Microsoft introduced Windows 365 last month as a new way to experience Windows 10 and Windows 11, once it’s available for the public later this year. The goal is to take the operating system to the cloud, enabling businesses to securely stream “the full Windows experience,” including apps, data, and settings to personal and corporate devices.
The company today announced the general availability of its Cloud PC model, with the ability to stream this instant-on boot experience on not only Windows but also Mac, iPad, Android, and Linux. Microsoft said that this model evolves device-based OS to hybrid personalized computing with no additional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) resources required.
“The Cloud PC draws on the power of the cloud to provide a powerful, simple, and secure full Windows 10 or Windows 11 experience that you can use to empower your workforce, regardless of location or device,” the Windows maker writes. “Windows 365 provides an instant-on boot experience that enables users to stream all their personalized applications, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device including your Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, and coming soon Linux device.”
Windows 365 editions
Microsoft currently offers two variants: Windows 365 Business (for organizations with up to 300 employees) and Windows 365 Enterprise (for organizations with more than 300 employees). The Business model is designed for simplicity and ease of usage and doesn’t require an Azure subscription or domain controller since everything works with Azure AD natively.
More details about Windows 365 Business are available here, and Windows 365 Enterprise in this document.
Windows 365 pricing
For organizations requiring less than 300 seats, Windows 365 Business pricing starts from $20 per user per month for a single virtual core, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. This goes up to $162.00 user/month with eight virtual cores, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.
Pricing for Enterprise also starts from $20 per user per month with a single virtual core, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage and goes up to $158 per user per month.
Microsoft’s Windows 365 Cloud PC desktop-as-a-service is the company’s newest remote desktop offering, building on top of Azure Virtual Desktop. The company intends to revolutionize how we work by enabling organizations to bring employees’ data and settings to their devices, regardless of what OS those devices run. The prices are a little on the high end, but it is expected Microsoft will offer volume discounts.
