How Windows Virtual Desktop modernises legacy apps with Office 365

Any business that has been trading for a couple of years has that one piece of software which they cannot live without. You may have used it for several years and it hasn’t been updated for a while, but without it, you simply can’t run your business. Sadly, if that’s true in your business, you’ll know this makes upgrading your IT environment difficult for you.

With businesses making the transition to Microsoft 365, this is also the case. Their users switch over and can take advantage of the fantastic new apps, but there is always a boring workaround that wastes time to use the old applications.

Microsoft recognised this issue as an obstacle to the adoption of Microsoft 365 and took action to resolve it in 2018. In late 2018, they released a preview of a new service, Windows Virtual Desktop. Virtual Desktops have been used for many years. However, this is the first time that Microsoft itself has provided such a service, run by its cloud storage platform, Azure.

Windows Virtual Desktop lets you deploy and scale a cloud-based desktop environment in minutes, and is also friendly to your legacy applications.

If you are interested in using Windows Virtual Desktop, you have two options:

  1. Use Azure to create your own Windows Virtual Desktop environment
  2. Use a Managed Service Provider (such as Serval IT Systems) to manage the whole process for you

If you are a business with an established IT team, going it alone might be a preferable option. After all, nobody knows your IT infrastructure as well as you do. It is also likely to be more cost-effective for this type of business (although the opportunity cost of ignoring other projects may outweigh this).

But, if your company doesn’t have a proven IT department, or if you do but they’re already strained, you’ll benefit from partnering with an MSP – preferably one with Citrix partnership status because Citrix can provide the best experience for you.

An MSP such as Serval IT Systems will run through the entire process from start to finish. From gathering initial information to building your environment, to supporting it into the future, if you are looking for an IT service that ‘just works’ without requiring your input, this is ideal for you.

If you are a business that already uses a server-based computing environment (as many established businesses do), then the most natural progression for your business is Windows Virtual Desktop. It will result in the smallest learning curve for your teams to adopt it and will feel very similar to your current setup, but with a more modern feel.

If you are a Microsoft 365 E3 user (or above) then you are entitled to Windows Virtual Desktop as part of your existing enterprise subscription.

If you are interested in taking advantage of Windows Virtual Desktop to improve efficiency in your teams and bring your business a more modern IT solution, then why not get in touch with Serval IT Systems for a free consultation?