Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), formerly known as Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), is a
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure, or just Azure ( /ˈæʒər, ˈeɪʒər/ ''AZH-ər, AY-zhər'', UK also /ˈæzjʊər, ˈeɪzjʊər/ ''AZ-ure, AY-zure''), is the cloud computing platform developed by Microsoft. It has management, access and development of ...
-based system for virtualizing its
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
operating systems, providing
virtualized desktops and applications securely
in the cloud (over the Internet) using the
Remote Desktop Protocol
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft Corporation which provides a user with a graphical interface to connect to another computer over a network connection. The user employs RDP client software for this pu ...
. It is aimed at
enterprise customers rather than at individual users.
Azure Virtual Desktop with Windows 10/11 Enterprise Multi-Session is a cloud-based alternative to an on-premise
Remote Desktop Server (RDS). AVD is deployed in Azure Cloud as a virtual machine. License costs are already included in several Microsoft 365 subscriptions, including Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Microsoft 365 E3.
History
Azure Virtual Desktop was first announced by Microsoft in September 2018, available as a public preview in March 2019, and generally available at the end of September 2019.
Client software
Azure Virtual Desktops can be accessed with the
Remote Desktop client for Windows, also called Azure Virtual Desktop, on Windows and with
Microsoft Remote Desktop on other platforms, including the web. Other
non-Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol clients can also be used to connect to Azure Virtual Desktops.
Availability/compatibility
Azure Virtual Desktop supports Windows 10/11 multi-session, Windows 10/11 single-session, Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer operating systems.
See also
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Windows 365
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
*
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services (RDS), known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 and earlier, is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allow a user to initiate and control an interactive session on a remote computer or virtual machine ...
*
Windows Virtual PC
Virtual PC is a discontinued x86 emulator software for Microsoft Windows hosts and PowerPC-based Mac hosts. It was created by Connectix in 1997 and acquired by Microsoft in 2003, after which the program was renamed Microsoft Virtual PC. In ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Azure Virtual Desktop
Centralized computing
Remote desktop
Thin clients
Microsoft cloud services