https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

Desktop


Shutterstock

VDI

Microsoft WVD Update Will Offer Improved Video Conferencing Quality with Teams

  • Written by Jeffrey Schwartz
  • May 1, 2020
WVD v2 is integrated into Azure Portal and offers new security and compliance features.

Microsoft’s Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) service will offer improved video conferencing quality with its Teams software.

The improved video conferencing quality is part of several updates for WVD, announced Thursday. Described by some as WVD v2, the rolling upgrade also more tightly integrates with the Microsoft Azure cloud service.

Specifically, Microsoft is making WVD easier to deploy and manage by integrating the administrative console into its Azure Portal. The company is also adding security and compliance capabilities to WVD by supporting data residency requirements.

WVD v2 promises to offer improved video conferencing quality when customers use it with Microsoft Teams. A technology Microsoft calls AV Redirect enables peer-to-peer data transfer during video. Brad Anderson, corporate VP for Microsoft 365, described it during a webcast Thursday outlining the updated WVD service.

“Instead of the communication having to go [through] that VDI session up in the cloud, you can now establish a peer-to-peer model where you’re going from one endpoint to the other,” Anderson said.

Anderson indicated the updated WVD is easier for partners and customers who are more accustomed to provisioning and managing VDI.

Microsoft WVD Capabilities“One of the big things we’ve done with the update that’s coming out now is dramatically simplified the IT experience,” Anderson said. “In the previous experience, if you really didn’t understand Azure –say you were a VDI specialist – it was a bit of a challenge to put all the pieces together in Azure in order to spin up that VDI experience. But now, with these concepts of a host pool and application group workspaces, these things that are just natively understood by VDI specialists. That is now presented inside of the admin experiences. So, it just feels much more natural.”

Brian Barnes, chief technology officer at Coretek Services, who has had early access to the update since January, agrees.

“There are a lot of great enhancements here,” Barnes said. “It’s a great step forward in the management and entitlement of users and host pools. Their pace of innovation will force those value-add WVD Partners to stay ahead of the curve and provide additional capabilities and ongoing innovation.

Migrating customers from v1 to v2 requires some manual processes, Barnes added.

“But Coretek is building innovative automation to cut down time and effort for that process,” he said.

COVID-19 Drives Demand for WVD

Even before last fall’s release of WVD, the company’s Windows desktop as a service (DaaS), Microsoft was projecting strong uptake. Now that entire workforces are working from home because of COVID-19, demand has soared, according to Microsoft.

“Over the past few months, we’ve seen unprecedented growth in the use of Windows virtual desktop as more and more people work from home,” Anderson said.

Anderson emphasized the appeal of WVD is the ability to quickly provision virtual desktops. Bret Arsenault, Microsoft’s CISO, explained how his group rolled out WVD for 32,000 of the company’s developers in two days.

“We had developers who weren’t able to take devices home,” Arsenault said, during Thursday’s webcast. “So, we spun up capability for 32,000 devs via the WVD solution. It turns out our developers have been more productive since we sent them home than they were in the office.”

Security Features Added to WVD

Among the security features added to WVD is a reverse connect capability and FSLogix profile containers. In a blog, Anderson noted that reverse connect “significantly reduces the attack surface area by letting you run a virtual machine without keeping any inbound ports open.”

Profile containers, he added, “provide a simple, robust solution to quickly manage virtual profiles in non-persistent environments while staying protected through your organization’s security settings.”

Other new security features for WVD include:

  • The ability to add groups of users to Windows Virtual Desktop using Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) groups
  • Support for static or dynamic conditional access policies.
  • Support for mandating multifactor authentication (MFA).
  • Windows Virtual Desktop integration with Azure role-based access control (RBAC) and analytics for greater administrative control over user permissions.
  • The ability to choose the geography you want to store your service metadata for the best possible regulatory compliance and performance.
Tags: MSPs VARs/SIs Cloud Desktop Security Technologies Virtualization

Related


  • Business hands together, diversity
    Intel Partner Alliance Unifies All Programs, Provides New Opportunities
    The new program is designed to enhance Intel's relationship with valued partners.
  • Hacker looking at computer
    Fired Cybersecurity Chief Chris Krebs to Aid SolarWinds with Hack
    Chris Krebs was fired because he disputed Trump's claims of election fraud.
  • Opportunity Knocks
    SolarWinds MSP President: Rebrand Will 'N-Able' Partner Opportunity
    The "new" name is resurfacing from the high-profile 2013 acquisition of N-able, maker of the N-central software platform.
  • Spinoff Company
    IBM Names CEO of New Managed Services Spinoff
    The former IBM CFO is well-known to those within NewCo.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Presidio Plans International Expansion with Arkphire Acquisition
  • Pax8 Follows Wirehive Acquisition with $96 Million in New Equity Capital
  • FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues
  • Dell Optimizes New Commercial PCs for Conferencing

Galleries

View all

New, Changing Partner Programs: AWS, Tech Data, Avaya, Verizon

January 11, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

Help Your Customers Mitigate Malware: Viruses, Worms, and Trojans…Oh My!

January 15, 2021

SMBs’ Cybersecurity Risk Awareness Is Rising

January 13, 2021

Your Cloud Data Is Protected, But Is It Portable?

January 12, 2021

Webinars

View all

Blueprint for a Scalable MSSP Practice in 2021

January 21, 2021

Who’s Behind the Mask? Hacker Personas Explained

January 26, 2021

How Managed Hosting Providers Thrive with the Alternative Cloud

February 24, 2021

White Papers

View all

Why Subscription Business Model

January 15, 2021

The Ultimate MSP Guide to Sales Efficiency

January 14, 2021

Eight Reasons Why MSPs Need IT Industry-Specific Sales Tools

January 14, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@StratusAwaysOn announces new #partnerprogram for VARs. #edgecomputing dlvr.it/Rqvrxf https://t.co/vcLw8e4Ob6

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

bit.ly/3bSd4nD twitter.com/DigiRobot/stat…

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

In the latest 'It's 501 Somewhere', @channelsmart (Janet Schijns) talks about what it takes to be a true leader.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 18, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@IBMServices snaps up #MSP Taos for #hybridcloud expertise. dlvr.it/RqggQR https://t.co/Fy3uPDtLNw

January 16, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@LenovoBusiness launches its thinnest #ThinkPad to date @CES, revamped ThinkBooks and #ThinkReality glasses.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 16, 2021
ChannelFutures

Help your customers mitigate #malware @Tech_Data #cryptolocker #antivirus #ransomware #cybersecurity… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 15, 2021
ChannelFutures

Advantages of the Subscription business model for MSPs and IT Resellers @kaspersky dlvr.it/RqgDJn https://t.co/ay694fudp3

January 15, 2021
ChannelFutures

Cloud #distributor @Pax8 launches in UK with leadership team in place. dlvr.it/RqfJWx https://t.co/RsKDCowM5V

January 15, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X