Windows 365 is a cloud PC machine streamed to any device you own.
Setup of streamed PCs in Business or Enterprise plans offers the possibility for rapid and secure setup of Windows machines.
Windows 365 starts the new era or of streamed cloud-based PCs to any thin client machine. This is a really big game-changer from the perspective of how we are working on the local PC and personal devices. Personally, I’m a big fan of using the thin clients as a local PC and push as many elements as possible to the cloud. Windows 365 delivers this approach on a totally new level. To be fair we are at the very beginning of the introduction of such an approach but I believe in the future it could be a very common setup.
Cloud-based PCs configured based on Windows 365 will allow you to run desktop apps like Outlook, OneDrive, or Teams and all Office 365 web-based apps. More powerful plans of Windows 365 will deliver capabilities to run Visual Studio, Dynamics 365 or Power BI.
What is Windows 365?
Windows 365 is the personalized, cloud-hosted, fully-functional Windows PC machine streamed to any device. Windows 365 will be a virtual machine ready to use in Microsoft 365 environment which could be streamed through a web browser to any devices you would like to use.
This is a modern approach for the delivery of preconfigured Windows-based virtual machines available for Microsoft 365 users. Windows in streamed version offer the possibility for the rapid setup of personalized PCs delivered for hybrid workers around the globe.
? If I may compare Windows 365 solution to anything it will be streamed access to the games when you do not need to own Xbox, Playstation or PC to play a game. In this case, that kind of scenario applies to Windows PC.
When to use Windows 365?
Microsoft offers the possibility to steam Windows PC environment to local device. Of course that kind of service is sell in the subscription model. You can start to consider when the setup of streamed cloud-pc will have a sense for your organization.
Business cases that could be addressed by the setup of Windows 365:
- rapid delivery of the work environment for employees to any location globally
- secured environments setup ready for hybrid work
- support for brings your own device setups with unmanaged devices
- onboarding of temporary or short-term employees
- quick setup of the environments required for the specific projects
Benefits of using Windows 365:
- Stream personalized Cloud PCs available on any device
- Empower hybrid work with employees working from any place
- Simplify IT, staying secure and up to date
- Possibility to easily scale up and scale down
- Rapid setup of the new client environments
You can see the general benefits of using Windows 365 are very similar to the perspective of moving your Microsoft systems to Office 365. You are moving to a cloud solution that is secured and updated globally by a global vendor – Microsoft.
Windows 365 plans comparison
Cloud PC delivered using Windows 365 are available in two main subscription models:
- Windows 365 Business – limited to 300 users subscription. Windows 365 Business is for smaller organizations that want a simple way to buy, deploy, and manage Cloud PCs.
- Windows 365 Enterprise– unlimited number of users plan. Windows 365 Enterprise is for organizations that want to manage their Cloud PCs with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and take advantage of integrations with other Microsoft services.
Both models included three setups of Cloud PC. Higher setup improves the hardware and storage configuration.
- Basic – Run light productivity tools and web browsers.
- Standard – Run a full range of productivity tools and line-of-business apps.
- Premium – Run high-performance workloads and heavier data processing.
You are also able to configure your own setup of Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise pc:
Windows 365 plans costs and features
Comparison of all Windows 365 plans with the pricing, monthly costs, and available features.
Select the Windows 365 plan that will fit your needs.
The trial version of Windows 365
You can set up 60 days trial version of Windows 365.
To configure the trial version of Windows 365 you will need to have Microsoft 365 tenant setup. If you would like to set up Windows 365 test environment using a trial version of Windows 365 you can do that from the Microsoft site or to log in to your Office 365 portal.
? IMPORTANT❗ Sign up for a trial license of Windows 365 is canceled at the moment because of huge demand. Sign up here to be informed about restore of the trial version of Windows 365.
1. When you will set up your trial version of Windows 365 you will be asked to confirm if you are using Windows 10 Pro for work. If yes, you will qualify for Windows Hybrid Benefit – 16% discount after the trial period. If you are using Windows 10 Pro operation system select Yes, continue with Windows Hybrid Benefit (1), in other cases select No, continue without Windows Hybrid Benefit (2).
2. In the new window, you will need to set up your account by saving contact details, and payment details including your credit card.
3. After you get through the registration process your Windows 365 machine will be set up in a few minutes.
How to login to Windows 365 cloud PC
You have two main ways how you can log in to your Windows 365 virtual machine:
- you can sign in using the windows365.microsoft.com site
- or you can use the Remote Desktop app to connect to the machine.
Does Windows 365 contain any Microsoft 365 licenses?
No. Microsoft 365 subscriptions are not included in Windows 365 plans. You need to buy these plans separately.
Moreover, Windows 365 Enterprise requires that each user be licensed with a Windows 10 Pro subscription, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and Azure Active Directory P1, which is included in Microsoft 365 F3, Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 A3, Microsoft 365 A5, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Education Student Use Benefit subscriptions.
Important elements of the licensing of Windows 365 PCs
When you will set up cloud PC based on Windows 365 you should remember about important licensing requirements:
- Windows 365 environment can be used only by one person. You cannot share that kind of machine between multiple employees.
- Resize functionality that allows upgrading RAM, CPU or storage of the machine is available only for Enterprise plans. The downgrade option is not available at the moment.
- You can decrease license costs by 15% if you already own Windows 10 Pro licenses
- Your local device needs to support HTML5 and 5Mbs+ network bandwidth
- You can use FastTrack service support to setup or migrate to Windows 365
Conclusion
Windows 365 is a modern approach for cloud-based streamed PC machines. Learn about plans, costs, and setup of the Windows 365 PC machine.
