Desktop virtualization, also known as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), refers to virtualization and Virtual Machines (VMs) that provide and manage virtual desktops. Users access these VMs remotely from any supported device, and the compute processing is completed on the host server. Users connect to their virtual desktop sessions through a connection broker, also known as just a broker. This broker functions as a software layer that serves as an intermediary between the user and the server, facilitating the orchestration of user sessions to virtual desktops or published applications.

VDI is usually deployed in an organization’s data center and managed by its IT department. Typical on-premises providers include Citrix, Omnissa (previously VMware), and Remote Desktop Services (RDS). VDI can be hosted on-premises or in the cloud. Some organizations use the cloud to scale virtual desktop environments, enabling a hybrid capability that allows IT admins...

Azure Virtual Desktop is a desktop and app virtualization service that runs on Microsoft Azure. Azure Virtual Desktop works across devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux, with apps that you can use to access remote desktops and applications. Modern browsers can also be used to access Azure Virtual Desktop.

Providing the best user experience

Users have the freedom to connect to Azure Virtual Desktop from any capable device over the internet. You can use an Azure Virtual Desktop client to connect to published Windows desktops and applications. There are three flavors of client that you can use to connect: a native application on the device, a mobile app, or the Azure Virtual Desktop HTML5 web client.

You can improve application performance on session host VMs by running apps near cloud services, connecting to your data center or the cloud. Running apps near cloud services will reduce the risk of long loading times...

Windows 365 is a relatively new cloud-based virtual desktop service from Microsoft that allows organizations to provision and assign cloud PCs to individual users through the Microsoft 365 portal. Each organizational user licensed for Windows 365 gets a dedicated cloud PC. Operating as a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, Windows 365 is managed via the Microsoft Intune admin center. It is distinct from other solutions such as Azure Virtual Desktop regarding resource allocation.

Windows 365 establishes a 1:1 relationship between the user and their cloud PC. This contrasts with Azure Virtual Desktop, which provides consumption-based virtual desktops and multiple virtual desktop provisioning types, the most common being pool-based virtual desktop offerings.

Turning to Azure Virtual Desktop, this operates as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) model and offers more flexibility and options for organizations, especially those with dynamic...

Azure Virtual Desktop simplifies deployment and management compared to traditional RDS or VDI environments. You don’t have to provision and manage servers and server roles such as the gateway, connection broker, diagnostics, load balancing, and licensing.

The following diagram shows what services Microsoft manages and what you manage:

Figure 1.1 – Services managed by Microsoft and you

What Microsoft manages

Azure Virtual Desktop provides a virtualization infrastructure as a managed service. Azure Virtual Desktop’s core components are as follows:

• Web client: The web access service feature in Azure Virtual Desktop management allows users to access virtual desktops and remote apps via any HTML5-compatible web browser, similar to a local PC experience. This can be accessed from any location and on any device. Enhanced security for web access is achievable through MFA in Microsoft Entra ID.
• Diagnostics: Azure Virtual Desktop includes an event-based aggregation service, Remote Desktop Diagnostics. This service logs each user or administrator’s action within the deployment, categorizing them as successes or failures. Administrators...

At the time of writing, Azure Virtual Desktop for Azure Stack HCI (AVD HCI) is in preview. It offers a versatile solution for deploying session hosts onpremises or as an extension of Azure Virtual Desktop deployments in the Azure cloud. This service is particularly beneficial for enhancing performance in regions with limited Azure public cloud connectivity and for meeting specific data locality requirements, as it allows for the keeping of app and user data on-premises.

Some of the key benefits of AVD HCI include improved performance and connectivity and cost-effective multi-session options with Windows 10 and Windows 11 Enterprise. It also offers simplified deployment and management via the Azure portal. It also supports RDP Shortpath for low-latency access and allows the use of Azure Marketplace images for deploying up-to-date, fully patched virtual machines.

However, it is important to note that this service is not Azure Arc-enabled and is not...

This chapter provided an introduction to Azure Virtual Desktop, some of the key benefits of the service, and an overview of its components and capabilities. We also briefly covered the differences between Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365, and finally, we provided an insight into AVD HCI. In the next chapter, we will look at designing an Azure Virtual Desktop architecture.