Formerly known as Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), Microsoft rebranded to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). AVD is a cloud-based desktop virtualization service that allows end-users to access their desktop applications and data from anywhere. According to Microsoft, AVD "delivers a comprehensive desktop experience, complete with all the apps and data users need to be productive." AVD can be used to virtualize both Windows and Linux-based desktops and apps. It is also a great way to provide remote access to employees, contractors, or students who need to work from outside the office without the need of expensive hardware (laptops or desktops) as the solution can be used with low-cost tablets, smartphones or thin clients. It captures everything with all the safety, security and compliance that a properly configured and monitored Azure tenant can offer. AVD also offers a good solution for organizations that want to provide access to legacy applications incompatible with newer operating systems. This article will show you how to set up AVD in your Microsoft Azure account. We'll also provide a few tips on how to get the most out of the service. AVD is an excellent option for organizations that need to provide remote access to desktops, workspaces, and apps. It offers several advantages over traditional Remote Desktop Services (RDS) or Windows 365: Before starting the setup process, you'll need to make sure you have the following as outlined by Microsoft: Creating an Azure Virtual Desktop is a simple process that you can complete if you follow this step-by-step guide we've outlined: Before creating and virtual desktop deployment, you must do some initial setup and registration. This includes creating an Azure AD tenant, registering the AVD application with Azure AD connect, and creating a new azure resource group. Here's Azure Virtual Desktop setup step by step guide. The first step is to create an Azure AD tenant. An Azure AD tenant is required to use many of Azure's services, including AVD. If you don't have an Azure AD tenant, you can create one using the Azure portal. After you've created your Azure AD tenant, you need to register the AVD application with Azure AD. This will allow AVD to interact with your Azure AD tenant. After registering the AVD application with Azure AD, you must create a new Azure resource group. A resource group is a collection of azure resources that you can manage as a single unit from an administrator account. Now that you've done the initial setup, you're ready to create your AVD host pool. An AVD host pool is a collection of virtual machines that users can connect to. After you've created your AVD host pool, you need to configure it. After configuring your AVD host pool, you can test it to ensure everything is working as expected. Congratulations! You've successfully set up Azure Virtual Desktop. If everything is working as expected, you should be able to log in with the host pool name you selected. After registering the AVD application with Azure AD, creating a new resource group, and configuring your AVD host pool, you're ready to login to the Azure Virtual Desktop. You can use the following link: https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient/index.html You should now be logged in to your Azure Virtual Desktop. But this only the tip of the iceberg, as you know can optimize your storage costs and transform your desktop environment into a fully elastic one. According to Microsoft, the Azure Virtual Desktop service recommends FSLogix profile containers to optimize user profile storage and loading times. FSLogix is a software that improves the user experience in AVD. It can be used to redirect user profiles and data to a central location, making it easy to manage and backup. If you choose not to use FSLogix, you can follow the tutorials in the Azure documentation to configure folder redirection for user profiles. Now that you've set up Azure Virtual Desktop, you can do a few things to get the most out of it. Here are a few tips: According to Microsoft, Azure Virtual Desktop supports different types of identities, but it all depends on the deployment type. For hybrid identity, AVD uses the same on-premises Active Directory Domain Services domain as Azure AD Connect is configured to synchronize with. Users sign in with their on-premises domain credentials, which are used to authenticate them to both on-premises and cloud resources. Azure Virtual Desktop supports cloud-only identities when using Azure AD-joined VMs. These users are created and managed directly in Azure AD. This allows you to manage your users and their permissions without worrying about managing user accounts on-premises. If you're using a different provider to manage your user accounts, such as Google G Suite or Office 365, you'll need to ensure that your identity provider (IdP) is federated with Azure AD. Additionally, your session hosts must be Azure AD-joined or Hybrid Azure AD-joined to log in users. Lastly, you'll need to enable Azure AD authentication on the session host. Autoscaling is a feature of Azure Virtual Desktop that allows you to scale your session host pool based on user demand. This can be useful if you have a lot of users who need access to your pool during peak times but don't need it during off-peak times. Before you enable autoscaling, you'll need to create an autoscale setting in the Azure portal. This will allow you to configure how your pool scales. Once you've created an autoscale setting, you can apply it to your session host pool in the AVD blade. There are two types of autoscaling that you can configure: If you need help getting started with Azure Virtual Desktop, ne Digital can assist you. We have a team of experts who can help you deploy and manage your virtual desktop environment with a complete Managed Services for Azure Portfolio that includes our basic Managed Cybersecurity package. We can also help you optimize your pool to ensure users get the most out of it and ensure you are consuming only the mandatory Azure resources to limit your monthly expenditure. Talk to our experts in Azure Managed Services today to learn more.Why is AVD better than RDS or Windows 365?
What are the prerequisites for Azure Virtual Desktop?
1. Setup and Registration
Creating an Azure AD Tenant
Registering the AVD Application with Azure AD
Creating a New Azure Resource Group
2. Creating the AVD Host Pool
3. Configuring the AVD Host Pool
4. Testing Your AVD Host Pool
5. Log in to the Azure Virtual Desktop
What is FSLogix for AVD?
How to get the most out of Azure Virtual Desktop
Identity management for AVD with Azure AD DS
Hybrid identity
Cloud-only identity
Third-party identity providers
Autoscaling options for AVD
How ne Digital Can get you started
Topics:Azure