Azure Virtual Desktop is a secured, cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) service that enables organizations to deliver Windows desktops and applications to users. Originally launched in 2019, Azure Virtual Desktop has evolved rapidly to meet the changing needs of modern workplaces, especially as remote and distributed work became the norm.
Two years ago, we launched Azure Virtual Desktop for Azure Local to provide an option for customers to bring Azure Virtual Desktop functionality on-premises running on Azure Local. Many organizations face ongoing challenges in modernizing their IT environments without major investments in new infrastructure or changes to key software infrastructure such as virtualization hypervisors.
Today, we’re excited to announce the limited preview of Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments, a new capability for bringing the power of cloud-native desktop virtualization to existing on-premises infrastructure. With this update, on-premises Arc-Enabled Servers can be configured as AVD session hosts. This expands Azure Virtual Desktop’s hybrid capabilities beyond Azure Local to Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, VMware vSphere, physical Windows Servers, or anywhere Arc-Enabled Servers can be deployed on-premises.
This milestone reflects the ongoing Microsoft commitment to delivering flexible, secured, and scalable solutions that meet customers where they are — whether in the cloud, on-premises, or across both. Many organizations are seeking ways to extend the benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop to workloads that must remain on-premises due to performance, data residency, or compliance requirements, while also providing a shorter path for cloud migration.
Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments enables customers to run virtual desktops and applications in their own datacenters through the integration of Azure Arc and Azure Virtual Desktop. The virtual machines (VMs) function as session hosts that connect directly to the Azure Virtual Desktop service in the Microsoft Cloud.
Azure Virtual Desktop for Azure Local has seen widespread adoption and remains available for customers that want an end-to-end Microsoft Cloud native solution that includes VM provisioning and management to support their edge scenarios. Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments allows organizations to leverage existing hardware investments and preferred hypervisors, while benefiting from unified identity, policy, and VM management. VM provisioning and management for Azure Virtual Desktop can be delivered through alternative means, including partner solutions.
Partner support for Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments
Partner solutions that integrate with Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments will provide a valuable option for customers that need additional VM management capabilities — and we’re excited to announce this preview with support from key partners including ControlUp, LoginVSI, Nerdio, and Nutanix. These partners are building integrations and services to help customers deploy and manage Azure Virtual Desktop hybrid solutions.
Each partner brings deep expertise in virtualization, and their support means that customers can confidently adopt hybrid Azure Virtual Desktop with the tools and guidance they need. Some of the partner feedback we’ve received:
“ControlUp is proud to support Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments. By integrating our real-time monitoring and analytics solutions, we empower organizations to optimize performance and user experience across both on-premises and cloud-hosted desktops.” — Jed Ayres, CEO, ControlUp
“Login VSI is excited to support Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments. Our automated testing solution with Login Enterprise and our Azure Virtual Desktop management solution with Hydra will ensure customers have cost-effective and reliable solutions to extend Azure Virtual Desktop to their on-premises environment." — John Vigeant, CEO, Login VSI
“Nerdio is committed to helping our customers modernize their legacy VDI solutions at the pace that’s right for them. By working with Microsoft as an Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments partner, we will be extending the benefits of Nerdio Manager to a broader range of on-premises platforms, giving IT teams the flexibility to manage all their virtual desktops — cloud, on-premises, or both — through a single, automated platform. This is a major step forward for organizations that want to innovate without disruption.”
— Vadim Vladimirskiy, CEO, Nerdio
“Customers with end-user compute deployments ranging from hundreds to 100,000+ seats, run on Nutanix — on-prem as well as on Azure, using our Nutanix Cloud Clusters solution. We're excited that Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments will allow customers to run Azure Virtual Desktop on Nutanix. This is a combination that customers have long requested and is another example of the need for hybrid cloud solutions.” — Tarkan Maner, Chief Commercial Officer, Nutanix
Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments - benefits
Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments brings Azure Arc, Azure Virtual Desktop, and partner solutions together to create a flexible VDI environment that extends cloud functionality to on-premises infrastructure. By bringing these components together customers can optimize their environments to make the best use of the management service, hypervisor, or lifecycle management approach they choose without sacrificing their ability to migrate to cloud solutions when ready.
“Customers want the flexibility to create a virtualization environment that maximizes the value of their existing infrastructure while providing a clear migration path to the cloud,” said Scott Manchester, VP of Product for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop. “Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments provides a great foundation for customers to run Azure Virtual Desktop on-premises, and when combined with partner solutions, gives customers new options for optimizing their VDI estate.”
Get started
If you're interested in learning more about Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments or want to explore how it can support your organization’s hybrid strategy, you can sign up via our preview interest form. To learn more about our launch partner solutions you can reach out them directly (ControlUp, LoginVSI, Nerdio, and Nutanix).
You can also reach out to your Microsoft account team, who can provide additional details, help assess your readiness, and guide you through the preview enrollment process.
Stay up to date! Bookmark the Azure Virtual Desktop Tech Community.
Microsoft