The past year has fundamentally changed where, when and how we work, and more than ever we’re reminded that work is something you do, not somewhere you go. With the rise of hybrid working, flexible working patterns will soon become the new norm, with employees spending some days at the office and some days at home.

It’s crucial that businesses take the time to look ahead with strategic focus and find answers to the following questions: How will you accommodate flexible working patterns, and do you have the technology in place to fully capitalise on the benefits of hybrid working?

In this blog, we’ll dive into what we believe to be a core piece of the hybrid working puzzle: Azure Virtual Desktop (WAD).

What is Azure Virtual Desktop?

Azure Virtual Desktop is a complete desktop and application virtualisation solution that runs on the cloud. In the past, virtual desktop solutions have been complex and expensive to set up and manage, making them inaccessible to most small and medium businesses.

By utilising the cloud, WVD changes that. Instead, it’s a cost-effective solution that is easy to deploy, configure and scale. And like all Microsoft Cloud Services, it’s completely flexible to your business needs. Making it the perfect solution for your Hybrid workplace.

What are the benefits of using WVD as a hybrid working solution?

Set your business up for remote working success

The Hybrid Workplace will be built on having the power to work from anywhere – whether that’s at the office, a coffee shop or home. Allowing employees to have the flexibility to work from any device used to be a headache, but not anymore. As long as employees have an internet connection, they can power up, log in to their desktop and they’ll be equipped with any business-critical applications, regardless of their device.

WVD gives you the ability to choose what Azure VM will meet their team’s needs and leverage the Windows 10 multi-session that’s exclusively available in Azure. Windows 10 multi-session means you can run multiple concurrent user interactive sessions easily with the same deployment for more cost-efficiency.

Secure your most valuable assets – data and applications

Gone are the days when a business’s most valuable IT asset was their hardware – in more recent years we’ve seen this shift to data and applications. Whilst a Hybrid workplace is a great way to provide employees with the flexibility of working where they want, you need to make sure you have the right security in place, so you don’t put your data and applications at risk.

Microsoft kept this at the forefront of their mind whilst developing Azure Virtual Desktop, and you’ll be able to benefit from the $1 billion security investment Microsoft makes every year. You’ll experience this through:

• Being able to store all employee and company data within Azure
• Benefitting from Azure security features including; Sentinel, Azure Security Center and Microsoft Defender ATP
• Have employees use a secure login with multi-factor authentication

You’ll also reap the benefits of the Azure Virtual Desktop compliance certifications including ISO 27001, 27018 and 27701, PCI, FedRAMP High for Commercial and HIPAA.

Scaling up and down has never been easier

WVD allows you to scale your infrastructure up or down quickly and easily based on your business needs. Allowing you to not only save resources but save on costs too. Within Azure Virtual Desktop you’ll have a centralised portal where you can configure networks, deploy desktops and enable security for employees in just a few clicks.

What’s best is you’ll be able to focus on your desktop apps and policies whilst Microsoft manages the rest. Find out more about scaling up and down with Azure Virtual Desktop on Microsofts website.

Leverage what you already have

Already using other Microsoft products, like Azure or Microsoft 365? You’re going to love hearing this. Azure Virtual Desktop enables employees to benefit from the seamless Microsoft Teams and Office experience they’re used to on a local device. Plus, you’ll be able to utilise your current Microsoft licencing if you have Microsoft 365 Business Premium or above.

Want to find out more about Azure Virtual Desktop? Talk to the experts.

The benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop are endless – especially when it comes to providing a flexible work environment. If you want to find out more about Azure Virtual Desktop or have any burning questions, then you’re in luck. Microsoft has identified us as one of a handful of Azure Virtual Desktop Specialist Partners. Simply get in touch to talk to one of our experts.