Main Concepts and Features of Azure DaaS (Windows Virtual Desktop)

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) has continued to play an important role in remote access. Yet, it has never replaced traditional PCs in most organizations. And now, with the increasing pervasiveness of cloud-first technologies, desktop as a service (DaaS) is quickly becoming the dominant go-to technology for remote access.

As a cloud-based VDI solution separating virtual applications and desktops from on-premises servers, DaaS is agile and cost-efficient. Azure DaaS—provided under Windows Virtual Desktop—is Microsoft’s platform that delivers virtualized applications and desktops in the cloud. Discover the main concepts and prerequisites to get started with deploying desktops on Azure DaaS (Windows Virtual Desktop) in this post.

Understanding Windows Virtual Desktop Terminology

Windows Virtual Desktop terminology includes host pools, app groups, workspaces and end users. Let’s learn more about these components.

Host pool

A host pool is a set of identical Azure virtual machines (VMs) in the Windows Virtual Desktop environment. These VMs register with the Windows Virtual Desktop environment as a session host when users execute the Windows Virtual Desktop agent. Like a physical PC, each host pool contains an application group that you can start using when you log into Azure DaaS.

There are two types of host pools in the Windows Virtual Desktop environment:

App group

An app group is an object containing applications installed on session hosts in a host pool. You can apply similar policies to an app group to control how users access the organization’s applications. The two types of app groups in the Windows Virtual Desktop environment include:

Workspaces

A workspace is a logical set of application groups in an Azure DaaS environment that allows users to access their applications. Each application group in the Windows Virtual Desktop environment must have an associated workspace for users to access the desktops and remote applications.

End users

An end user is an authorized entity in an Azure DaaS environment assigned to the application groups. End users can connect to Windows Virtual Desktop via any of the Windows Virtual Desktop clients, including Microsoft remote desktop (RD) client, HTML5-based web client and iOS RD client.

Leveraging Azure DaaS (Windows Virtual Desktop)

You can use Azure DaaS to achieve a right-sized and flexible IT environment, manage virtual desktops, and pair and connect users to those virtual desktops.

Creating a scalable and flexible IT environment

Azure DaaS can help you to:

Provisioning and managing virtual desktops

With Windows Virtual Desktop, you can:

Assigning and connecting end users to virtual desktops

With Azure DaaS:

Prerequisites for Using Azure DaaS (Windows Virtual Desktops)

Before getting started with Azure DaaS, you must meet the following requirements:

Operating Systems (OSs)

Azure DaaS supports the following OSs:

OS Licensing requirements
Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session (versions 1809 and above)
  • Microsoft 365: A3, A5, E3, E5, F3 and Business Premium subscription
  • Windows: A3, A5, E3 and E5
Windows 7 Enterprise
  • Microsoft 365: A3, A5, E3, E5, F3 and Business Premium subscription
  • Windows: A3, A5, E3 and E5
Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016 and 2019 You need a remote desktop services (RDS) Client Access License (CAL) with Software Assurance to access Azure DaaS.

AD services

You can use the following directory services to support your infrastructure:

The VMs you create in Azure can be AD-joined or hybrid AD-joined but not Azure AD-joined.

Azure subscription

You need an Azure subscription to create and run Windows Virtual Desktop session host VMs. The subscription includes Windows Virtual Desktop Management Service, VMs and the entire IT infrastructure.

Network performance

Just like any cloud-based solution, Azure DaaS requires high bandwidth for users to access virtual desktops and applications on demand. Therefore, before you implement it, you must assess if your network connections are robust enough to meet Windows Virtual Desktop’s demands. Here are some requirements the network must meet for optimal performance:

Load Balancing in Azure DaaS (Windows Virtual Desktops)

Azure DaaS supports two types of load balancing algorithms for non-persistent desktops:

Managing Windows Virtual Desktop Workloads through Parallels RAS

Windows desktop and Microsoft productivity applications—including legacy software—are the technology lifeblood of many businesses. They help organizations run their businesses and ensure employees get the work done. From processing orders to communicating with customers to managing finances, Windows desktops and Microsoft applications are front and center in most organizations.

Yet, getting work done can plunge when you step away from your office setup in an increasingly mobile and remote working world. Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) supports and integrates seamlessly with Azure DaaS. This allows organizations to securely deliver both on-premises and cloud-hosted virtual applications and desktops to any device from any location.

The integration of Parallels RAS and Windows Virtual Desktop allows IT administrators to streamline, deploy and manage Azure DaaS workloads. You can provision host pools, application groups, workspaces and end users quickly in Windows Virtual Desktop from a single pane of glass with Parallels RAS.

Parallels RAS also offers extended management tools such as session management with advanced metrics, along with automated image optimizations that provide more efficient and streamlined delivery for virtual apps and desktops. IT administrators can leverage these tools to minimize day-to-day administration overhead. And with inbuilt FSLogix profile containers, Parallels RAS simplifies user-profile configuration and deployment for IT administrators.

Download the Parallels RAS trial today, and experience how simply it integrates with Azure DaaS!