Microsoft Announced Windows 365 Cloud PC

From last year. a rumour was going on that Microsoft is working on Windows Cloud i.e. installing Windows on Cloud and access the system from any corner of the world. But now, Microsoft officially announced Cloud PC, which is part of a new Windows 365 cloud offering from the Redmond firm.

According to  Microsoft, the Cloud PC is a “hybrid personal computing category” which “uses both the power of the cloud and the capabilities of the device to provide a full, personalized Windows experience”, remotely delivering Windows 10 and – eventually – Windows 11 to users across platforms from the cloud.

With Windows 365 Cloud PC users can stream apps, settings, tools, and data from any device; which means that users will be able to access their desktops from remote locations without having to carry physical hardware, further helping the “hybrid” form of work that the firm says is becoming ubiquitous.

Microsoft Cloud PC  is built on Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), and offers per-user, per-month pricing, and “simplifies the virtualization experience”.  It provides flexibility for businesses to also scale depending on their needs and leverage other Microsoft offerings, such as the Microsoft 365 suite of apps, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and more from the cloud. Organizations have the option to choose between two editions – Windows 365 Business or Windows 365 Enterprise, based on the configuration requirement. The service allows businesses to tweak performance quickly to cater to users’ needs.

Furthermore, Cloud PC comes with management tools such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager and can be managed just like physical devices, right from the window. Cloud PCs are listed along with the physical devices and include analytics and diagnostics options for real-time monitoring. As for security, Windows 365 supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Azure Active Directory (AAD) sign-in, allowing “conditional access policies” and permission delegation based on user roles, where necessary. Cloud PCs are also encrypted “across the board”.

Currently, Microsoft is still working on Cloud PC and says that Cloud PC will be available to organizations starting August 2.