Azure Virtual Desktop and hosted desktops
A hosted desktop puts a full Windows workspace in a Microsoft data centre and streams it to whatever device your staff are using. Software that once tied people to the office runs the same from home, a branch or a client site, and the data never leaves the cloud.
Azure Virtual Desktop & hosted desktops for small and medium businesses
Plenty of small businesses still rely on one program that refuses to live in the browser. It might be an older accounting package, a practice management database or a design tool that expects a fast link to a file share. While everyone sat in the same building that was fine. Once people work from home or a second site, it turns into slow VPN connections, files copied onto laptops and staff remoting into a desk PC that has to be left switched on overnight.
Azure Virtual Desktop solves this by running the software next to its data in Azure, with New Zealand and Australian regions available. Staff open a desktop or a single published app from a Windows PC, Mac, tablet or browser, and only the screen travels over the internet. Several people can share one session host, which keeps costs down, and their profiles follow them whichever host they land on. Because nothing is stored on the device, a lost laptop exposes nothing.
We start by testing your key software in a trial environment before anyone commits. Then we size the session hosts for your real workload, set them to scale down or shut off outside working hours, and connect sign-in to Microsoft 365 with multi-factor authentication. You get a monthly cost estimate before the build and a review after the first full month of real use, so the Azure bill matches what the business actually needs rather than a guess made on day one.
What's included
Application testing
Your line-of-business software installed in a trial environment and tried by real staff, so compatibility problems surface before you are committed.
Host sizing and costing
Session hosts sized to the number of users and the software they run, with an estimated monthly Azure cost written down before anything is built.
Published apps or full desktops
Staff get either a complete Windows desktop or just the one or two programs they need, appearing alongside their normal apps.
Profiles that follow people
User settings, signatures and app preferences stored centrally, so a person's desktop looks the same whichever session host they connect to.
Scheduled scaling
Hosts that start up before the working day and shut down or scale back after hours, so you are not paying for idle computers overnight.
Secure sign-in
Access through Microsoft 365 accounts with multi-factor authentication and conditional access, with no remote desktop ports opened to the internet.
Patching and images
Windows and application updates tested on a master image first, then rolled out to every host in a planned maintenance window.
Cost reviews
A look at the Azure bill after the first month and then each quarter, trimming oversized hosts and storage that is no longer used.
Who is hosted desktops for?
A hosted desktop is worth considering when:
- One key program only runs well when staff are in the office
- People connect to their office PC remotely from home each day
- You have contractors or seasonal staff using their own computers
- Your server is due for replacement and you would rather not buy another
- Branch staff complain that shared files are slow over the VPN
- Client data should stay off laptops that leave the building
Not sure where to start?
Our free IT health check looks at your devices, accounts, backups, security and network. You get a short written report with what is working, what is at risk and a price to fix it. No obligation.
Book the health checkAzure Virtual Desktop & hosted desktops questions
What is the difference between Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365?
Azure Virtual Desktop lets several users share hosts and is billed on the Azure resources used, which suits teams with similar work patterns. Windows 365 gives each person a dedicated Cloud PC for a fixed monthly fee, which is simpler to budget. We compare both for your users before recommending one.
Do we need new licences?
Many Microsoft 365 business plans, including Business Premium, already include the right to use Azure Virtual Desktop. You then pay for the Azure compute and storage. We check your current licences first and tell you exactly what, if anything, needs adding.
Will it feel slow?
For office work it usually feels close to a local computer on a decent fibre or 4G connection, because only screen updates travel. Heavy video or 3D work needs more care, which is why we test with your actual software before going ahead.
What does it cost?
The Azure portion depends on the number of users, the hosts needed and the hours they run. The build is project work quoted in writing first, and ongoing care is covered by your plan or billed at $109 an hour remote plus GST.
Can staff print and scan from a hosted desktop?
Yes. Local printers on the user's device are usually available inside the session, and office copiers can be reached from the hosts directly. We set this up and test it as part of the rollout.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Staff at that location cannot reach the hosted desktop until the connection returns, so we often pair a rollout with a backup mobile connection. Staff elsewhere are unaffected, because the desktops themselves keep running in Azure.
Is our data backed up?
The hosts and the file storage they use are included in your backup arrangements, with copies kept separately from the main Azure environment, so an accidental deletion or a compromised account can be recovered from.
Other ways we help
Managed IT
One monthly price per person for support, security, updates and backups. Your outsourced IT team.
Managed IT
IT support
Remote and onsite help when you need it, billed by the hour. No plan, no contract.
IT support
Cyber security
Practical protection against scams, ransomware and account takeover, set up and kept current.
Cyber security