enter the full UPN of the account with the permissions that you plan to use to join the VMs to your domain.
• For Identity, select Azure AD DS or AD DS depending on your environment. (Note: what you choose here will affect the input that your VMs will need).

4. In the Virtual Machines tab, you need to select the following values:

• For Do you want the user to share this machine?, select one of the following options depending on your needs:
  - If you want to create single-session or personal host pool, choose No.
  - If you want to create multi-session or pooled host pool, select Yes (multi-session).
• For Image Type, select an image from the Azure image gallery, a custom image, or a VHD from the storage blob.
• For VM size, select the size and SKU you want for the VMs you’ll deploy.
• For Number of VMs, select how many VMs you want to provision in the host pool.
• If you're using an existing setup with AD DS, these options will appear:
  - For Subnets, select the subnet in the VNET. (Note: make sure that the subnet you use is in the same location as the identity or peered to it).
  - For Domain controller resource group, select the resource group where the AD DS VM is either located or peered to. (Note: The get started feature doesn't currently support peered subscriptions at this time).
  - For Domain controller virtual machine, enter the name of the VM running your deployment’s AD DS.
• If you want to open the Select Azure AD users or Users group, select the Assign existing users check box.
• If you want to create a validation user account to test your deployment, select the Create Validation User check box, then enter the user name and password in the prompt that appears.

And there you go, you have completed the setup successfully. However, my advice is to dive in the platform on your own to get familiar with it more.

Why would I need Azure Virtual Desktop?

The modern work world is shifting the attention towards productivity tools, so whether out of productivity or necessity a mobile or remote workspace is a much-needed solution.

Azure Virtual Desktop is the solution that will provide a workforce with access to a virtual Windows computer running any applications you might need for your business. However, by taking advantage of Azure’s cloud infrastructure, businesses can set up multi-session Windows 10 deployment, for instance, optimized to run in multi-user virtual scenarios.

What are the benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop?

Since Company data will be transferred back and forth while working remotely, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re applying the best practices when it comes to security.

Here we can add to the vulnerabilities the fact that employees are working on their own personal devices and networks which completes the recipe for disaster.

Azure Virtual Desktop allows employers to deploy virtual machines configured exactly how they need them to be, that are securely instanced in the Azure cloud.

So, in this case, sensitive company data is never transferred out of the company’s control structure. Within the Azure cloud, data is protected by Built-in Security Protocols, including Azure Firewall, Azure Security Center, Azure Sentinel and Microsoft Defender ATP not to mention multi-factor authentication.

One more thing, if your enterprise already subscribed to Microsoft 365 or an enterprise version of Windows, it can establish a desktop instance for each user for free with AVD, which in turn means no added cost for remote users.

Interested in AVD?

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