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An Overview of Windows Virtual Desktop & Remote Desktop Services

By Heather Robinette

In our Microsoft Inspire 2019 recap, we discussed the announcements that were made about Windows Virtual Desktops (WVD). Microsoft anticipates shipping WVD by the end of 2019. It is currently in Public Preview. With that said, we’ve been working with Microsoft to stay up to date on their progress and once we feel that we can deliver a production ready solution after they release General Availability, we will include WVD in our offerings. Make sure to subscribe to our blog to stay in the loop about Windows Virtual Desktop 

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With that said, today we want to touch on the differences between WVD and Remote Desktop Services (RDS) so you can start to consider if you would look to move to WVD or not as soon as it’s ready.

According to the Microsoft Azure website

Windows Virtual Desktop Preview is a comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service running in the cloud. It’s the only virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that delivers simplified management, multi-session Windows 10, optimizations for Office 365 ProPlus, and support for Remote Desktop Services (RDS) environments. Deploy and scale your Windows desktops and apps on Azure in minutes, and get built-in security and compliance features.

According to the Microsoft website

Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services) provides functionality similar to a terminal-based, centralized host, or mainframe, environment in which multiple terminals connect to a host computer. Each terminal provides a conduit for input and output between a user and the host computer. A user can log on at a terminal, and then run applications on the host computer, accessing files, databases, network resources, and so on. Each terminal session is independent, with the host operating system managing conflicts between multiple users contending for shared resources.


So what does that mean for you? There are different reasons for wanting to switch or wanting to stay with RDS for the time-being. It really depends on your situation and your comfort level with making a change. Regardless of which option you want to go with, we will be providing both options through MyCloudIT when the time comes. 

Andy MilfordCEO of RDPSoft, put together a great article in preparation for WVD that details some of the key points as you evaluate your WVD plans. Make sure to check out his blog on “How Not To Lose Your A$$ When Deploying Windows Virtual Desktop.”  

Need help managing your cloud budget now? Check out our 3 Best Practices below.

Tags: Windows Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Azure

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