Cloud PC is a new “strategic offering” built on top of Windows Virtual desktop – an Azure-based system for virtualizing Windows and applications in the cloud.
This new virtualized experience will enable administrators to deploy remotely accessible Windows 10 PCs in the cloud.
This is interesting because if executed properly, it will mean that employees will be able to access their work computer from any browser anywhere in the world.
It’s also extremely significant because all configurations, drivers and hardware will be managed on the backend by Microsoft, and from an Enterprise perspective that would be amazing.
While it may seem slightly redundant, Cloud PC won’t act as a replacement for Windows 10 and Windows Server.
It’s simply an option for enterprise customers who want or need to access their Windows PC from anywhere at any time.
A new (deleted) Linkedin job post suggests that Cloud PC will “allow organizations to stay current in a more simplistic and scalable manner,”. The article suggests that Cloud PC uses Microsoft’s existing Windows Virtual Desktop and Azure infrastructure to deliver Desktop as a Service and enable a modern, elastic, cloud-based Windows experience.
Allegedly, there may be three different tiers for Cloud PC service:
- Medium tier: 2Â vCPUs, 4GB of RAM, and 96GB of SSD storage.
- Heavy tier: 2 vCPUs, 8GB of RAM, and 96GB of SSD storage.
- Advanced tier: 3Â vCPUs, 8GB of RAM, and 40GB of SSD storage.
Based on the screenshots above posted by Windows online detective Walking Cat, Cloud PC will be supported by all remote desktop applications, including those Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Now Microsoft added new APIs to the Microsoft Graph API in December to support the CloudPC service.
Administrators can use these API’s to list existing CloudPC instances, get information about an instance, or reprovision new CloudPC instances.
Microsoft apparently considers this to be a beta service and reports suggest that the virtualization service will be finalized or enter public preview by Spring of 2021 (between March and June).
Stay tuned for more…
