Whether you are remote, hybrid, or completely back in an office, work has changed drastically for everyone. Microsoft kept these changes in mind when they planned for their FY22, and now that it is in full swing, there are Microsoft offerings designed to help customers and partners adapt to the hybrid work model while continuing to make profit! Check out the additions Microsoft announced for the upcoming year to see how your company can best take advantage of these opportunities and win big!
Windows 365:
This year Microsoft is making a huge addition to their “as-a-service" offerings with the all-new Windows 365. Launching October 2, this new cloud product gives customers a secure Windows experience on any PC or mobile device. The ability to access a virtual desktop through Windows 365 via a web browser will allow users to bring their own device, a capability currently not available through existing Microsoft virtualization solutions. What does this mean for your customers? The ability for their employees to bring their own devices, limiting the initial cost of overhead, and providing more options in companies with mixed-device workplaces.
With Windows 365, IT professionals can deploy and manage Windows 365 with Microsoft Endpoint Manager, the same tool that is used for managing physical PCs. From an IT perspective, Windows 365 will appeal to businesses of many sizes due to the commonality of endpoint specialists when compared to virtualization specialists. Unlike Azure Virtual Desktop, there is no need to have Azure expertise or VDI experience to be able to use Windows 365.
Microsoft has pointed out the numerous opportunities for Windows 365 with solution providers, including both resale and managed service providers. For example, managed services providers will have a fantastic opportunity to really incorporate Windows 365 into their list of Microsoft offerings.
Ultimately, Windows 365 leverages the full advantages of the cloud by giving customers a simple and secure method of providing a digital workspace that can be scaled and sized to meet their individual while limiting the costs of company-owned infrastructure and endpoint hardware.
Microsoft will offer Windows 10 with Windows 365, with a plan to incorporate Windows 11 when the new operating system makes its debut later in 2021.
Azure Virtual Desktop:
With the upcoming release of Windows 365, Microsoft executives made it clear at Inspire that Azure Virtual Desktop still holds plenty of opportunities. They also informed us that they will continue to invest in the advancement of the platform.
Azure Virtual Desktop will continue to be a good fit for certain organizations - as it has a lot of features and tools that could be used to meet specific customer needs. Especially for those organizations that have virtualization expertise. Users can do things like virtualize just one app and be more flexible when controlling certain aspects of applications. Azure Virtual Desktop also works well when integrating Citrix and VMware. These features will make Azure continue to be a cost-effective solution for managed service providers.
At Inspire, Microsoft also announced the next series of product updates for Azure Virtual Desktop. These include a public preview of the capability to directly join Azure Virtual Desktop virtual machines to Azure Active Directory, added cost optimization features, and a “streamlined onboarding experience” for setting up a complete Azure Virtual Desktop environment in an Azure subscription. Additionally, Microsoft announced that it will introduce a new monthly, per-user access pricing option for Azure Virtual Desktop on Jan. 1, 2022.
Dynamics 365 in Microsoft Teams:
The new normal of hybrid and remote work is constantly evolving, creating a snowball effect for Microsoft to keep up and evolve as well. This year at Inspire, Microsoft announced its latest innovation in the hybrid work environment: The Dynamics 365 + Microsoft Teams Experience . When organizations bring Dynamics 365 into their flow of work with Microsoft Teams, it opens a new realm of efficiently, collaboration and productivity. Not only are there added benefits designed to strengthen each department of an organization (sales, marketing, front-line workers, HR, etc.), this capability can be activated with no additional licensing cost! No other technology vendor enables organizations to activate this capability without the need to pay for multiple underlying software licenses. ¹
Combining Microsoft Teams and Dynamics 365 allows organizations to share, view and contribute to Dynamics 365 records while staying in Teams. The editing, viewing, and sharing of these records happen in real time, so there is no need to switch back and forth between apps. This allows employees and customers to stay connected no matter where they are. If you and your customers are ready to seamlessly collaborate and have all company departments working faster, your next step is to incorporate Dynamics 365 in Microsoft Teams.
Viva Learning for Microsoft Teams:
Since the pandemic started and the big shift to remote work began, many employees have grown to feel less connected to their company and team. Microsoft has taken note of these changes, and to adapt to work as we know it, Microsoft Viva was created. Powered by Microsoft 365 and experienced in Microsoft Teams, Viva is designed to enhance the employee experience in this new digital era. One of Viva’s four primary modules, Viva Learning, makes learning prevalent in an employee’s day-to-day, and an overall component of the company's culture.
Employees are seeking companies that invest in and further develop their skillsets. Viva Learning curates content from LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, your own organization’s custom content, and other leading learning management systems to make sure your employees have the most recent and applicable resources. Hosting Viva Learning in Teams allows employees to find, share and discuss learnings. It also allows them to access content that has been assigned to them, and managers to track the outcomes from those assignments.
By hosting Viva Learning in Teams, where employees are already spending time collaborating, it’s easier than ever for employees to transition from learning to other important work tasks. With Viva Learning, employees are inspired to grow themselves, which will in turn increase the success of their company’s business.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse (Project Orland):
Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides defense against threats, ransomware, malware attacks, and more. The opportunity to upgrade and configure the security of your customers that use Microsoft 365 Business Premium is here! If you are a Managed Service Provider (MSP) that is enrolled in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program, and you serve your SMB customers with Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscriptions, you can now access and preview Microsoft 365 Lighthouse for FREE!
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse is a portal that helps MSPs secure devices, data, and users at scale for their SMB customers using Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Microsoft 365 Lighthouse makes it easier to manage your customer base and risks to them by providing enhanced security and a standardization of security policies. It also simplifies the onboarding process for new tenants through “Baselines,” a set of best practices created by Microsoft that provides multi-tenant views across all customer environments.
For further insight or to see if your organization is eligible to participate in the release of Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, check out Microsoft 365 Lighthouse FAQs. You can sign up directly at Sign up for Microsoft 365 Lighthouse.
Want to learn more about any of the above Microsoft offerings? When you’re ready, reach out to one of our cloud sales specialists at microsoft@techdata.com or 800-237-8931, ext. 5545006.
