All You need to Know about The New Windows 365 OS!: A Cheat Sheet

On July 14^th, 2021, Microsoft introduced Windows 365, the newest Cloud-based service that, in Microsoft’s words, ushers in a “ground-breaking development as organizations around the world grapple with the best ways to facilitate hybrid work models where employees are both on-site and distributed across the globe.”

But what exactly is Windows 365, and what does this mean for you, as a technology professional, and your organization? In this blog, we aim to help you answer these questions. Read on to learn more!

What is Windows 365?

Windows 365 is a new Cloud-based service that will allow your organization to store and save all your apps, data, and settings in the Cloud. As Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, puts it, “With Windows 365, we’re creating a new category: the Cloud PC.”

In fact, it is a new category – Windows 365’s Cloud PC is the first of its kind.

Nadella continues to say, “just like applications were brought to the Cloud with SaaS, we are now bringing the operating system to the Cloud, providing organizations with greater flexibility and a secure way to empower their workforce to be more productive and connected, regardless of location.”

Evolving from a device-based Operating System (OS) to a hybrid personalized computing, Windows 365 would allow your employees to stream personalized Windows desktop, apps, settings, and content from the Cloud to any device.

How does Windows 365 Work?

Windows 365’s Cloud-based nature encourages organizations, like yours, to embrace the capabilities of securing and storing information in the Cloud, rather than on an individual employee’s device. This provides a safer and more productive experience for all employees to access data, apps, and settings.  

The hybrid approach that Microsoft talks about refers to the fact that your organization can choose whether it makes more sense for a user to have a Cloud PC, or a more traditional set-up.

Let’s look at this in greater detail with a quick example:

Your organization has your main headquarters in one city, with satellite offices across the globe. As an IT professional, one of the biggest challenges to your role is getting the proper equipment to the remote offices. You need to configure the device and upload all the apps and settings that the remote worker will need, then ship it to them. This can, depending on where they’re located, take days, if not weeks. And, if something happens to that device in transit, or if, once it gets to the destination, it breaks, that process needs to be repeated.

In this instance, Windows 365 makes a lot of sense – rather than configuring a physical laptop that needs to be shipped across the globe, you simply spin up a Cloud PC, provide the login information to your remote worker, and they can use whatever device they have available to log in and begin working – all within a matter of hours!

Why Should Your Organization Consider Windows 365?

Windows 365 provides organizations, like yours, with greater peace of mind in three key ways:

☁️ Windows 365 is Powerful:

Because Windows 365 is Cloud-based, your organization can take advantage of the versatility in how much processing power and storage you assign to your organization. As an IT professional, you’re able to take advantage of rapid scaling based on your organization’s unique needs. A recent hiring boom is no trouble – simply spin up new Cloud PCs and provide new employees with their login credentials to be able to get them instantly working on whatever device they have available.

Windows 365’s per-user, per-month pricing model allows you to choose either Windows 10 or Windows 11 (once generally available later in the year) as the powerful Cloud-based operating system, giving you the flexibility to provide your organization’s employees with the right tools they need to do their jobs.

💻 Windows 365 is Simple:

Windows 365 provides a full PC experience from the Cloud. This means that your employees can stream all their applications, tools, data, and settings from their Cloud PC to any device that they’re comfortable using – all they need to do is log in to Windows 365.

Now, rather than providing your employees with physical corporate desktops and laptops for them to do their jobs, you can provide them with a Cloud PC instead – something they can access from any device, even personal ones. As an IT professional, Windows 365 has been designed to simplify the deployment, updates, and management of devices, leaving you free to focus on more important matters. You can also optimize Windows 365 as an endpoint, and utilize Microsoft Endpoint Manager to easily procure, deploy, and manage Cloud PCs for your organization, just as you would be managing physical PCs.  

🔒 Windows 365 is Secure:

Windows 365 is backed by Microsoft’s powerful security capabilities and baselines – they invest over $1 billion per year on security. With Windows 365’s Cloud-based platform, information is secured and stored in the Microsoft Cloud, not on the device itself.

As an IT professional, Windows 365 can help you by recommending security settings based on the environment that you’ve built out for your organization, making it easier than ever to secure your corporate data. And, because nothing is stored on an employee’s device itself, you don’t need to worry about your corporate data residing across multiple devices you can’t control – everything is secured in your Cloud-based environment.

Related: 

What Is The Cloud? Top 3 Benefits of Moving to The Cloud

5 Key Benefits of Managed IT Services & Advantages of IT Outsourcing

Remote Working Technology & The Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop

WVD Proof Concept for Nonprofits & Charities 

What Licensing is Available for Windows 365?

Microsoft provides licensing for both small and medium businesses and enterprise-level organizations. Check out this handy chart below to compare plans and pricing for each.

Windows 365 Business (Up to 300 Users)

Windows 365 Enterprise (301+ users)

See What Windows 365 Can Do For Your Organization Today!

Regardless of where they’re working or what device they’re using, Windows 365 is set to provide your organization’s employees with greater flexibility in the way they work. Its unique approach will give your organization a more secure way to empower everyone in your organization to be more connected, more productive, and more efficient.

If this sounds like something that you’re interested in, let’s talk! We’ll help you to understand whether Windows 365 is the right move for your organization to take.