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Azure Virtual Desktop

Microsoft’s Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is now Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) as of June 2021. Get started with your AVD migration in just a few clicks. Start your free Nerdio Manager trial now! 

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4 Innovative Benefits
of Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

Windows 10 Multi-session

AVD + Windows 10 allows multiple users to use the same desktop virtual machine at the same time. This saves money due to using less Azure infrastructure and provides the user with a familiar desktop experience.

SIMPLER PROFILE MANAGEMENT WITH FSLOGIX

This is a user profile container technology, allowing the user to switch desktop virtual machines without losing access to their own customizations. Now use OneDrive and indexed search functionality in virtual desktops; not possible with RDS.

AVD MANAGEMENT SERVICE

This Azure platform-as-a-service offering takes care of routing users’ connection to the proper Azure virtual machine. This sounds simple, but it used to require multiple servers with RDS infrastructure roles. Now, Microsoft handles this for you automatically.

SIMPLIFIED LICENSING

With RDS, you needed a license for the Server operating system, RDS, and Office ProPlus. With AVD, all you need is a subscription to Microsoft 365 or any Windows 10 Enterprise subscription.

Are you an Enterprise organization looking to deploy and manage a large number of Windows Virtual Desktops?

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HOW IT WORKS

Azure Virtual Desktop & Nerdio

Azure Virtual Desktop  – with more power and less complexity than Remote Desktop Services!

Nerdio allows you to get started with AVD in just 60 seconds, and deploy a complete desktop within a few hours.

How do you access Azure Virtual Desktop? What are the prerequisites? Check out the demo to see how easy it is.

Enterprise Cost Benefits of Using WVD Compared to Other Cloud VDI Vendors

On June 7th, 2021, Microsoft announced Azure Virtual Desktop, or “AVD”.  If you want to know the technical details behind the marketing, understand whether this a new product or rebranding of the existing WVD, what Microsoft’s vision is for AVD, and what’s new in virtual desktops in Azure, then read on. 

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AVD & Azure Made Easy

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Calculating the True Cost of Azure Virtual Desktop

Compare all associated costs of AVD to legacy RDS. In this free white paper, we will walk you through how to accurately determine which route is best for you, as a managed service provider (MSP).

  • Complete breakdown of costs
  • WVD vs. other available options 
  • Comparative tables 
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Additional Resources

AVD MANAGEMENT

Multi-Cloud and On-Premises Deployment with Azure Stack HCI (Coming Soon)

Deploy Azure Virtual Desktop in Azure and extend the session host VM placement to on-premises and other cloud using Azure Stack HCI. Nerdio Manager automates deployment of session hosts, AVD agent installation, and full integration into the AVD deployment in Azure.

Deploy new or manage existing AVD environment

Create a brand new Azure Virtual Desktop environment or allow Nerdio Manager to discover an existing deployment, connecting to existing resources, and manage them.

Wizard-driven AVD deployment in under 2 hours

Deploy Nerdio Manager from Azure Marketplace and configure a new AVD environment with an easy to follow, step-by-step configuration wizard. First group of users can access their AVD desktop in less than 2 hours.

Automatic, scripted AVD deployment

Service providers, system integrators, and consultants can leverage Nerdio Manager’s scripted AVD deployment template. Create complete environments with desktop images, host pools, and auto-scaling in minutes.

Multi-region, subscription, network, & resource group AVD deployments

Create and manage AVD environments that span Azure regions and subscriptions. Quickly link Vnets and resource groups and manage AVD deployments world-wide from unified portal.

Split-Azure AD tenant AVD deployments

Link multiple Azure tenants under the same Nerdio Manager instance and manage AVD deployments that span Azure AD tenants. User identities and session host VMs can run in separate tenants for maximum flexibilty and security.

Cross-sovereign Azure Cloud AVD deployments

Deploy and manage AVD environments that span across sovereign Azure Clouds. Cross-sovereign cloud support allows identity (e.g. users and groups) to be in one Azure Cloud, while session host VMs are in another Azure Cloud.

Management of workspaces, host pools, app groups, RemoteApps & custom RDP settings

Administer every aspect of AVD with Nerdio Manager including workspaces, host pools, application groups, RemoteApp publishing, RDP properties, session time limits, FSLogix, and much, much more. Every Azure service that AVD relies on can be managed with Nerdio Manager.

Complete session host lifecycle management

Deploy and manage AVD session host VMs. Hosts can be created manually or with auto-scaling, deleted on-demand or on a schedule, re-imaged to apply updates, run a scripted action, resized, put into or taken out of drain mode, and more.

User sessions

Manage user sessions across the entire AVD environment, within a workspace, host pool or on a single host. Monitor session status, disconnect or log off the user, shadow or remote control to provide support, or send user an on-screen message.

End-user self-service portal

End users have the ability to log into Nerdio Manager with their Azure AD credentials and manage their own session, restart their desktop VM, or start a session host if none are started in a host pool. (Ability to resize and re-image own desktop is coming soon.)

Azure Files management

Create, link, and manage Azure Files shares including AD domain join. Synchronize Azure Files permissions with host pools, configure quotas, and enable SMB multi-channel. Manage file lock handles and configure Azure Files auto-scaling to increase quota as needed.

Azure NetApp Files management

Create, link, and manage Azure NetApp Files accounts, capacity pools and volumes. Configure provisioned volume size, monitor usage, and use auto-scaling to automatically adjust volume and capacity pool size to accommodate the needed capacity and latency requirements.

FSLogix configuration profiles

FSLogix configuration can be complex and overwheling, but not with Nerdio Manager. Create one or more FSLogix profiles with all the needed options, point at one or more Azure Files, Azure NetApp Files, or server locations and select from VHDLocations, CloudCache and Azure Blob storage modes.

Directory configuration profiles

Multiple identity source profiles can be set up and used automatically on different host pools. Active Directory, Azure AD DS, and Native Azure AD are all supported. Choose the appropriate directory profile when adding a host pool and all VMs will automatically join this directory when being created.

Host pool cloning

Create a copy of a host pool with all of its settings: auto-scale config, app groups and RemoteApps, MSIX AppAttach, user/group assignments, VM deployment settings, etc. Save time by creating host pool “templates” that can be cloned to any Workspace, Azure region or subscription instead of starting from scratch.

Session time limits

Apply user session time limits at host pool level. Automatically log off disconnected sessions, limit the duration of idle sessions, control empty RemoteApp session behavior and more.

Assign and un-assign users to personal desktops

Assign Azure AD users to personal desktops to ensure the user will log into a pre-configured VM. Un-assign personal desktops from users who leave the organization and re-use these VMs for new users.

Automatic custom Azure tagging of all resources

Pre-configure custom Azure tags for all Azure resources associated with each host pool. Tags can be used for charge-back and cost allocation by host pool.

Automatic GPU driver installation

When creating session hosts using NV-series VMs NVIDIA and AMD GPU drivers are automatically installed.

AVD Classic to AVD ARM migration

Move existing host pools from Fall 2019 (Classic) object model to Spring 2020 (ARM) object model. Choose to whether to move or copy user assignments. Existing session hosts are automatically migrated or new ones can be created in the ARM host pool.

Automatic performance & utilization monitoring configuration

Automatically enable and configure AVD integration with Azure monitor. Zero configuration required. Azure Monitor Insights for AVD can be used instead of or in conjunction with Sepago Monitor.

AVD personal desktops to Windows 365 Cloud PC migration (Coming Soon)

Migrate users from AVD personal desktops to Windows 365 Enterprise Cloud PCs using an existing image and user assignment. (Coming soon)

IMAGE MANAGEMENT

Create image from VM, Marketplace, custom, or shared image gallery

Local and cross-region image cloning

Geo-replication of images

Automatic image patching and re-packaging

Image refresh from Azure Marketplace

Image VM backup and restore

Image versioning

Image staging and testing automation

Automatically re-image used hosts in host pool when all users log off

Automatically re-image hosts in host pool on a recurring schedule

Retain host VM name and IP during re-image

Image update change log and reporting

COST & PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION

Multiple Scaling Algorithms

VM Power Management

VM just-in-time create/delete

Schedule & event-driven scaling

3 scale-in aggressiveness levels

Multiple auto-scale schedules per host pool

VDI host pools auto-scaling

Spot VM instances

Reserved Instances analytics for auto-scale

Auto-deallocate user stopped VMs

VM OS disk auto-convert to lower storage tier

Ephemeral OS disks

VM OS disk shrink to 64 GB and 32 GB

Azure Files schedule, free space, & latency-based scaling

Azure NetApp Files schedule, free space, & latency-based scaling

FSLogix profile compression

Windows 10 & 11 optimization for higher user density

WINDOWS 365 ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

Cloud PC License Usage Optimization (Coming Soon)

Cloud PC Enterprise environment preparation

Cloud PC device lifecycle management

Cloud PC user group assignment

Intune primary user management on Cloud PCs

AVD and Windows 365 image sharing

AVD and Windows 365 scripted actions sharing

Migrate AVD personal desktops to Cloud PCs (Coming Soon)

AVAILABILITY & RESILIENCE

Automated Active/Active host pool Disaster Recovery

Auto-heal broken session host VMs

Availability zones

Availability sets

Image VM backup

Image update staging and testing

Scheduled Nerdio Manager backup

SECURITY & COMPLIANCE

Single-customers, Azure application architecture

No third-party vendor access

Data residency control

Built-In and Custom RBAC Roles

Per-Workspace and Per-Host Pool RBAC Role Assignment

Custom SSL cert and app service name support

Private network endpoint and firewall support

Prevent Users from Using Saved Password in AVD Client App

MONITORING & REPORTING

Complete environment dashboard

Azure compute and storage costs

Monthly and hourly usage, costs, & savings exportable reports

Auto-scale history and visualization

Dynamic host pool cost estimate before creation

Negotiated Azure pricing support

Email notifications & alerting

User performance & utilization

Host performance & utilization

Application performance & utilization

Image updates change log

ORCHESTRATION & INTEGRATION

REST API

Windows scripts & Azure runbooks scripted actions library

GitHub integration with scripted actions

Azure DevOps Integration with Scripted Actions (Coming Soon)

Run scripts on hosts

Run scripts on host pool

Run scripts on image VMs

Run scripts on image capture

Schedule any host VM action

Health check probe for third-party tool monitoring

Secure data sharing with scripted actions

Third-party integrations

APPLICATION MANAGEMENT

Application installation with scripted actions during image or host VM creation

Per-User and Per-Group Application Assignement

MSIX images management library

Automatic MSIX upload and VHDX package expansion

Multi-MSIX package image creation

MSIX image versioning

MSIX app publishing to users & groups as desktop app or RemoteApp

Certificate library and automatic delivery to images & host VMs

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