In mid-July, Microsoft made a big announcement that could change the way that companies requisition their computers. It announced the release of a new cloud PC service called Windows 365.
While virtual PCs aren’t a totally new idea, they haven’t caught on in a big way yet. That’s about to change with Microsoft pushing its new cloud computer as the answer to the hybrid workforce.
Due to the pandemic, there’s been a big shift in how companies operate. Employees began working from home and now many will be staying there permanently, at least part of the time.
In a survey of U.S. businesses by PwC, only 17% said they planned to have all employees come back to the office full time, 82% stated they would increase the level of remote work because it was the future and made sense for their business.
With this transformation of what the office looks like, business technology needs are evolving. Employees need to have cloud tools that can accommodate a fluid transition between the office and home without being cumbersome or leaving employees without all the files or tools they need in one place or another.
That’s the future that Windows 365 was made to facilitate.
Windows 365 Explained
Windows 365 is a cloud service that delivers the same experience you get when you boot up your Windows computer but from the cloud. Instead of your operating system, applications, settings, folders, and files all residing on a device hard drive, they’re stored on a virtual server.
Window 365 image from Microsoft
This allows the user to log in to their PC from any device and any internet-connected location. You can imagine how much this would improve life for a person that works part of the time from home and part at the office.
Instead of having to use two different computers with different files, environments, and apps, they would be accessing the same exact Windows 365 virtual PC from both locations. The physical computer they used to access it wouldn’t matter because their real “computer” would be housed in the cloud.
Windows 365 currently runs Windows 10 and will also run Windows 11 as soon as that’s rolled out. Here are some of the features that Microsoft notes about its new cloud PC:
Powerful
Windows 365 is designed to enhance productivity with an instant-on boot from a personal PC that allows users to stream all their applications, data, and other PC information.
Companies can easily scale up or down as far as processing power and storage as needed without needing to purchase a whole new physical computer.
Simple
This virtual PC is made to make things easy for hybrid, remote, and mobile workers. They can pick right back up where they left off in their work from any device and can even access their Windows 365 PC from a computer or tablet.
Deployment and ongoing update management of computers are also much easier for companies. No more worrying if your remote workers are keeping their computers at home properly updated and secured with antivirus or other protections.
Because all PCs are virtual, companies can easily deploy them to new employees without having to clean old emails and files off a former employee’s computer to issue them to a new one. The hardware employees use will simply be a tool to access their cloud PC.
Secure
Microsoft is using zero-trust architecture in Windows 365 to keep information secure from online threats. PCs are always kept up to date and security is simplified, with Windows 365 recommending the best security settings for the given PC environment.
Benefits of Moving Your Office to Windows 365
While having your entire computer in the cloud may seem like a radical idea, most office processes are already happening in the cloud, in SaaS applications. So, moving your PC environment to the cloud is not that big of a leap.
Here are some of the advantages to companies:
Save Money from Paying Only for What You need
Scaling up or down is simple with Windows 365. You only need to pay on a per-user basis for the cloud PCs you need. You can also scale their performance and storage up or down at any time without needing to migrate files to a new system.
Because hardware is only used as a method of getting to your virtual PC, companies can purchase lower-cost physical computers that don’t need all the “bells & whistles.”
Convenience
The convenience of having your PC available from anywhere drives user productivity and saves time. Instead of having to remember to grab a file and send it to “the other computer,” employees have all their emails, files, settings, etc. wherever they are working.
Imagine being in an airport for a business trip and wanting to quickly check on a work document. Instead of having to call and ask someone to email it to you, you can just log into your PC from a laptop or tablet with ease.
Security
Cloud assets only account for about 24% of all data breaches. The rest happen to on-premises assets. Hosting your business PCs in the cloud offers a big security benefit both for ensuring remote teams have secure computers and in leaning on the zero-trust architecture of Microsoft to keep out sophisticated threats.
Learn More About Moving Your Business to Windows 365
Pro Tech Guy can help your Framingham business review the Windows 365 cloud PC and see if it’s the right fit for your future.
Contact us today to learn more. Call 508-364-8189 or reach us online.