Supporting ChatGPT on PostgreSQL in Azure
Affan Dar, Vice President of Engineering, PostgreSQL at Microsoft Adam Prout, Partner Architect, PostgreSQL at Microsoft Panagiotis Antonopoulos, Distinguished Engineer, PostgreSQL at Microsoft The OpenAI engineering team recently published a blog post describing how they scaled their databases by 10x over the past year, to support 800 million monthly users. To do so, OpenAI relied on Azure Database for PostgreSQL to support important services like ChatGPT and the Developer API. Collaborating with a customer experiencing rapid user growth has been a remarkable journey. One key observation is that PostgreSQL works out of box for very large-scale points. As many in the public domain have noted, ChatGPT grew to 800M+ users before OpenAI started moving new and shardable workloads to Azure Cosmos DB. Nevertheless, supporting the growth of one of the largest Postgres deployments was a great learning experience for both of our teams. Our OpenAI friends did an incredible job at reacting fast and adjusting their systems to handle the growth. Similarly, the Postgres team at Azure worked to further tune the service to support the increasing OpenAI workload. The changes we made were not limited to OpenAI, hence all our Azure Database for PostgreSQL customers with demanding workloads have benefited. A few of the enhancements and the work that led to these are listed below. Changing the network congestion protocol to reduce replication lag Azure Database for PostgreSQL used the default CUBIC congestion control algorithm for replication traffic to replicas both within and outside the region. Leading up to one of the OpenAI launch events, we observed that several geo-distributed read replicas occasionally experienced replication lag. Replication from the primary server to the read replicas would typically operate without issues; however, at times, the replicas would unexpectedly begin falling behind the primary for reasons that were not immediately clear. This lag would not recover on its own and would grow to a point when, eventually, automation would restart the read replica. Once restarted, the read replica would once again catch up, only to repeat this cycle again within a day or less. After an extensive debugging effort, we traced the root cause to how the TCP congestion control algorithm handled a higher rate of packet drops. These drops were largely a result of high point-to-point traffic between the primary server and its replicas, compounded by the existing TCP window settings. Packet drops across regions are not unexpected; however, the default congestion control algorithm (CUBIC) treats packet loss as a sign of congestion and does an aggressive backoff. In comparison, the Bottleneck Bandwidth and Round-trip propagation time (BBR) congestion control algorithm is less sensitive to packet drops. Switching to BBR, adding SKU specific TCP window settings, and switching to fair queuing network discipline (which can control pacing of outgoing packets at hardware level) resolved this issue. We’ll also note that one of our seasoned PostgreSQL committers provided invaluable insights during this process, helping us pinpoint the issue more effectively. Scaling out with Read replicas PostgreSQL primaries, if configured properly, work amazingly well in supporting a large number of read replicas. In fact, as noted in the OpenAI engineering blog, a single primary has been able to power around 50+ replicas across multiple regions. However, going beyond this increases the chance of impacting the primary. For this reason, we added the cascading replica support to scale out reads even further. But this brings in a number of additional failure modes that need to be handled. The system must carefully orchestrate repairs around lagging and failing intermediary nodes, safely repointing replicas to new intermediary nodes while performing catch up or rewind in a mission critical setup. Furthermore, disaster recovery (DR) scenarios can require a fast rebuild of a replica and as data movement across regions is a costly and time-consuming operation, we developed the ability to create a geo replica from a snapshot of another replica in the same region. This feature avoids the traditional full data copy process, which may take hours or even days depending on the size of the data, by leveraging data for that cluster that already exists in that region. This feature will soon be available for all our customers as well. Scaling out Writes These improvements solved the read replica lag problems and read scale but did not help address the growing write scale for OpenAI. At some point, the balance tipped and it was obvious that the IOPs limits of a single PostgreSQL primary instance will not cut it anymore. As a result OpenAI decided to move new and shardable workloads to Azure Azure Cosmos DB, which is our default recommended NoSQL store for fully elastic workloads. However, some workloads, as noted in the OpenAI blog are much harder to shard. While OpenAI is using Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server, several of the write scaling requirements that came up have been baked into our new Azure HorizonDB offering, which entered private preview in November 2025. Some of the architectural innovations are described in the following sections. Azure HorizonDB scalability design To better support more demanding workloads, Azure HorizonDB introduces a new storage layer for Postgres that delivers significant performance and reliability enhancements: More efficient read scale out. Postgres read replicas no longer need to maintain their own copy of the data. They can read pages from the single copy maintained by the storage layer. Lower latency Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) writes and higher throughput page reads via two purpose-built storage services designed for WAL storage and Page storage. Durability and high availability responsibilities are shifted from the Postgres primary to the storage layer, allowing Postgres to dedicate more resources to executing transactions and queries. Postgres failovers are faster and more reliable. To understand how Azure HorizonDB delivers these capabilities, let’s look at its high‑level architecture as shown in Figure 1. It follows a log-centric storage model, where the PostgreSQL writeahead log (WAL) is the sole mechanism used to durably persist changes to storage. PostgreSQL compute nodes never write data pages to storage directly in Azure HorizonDB. Instead, pages and other on-disk structures are treated as derived state and are reconstructed and updated from WAL records by the data storage fleet. Azure HorizonDB storage uses two separate storage services for WAL and data pages. This separation allows each to be designed and optimized for the very different patterns of reads and writes PostgreSQL does against WAL files in contrast to data pages. The WAL server is optimized for very low latency writes to the tail of a sequential WAL stream and the Page server is designed for random reads and writes across potentially many terabytes of pages. These two separate services work together to enable Postgres to handle IO intensive OLTP workloads like OpenAI’s. The WAL server can durably write a transaction across 3 availability zones using a single network hop. The typical PostgreSQL replication setup with a hot standby (Figure 2) requires 4 hops to do the same work. Each hop is a component that can potentially fail or slow down and delay a commit. Azure HorizonDB page service can scale out page reads to many hundreds of thousands of IOPs for each Postgres instance. It does this by sharding the data in Postgres data files across a fleet of page servers. This spreads the reads across many high performance NVMe disks on each page server. 2 - WAL Writes in HorizonDB Another key design principle for Azure HorizonDB was to move durability and high availability related work off PostgreSQL compute allowing it to operate as a stateless compute engine for queries and transactions. This approach gives Postgres more CPU, disk and network to run your application’s business logic. Table 1 summarizes the different tasks that community PostgreSQL has to do, which Azure HorizonDB moves to its storage layer. Work like dirty page writing and checkpointing are no longer done by a Postgres primary. The work for sending WAL files to read replicas is also moved off the primary and into the storage layer – having many read replicas puts no load on the Postgres primary in Azure HorizonDB. Backups are handled by Azure Storage via snapshots, Postgres isn’t involved. Task Resource Savings Postgres Process Moved WAL sending to Postgres replicas Disk IO, Network IO Walsender WAL archiving to blob storage Disk IO, Network IO Archiver WAL filtering CPU, Network IO Shared Storage Specific (*) Dirty Page Writing Disk IO background writer Checkpointing Disk IO checkpointer PostgreSQL WAL recovery Disk IO, CPU startup recovering PostgreSQL read replica redo Disk IO, CPU startup recovering PostgreSQL read replica shared storage Disk IO background, checkpointer Backups Disk IO pg_dump, pg_basebackup, pg_backup_start, pg_backup_stop Full page writes Disk IO Backends doing WAL writing Hot standby feedback Vacuum accuracy walreceiver Table 1 - Summary of work that the Azure HorizonDB storage layer takes over from PostgreSQL The shared storage architecture of Azure HorizonDB is the fundamental building block for delivering exceptional read scalability and elasticity which are critical for many workloads. Users can spin up read replicas instantly without requiring any data copies. Page Servers are able to scale and serve requests from all replicas without any additional storage costs. Since WAL replication is entirely handled by the storage service, the primary’s performance is not impacted as the number of replicas changes. Each read replica can scale independently to serve different workloads, allowing for workload isolation. Finally, this architecture allows Azure HorizonDB to substantially improve the overall experience around high availability (HA). HA replicas can now be added without any data copying or storage costs. Since the data is shared between the replicas and continuously updated by Page Servers, secondary replicas only replay a portion of the WAL and can easily keep up with the primary, reducing failover times. The shared storage also guarantees that there is a single source of truth and the old primary never diverges after a failover. This prevents the need for expensive reconciliation, using pg_rewind, or other techniques and further improves availability. Azure HorizonDB was designed from the ground up with learnings from large scale customers, to meet the requirements of the most demanding workloads. The improved performance, scalability and availability of the Azure HorizonDB architecture make Azure a great destination for Postgres workloads.How To Learn about Windows 365 Cloud PC in 2022 to jumpstart your implementation
With the increased demand and interest in Windows 365 Cloud PC, this might be a good moment to summarize all the resources available online that can help ramp you up on the technical and business aspects to get started. " With Windows 365, we’re bringing the operating system to the cloud and creating a new category: the cloud PC, providing organizations with greater flexibility and a secure way to empower their workforce, regardless of location.” – Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft Let’s get started and show you all the resources that are freely available on the internet to kick the tires with Windows 365 Cloud PC as part of your journey to SaaS-based Cloud PCs. Microsoft certification course Learning about Windows 365 will soon be something you can get rewarded on as well. We are working on an official Modern Desktop Administrator. You can already follow the instructor-led training courses to get trained on Windows 365 today! Stay tuned, more news coming soon! Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate - Learn | Microsoft Docs What's new in Windows 365 Learn what new features are available in Windows 365. What's new in Windows 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Docs Windows 365 for Partners Grow your Microsoft 365 cloud services business with Windows 365, the following resources will help you establish maximum benefit from the Microsoft cloud as a Partner. Windows 365 Official Partner Portal Page Windows 365 Partner FAQ Windows 365 Partner PowerPoint deck Windows 365 Official Training material Windows 365 Product Brochure Technical deployment guide Upcoming partner (free) sales training March 31, 2022, 8:00-9:00 AM, Pacific time Register here: https://aka.ms/W365Salestraining1 April 5, 2022, 5:00-6:00 PM, Pacific time Register here: https://aka.ms/W365Salestraining2 April 7, 2022, 8:00-9:00 AM, Pacific time Register here: https://aka.ms/w365technicaltraining1 April 12, 2022, 5:00-6:00 PM, Pacific time Register here: https://aka.ms/w365technicaltraining2 Windows 365 PowerPoint presentations We know like no other that content is sometimes more important than the technology itself to share the benefits for business before starting a proof-of-concept implementation. Therefore, we made our official Microsoft presentation material publicly available for anyone. L100 overview deck of Windows 365 Enterprise L100 overview deck of Windows 365 Business Windows 365 Business vs Enterprise comparison deck L300 technical deep-dive deck of Windows 365 Enterprise Paperback book: Mastering Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Windows 365 One of the main reasons for the slow adoption of Modern Workplace solutions designed to simplify the management layer of your environment is the lack of understanding and knowledge of the product. With this book, you'll learn everything you need to know to make the shift to Modern Workplace, running Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows 365. You can order it here: Amazon.com: Mastering Microsoft Endpoint Manager: Deploy and manage Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows 365 on both physical and cloud PCs: 9781801078993: Brinkhoff, Christiaan, Larsen, Per, Pan, Ken, Manchester, Scott: Books Windows in the Cloud – YouTube webcast series This free live Microsoft Teams webcast series highlights new features, best practices from both Microsoft Engineering and the community, and Windows 365 success stories. We hope you’ll join us right here as we explore technology-focused topics alongside members of the community, Microsoft Engineering, customers, and users. Episode 6: Windows 365 Enterprise and Azure AD join support with Christian Montoya Episode 5: Monitoring, endpoint analytics, and alerting for Windows 365 with Navnith Ramkrishnan Episode 4: Windows 365 Business deep dive with Joydeep Mukherjee Episode 3: Learn from the Experts – MVPs with MVP Anoop Nair Episode 2: Windows 365 at Microsoft Ignite with Scott Manchester Episode 1: Welcome to the Show with Jen Gentleman Demo bytes Create Windows 365 Enterprise Azure AD Join Cloud PCs on your own network How to use the Windows 365 Web Portal the best way possible How to make your Windows 365 Cloud PC users a local administrator How to proactively monitor your Windows 365 Cloud PCs with Endpoint Analytics Windows 365 Business – deep dive technical walkthrough Windows 365 Business is a version of Windows 365 made specifically for use in smaller companies (up to 300 seats). It offers an easy, streamlined way of providing Cloud PCs to your users. Learn in this blog how to configure it. Get started with Windows 365 Business - Microsoft Tech Community Windows 365 Enterprise – deep dive technical walkthrough Find out what you need to know to jump into this new service and make it even easier for your users to connect to Windows running in the Microsoft cloud. Learn in this blog how to configure it. Get started with Windows 365 Enterprise - Microsoft Tech Community How to configure Windows 365 Enterprise Azure AD join (mindcore.dk) Universal Print, Defender, and OneDrive with Windows 365 Learn about how to use Windows 365 with other Microsoft 365 Cloud services such as Universal Print and Defender! Get started with Universal Print and Windows 365 Cloud PC - Microsoft Tech Community Learn how to configure Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for your Windows 365 cloud PCs and physical endpoints via Microsoft Endpoint Manager Learn how to exclude files and extensions in Windows 365 cloud PCs from syncing in to OneDrive via both GPOs and Microsoft Endpoint Manager Linkedin Learning – Deploy, Provision and Manage Windows 365 Cloud PCs by Brian Posey Learn more about how to configure and enable supporting infrastructure in Azure to create a virtual remote network. Get the skills you need to deploy a secure, manageable network, setting up your organization for success. Brian shows you why Windows 365 is so appealing, as it combines the simplicity of the PC with the security and power of the cloud. Welcome to Windows 365 | Linkedin Learning (linkedin.com) Puralsight online training – Windows 365 In this course, Windows 365 Cloud PC, we explore the value of Windows 365 and walk through accessing your cloud PC from both a browser and through an app called Remote Desktop. Windows 365 Cloud PC | Pluralsight Microsoft Endpoint Manager: Windows Autopilot, Windows 365 | Pluralsight Ask Microsoft Anything – Windows 365 New series! Join us every month with your questions about Windows 365 features, deployment, customization, and best practices. During these one-hour Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) events, we'll have members of the Microsoft engineering and product teams ready to help and provide answers. Not sure where to start? Watch our Windows in the Cloud web series to catch up on the latest. Upcoming AMAs: Ask Microsoft Anything: Windows 365 - February 2022 Ask Microsoft Anything: Windows 365 - March 2022 Ask Microsoft Anything: Windows 365 - April 2022 Ask Microsoft Anything: Windows 365 - May 2022 Ask Microsoft Anything: Windows 365 - June 2022 Microsoft Mechanics Watch as Microsoft engineers show you how to get the most from the software, service, and hardware they built. Through in-product demos, recommendations, how-to's, and tips, they simplify complex topics so you can share them with clients, peers, and your management team. Windows 365, your Cloud PC | What it is, how it works, and how to set it up - YouTube Windows 365 admin setup and management tutorial for Cloud PCs - YouTube Microsoft Docs Official product documentation for Windows 365 Business Windows 365 Enterprise documentation | Microsoft Docs Windows 365 Business documentation | Microsoft Docs Windows 365 Feedback portal Share your ideas for future features and functionality for Windows 365—and vote on your favorites! Windows 365 feature requests - Microsoft Tech Community Windows 365 Roadmap To help in your readiness and planning, this page lists Windows 365 updates and features that are in development but not yet released. In development - Windows 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Docs Become a Microsoft MVP for Windows 365 Do you aspire to be a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Windows 365? We just announced our new program. If you're interested in becoming an MVP, please reach out to me on social media! Join our Windows 365 Community – led by MVPs! We are a group of EUC, Enterprise Mobility and Azure specialists, sharing their knowledge actively with the wider virtual desktop communities. Our community is open to everyone, and several Microsoft MVPs will keep you posted every week on the latest news and announcements of Windows 365! Welcome to the brand new Windows 365 Community! - Windows 365 Community (w365community.com)Announcing Azure HorizonDB
Affan Dar, Vice President of Engineering, PostgreSQL at Microsoft Charles Feddersen, Partner Director of Program Management, PostgreSQL at Microsoft Today at Microsoft Ignite, we’re excited to unveil the preview of Azure HorizonDB, a fully managed Postgres-compatible database service designed to meet the needs of modern enterprise workloads. The cloud native architecture of Azure HorizonDB delivers highly scalable shared storage, elastic scale-out compute, and a tiered cache optimized for running cloud applications of any scale. Postgres is transforming industries worldwide and is emerging as the foundation of modern data solutions across all sectors at an unprecedented pace. For developers, it is the database of choice for building new applications with its rich set of extensions, open-source API, and expansive ecosystems of tools and libraries. At the same time, but at the opposite end of the workload spectrum, enterprises around the world are also increasingly turning to Postgres to modernize their existing applications. Azure HorizonDB is designed to support applications across the entire workload spectrum from the first line of code in a new app to the migration of large-scale, mission-critical solutions. Developers benefit from the robust Postgres ecosystem and seamless integration with Azure’s advanced AI capabilities, while enterprises can gain a secure, highly available, and performant cloud database to host their business applications. Whether you’re building from scratch or transforming legacy infrastructure, Azure HorizonDB empowers you to innovate and scale with confidence, today and into the future. Azure HorizonDB introduces new levels of performance and scalability to PostgreSQL. The scale-out compute architecture supports up to 3,072 vCores across primary and replica nodes, and the auto-scaling shared storage supports up to 128TB databases while providing sub-millisecond multi-zone commit latencies. This storage innovation enables Azure HorizonDB to deliver up to 3x more throughput when compared with open-source Postgres for transactional workloads. Azure HorizonDB is enterprise ready on day one. With native support for Entra ID, Private Endpoints, and data encryption, it provides compliance and security for sensitive data stored in the cloud. All data is replicated across availability zones by default and maintenance operations are transparent with near-zero downtime. Backups are fully automated, and integration with Azure Defender for Cloud provides additional protection for highly sensitive data. All up, Azure HorizonDB offers enterprise-grade security, compliance, and reliability, making it ready for business use today. Since the launch of ChatGPT, there has been an explosion of new AI apps being built, and Postgres has become the database of choice due in large part to its vector index support. Azure HorizonDB extends the AI capabilities of Postgres further with two key features. We are introducing advanced filtering capabilities to the DiskANN vector index which enable query predicate pushdowns directly into the vector similarity search. This provides significant performance and scalability improvements over pgvector HNSW while maintaining accuracy and is ideal for similarity search over transactional data in Postgres. The second feature is built-in AI model management that seamlessly integrates generative, embedding, and reranking models from Microsoft Foundry for developers to use in the database with zero configuration. In addition to enhanced vector indexing and simplified model management to build powerful new AI apps, we’re also pleased to announce the general availability of Microsoft’s PostgreSQL Extension for VS Code that provides the tooling for Postgres developers to maximize their productivity. Using this extension, GitHub Copilot is context aware of the Postgres database which means less prompting and higher quality answers, and in the Ignite release, we’ve added live monitoring with one-click GitHub Copilot debugging where Agent mode can launch directly from the performance monitoring dashboard to diagnose Postgres performance issues and guide users to a fix. Alpha Life Sciences are an existing Azure customers “I’m truly excited about how Azure HorizonDB empowers our AI development. Its seamless support for Vector DB, RAG, and Agentic AI allows us to build intelligent features directly on a reliable Postgres foundation. With Azure HorizonDB, I can focus on advancing AI capabilities instead of managing infrastructure complexities. It’s a smart, forward-looking solution that perfectly aligns with how we design and deliver AI-powered applications.” Pengcheng Xu, CTO Alpha Life Sciences For enterprises that are modernizing their applications to Postgres in the cloud, the security and availability of Azure HorizonDB make it an ideal platform. However, these migrations are often complex and time consuming for large legacy codebase conversions. To simplify this and reduce the risk, we’re pleased to announce the preview of GitHub Copilot powered Oracle migration built into the PostgreSQL Extension for VS Code. Built into VS Code, teams of engineers can work with GitHub Copilot to automate the end-to-end conversion of complex database code using rich code editing, version control, text authoring, and deployment in an integrated development environment. Azure HorizonDB is the next generation of fully managed, cloud native PostgreSQL database service. Built on the latest Azure infrastructure with state-of-the-art cloud architecture, Azure HorizonDB is ready to for the most demanding application workloads. In addition to our portfolio of managed Postgres services in Azure, Microsoft is deeply invested into the open source Postgres project and is one of the top corporate upstream contributors and sponsors for the PostgreSQL project, with 19 Postgres project contributors employed by Microsoft. As a hyperscale Postgres vendor, it’s critical to actively participate in the open-source project. It enables us to better support our customers down to the metal in Azure, and to contribute our learnings from running Postgres at scale back to the community. We’re committed to continuing our investment to push the Postgres project forward, and the team is already active in making contributions to Postgres 19 to be released in 2026. Ready to explore Azure HorizonDB? Azure HorizonDB is initially available in Central US, West US3, UK South and Australia East regions. Customers are invited to apply for early preview access to Azure HorizonDB and get hands-on experience with this new service. Participation is limited, apply now at aka.ms/PreviewHorizonDBInitial ISV solutions for Windows 365
Today we announced Windows 365, a cloud service that introduces a new way to experience Windows 10 or Windows 11. Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft cloud, streaming the full Windows experience—including your apps, content, and settings—to any device. Windows 365 also creates a new hybrid personal computing category called cloud PC, which uses both the power of the cloud and the capabilities of the device to provide a full, personalized Windows experience. As Partner Director with over 20 years of experience at Microsoft, I've worked on many projects and built many different products and services. For the last two years I've been leading the team of engineers to develop Windows 365. Through the process, I've spoken with customers, relied on the inputs of colleagues and applied all my industry knowledge to build this solution. I'm excited about the many features and capabilities we've put into Windows 365. Although we've built an end-to-end solution with Windows 365, we know that our partners are always able to find new ways to expand and extend Microsoft services. To support our partners, extensibility via Graph APIs is a core design principle of Windows 365. Over the last 12 months, we began working with four different ISVs during a private service preview. These companies were chosen because of the consistent innovations they've developed and because of their own unique perspectives. We gave them an overview of our product strategy, provided access to the preview service and Graph APIs, and then watched them get to work. Here's a look at the four ISVs and what they've built: Nerdio Nerdio provides deployment, management, and optimization services that simplify Azure deployments and empower Managed Services Providers and IT Professionals to be successful with Windows 365. Microsoft has worked closely with Nerdio to expand their Nerdio Manager for MSP and Nerdio Manager for Enterprise products to make it even easier for MSPs and IT professionals to deploy and manage Windows 365 with ease. With Nerdio, MSPs and enterprises of all sizes can facilitate the pricing, design, deployment, and management of cloud PCs from a central console. MSPs and enterprise organizations can use Nerdio Manager to roll out Windows 365 environments to individual customers or across multiple tenants. UKG UKG is a leading global provider of Human Capital Management (HCM), payroll, HR service delivery, and workforce management solutions that help companies create great work experiences for all employees. UKG has now expanded their signature UKG Pro solution to make the process of delivering Windows 365 to employees even simpler. Through the service, when HR enters the new hire's information in UKG Pro, a workflow is launched that results in a fully provisioned cloud PC delivered directly to the employee. Similarly, when employees leave the company and their credentials are revoked, UKG Pro and Windows 365 return that cloud PC to inventory, ready for the next person. ServiceNow ServiceNow enables organizations to create digital workflows that optimize how business gets done. Working with Microsoft, the ServiceNow team has integrated Windows 365 and Microsoft Teams with their ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM) solution. Through this integration, end users themselves can request cloud PCs through the familiar interface of Microsoft Teams. The platform automates the workflow to collect the necessary approvals, provision the machines, and deliver the cloud PCs to the end users. Through this automation, IT saves time and end users get access to the resources they need, all through a system that provides regular status updates. NetApp NetApp is a Microsoft Partner that gives managed services providers (MSPs) the tools they need to provision, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot virtual infrastructure. Spot PC by NetApp gives MSPs a powerful, single-pane-of-glass through which they can manage Windows 365 instances. This software as a service (SaaS) offering blends the power of Windows 365 with NetApp's enterprise-class infrastructure management so that MSPs can deliver highly available, scalable, and performant cloud PCs that meet their clients' needs—in minutes. MSPs can manage their entire customer base of cloud PCs through a single partner dashboard with full multi-tenant security, from which they can drill down into any given tenant to correct performance issues, troubleshoot problems, and allocate new cloud PC instances. Excitement for what's to come I'm excited about the great work these partners have done. They've helped Windows 365 integrate with popular tools and solutions to meet customers where they are. Now that we've launched Windows 365, the same Graph APIs used by these partners are available to everyone. You can find these resources here on Microsoft Docs. I look forward to seeing the next set of services that will be built by our partner ecosystem.Windows 365 Cloud PC Self-Service Automated Request Process
How to automate Windows 365 Cloud PC self-service requests (Windows 365, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Forms, Power Automate, MS Graph) Contributors: Juan José Guirola Sr. (Next Generation Endpoint GBB for Americas) Bobby Chang (Power Platform GBB for Americas) Azim Manjee (Cloud Endpoint Technical Specialist) Windows 365 simplifies how organizations offer Cloud PCs to their employees. As a cloud-based service from Microsoft, Windows 365 provides a personal, secure streamed experience from any supported device. It comes with all the productivity, security, and collaboration benefits of Microsoft 365. Windows 365 removes the need to manage a complex infrastructure and it integrates with existing cloud-based networking investments such as Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and more. As the workplace continues to shift toward hybrid work, Windows 365 gives more organizations the ability to issue a cloud-native, persistent Cloud PC that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all with the ease of assigning a license. This simplified approach to provisioning Cloud PCs opens up the potential for automation and self-service scenarios. With Windows 365, you can provide your employees with Cloud PCs on demand, and here, we’ll show you how. Prerequisites The following items are required to provide automated, self-service Cloud PC request of Windows 365 deployment in a production environment: (For personal development and sandbox/testing scenario, you can use the Microsoft 365 Developer Plan and Power Apps Developer Plan). Windows 365 Enterprise Licenses Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 11 Enterprise Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Premium (P1/P2) Azure AD native group (must NOT be a synced group) Microsoft Intune (previously known as Microsoft Endpoint Manager) Microsoft Forms Power Automate per flow plan Microsoft Graph (Windows 365 Cloud PC MS Graph API in beta) Working with Windows 365 Cloud PCs using the Microsoft Graph API Azure App Registration with the following permissions: CloudPC.Read.All. For enterprise production scenarios, we would recommend leveraging the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) capabilities in Power Platform, in order to safely adopt future changes to your processes. However, this is outside of the scope of this blog post. Before you begin Before you set up automation and a self-service Cloud PC request process, identify and assign the target Azure AD group(s) for the Windows 365 Cloud PC license assignment and provisioning policy. In our scenario, we have three Azure AD Groups (one Azure AD group for each of our three business segments), for both license and provisioning policy assignments. To configure group license assignments, see Assign licenses to users by group membership in Azure Active Directory. For information about how to target the groups for provisioning policies, see Create Windows 365 Cloud PC provisioning policies. Once you have the group assignment, set up the self-service process starting with Microsoft Forms. Create the request intake form Establishing an intake process will not only allow your employees to request the Windows 365 Cloud PC on-demand, but also allow you to build in an approval process and a feedback loop once the license is provisioned and ready for access. For our scenario, we are using Microsoft Forms as the intake form for requesting a Cloud PC. If your organization needs additional requirements around data validations and user experience in the form, we recommend leveraging Power Apps instead. To create a form with Microsoft Forms, see the Microsoft Forms help and learning home page or Create a form with Microsoft Forms. The following are the key components of our example form: Purpose-specific title “Windows 365 Cloud PC Request Form” Four questions to identify the requesting employee’s business segment, the type of Cloud PC they require, their region, and their contact number (aka mobile number) Shared to people in the organization only, for security, tracking, and notification purposes Alt text: Example Windows 365 Cloud PC Request Form in Microsoft Forms. Register MS Graph in Azure AD Once the request form is complete, register MS Graph as an Enterprise application in Azure Active Directory. Log into the Azure portal with appropriate permissions for making application registrations. Global Administrator privileges will provide the permissions to make application registrations; there are other options by following the custom role details in this documentation Custom role permissions for app registration - Azure AD - Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Docs. In the Azure services portal, click Azure Active Directory > Azure Active Directory. Alt text: A screenshot of the Azure Active Directory blade in the Azure services portal. Select App registrations in the left navigation menu. Click New registration. Give the application a name, select Single Tenant for the supported account type, and then click Register. Alt text: A screenshot of the Register an application screen, showing the details that need to be identified for the new application. Note. Alt text: A screenshot of the recently created application overview with the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID details highlighted. Click API permissions in the left navigation menu. . Select Microsoft.Graph and choose Application permissions. Ensure the following permissions are added: CloudPC.Read.All User.Read User.Read.All Group.Read.All Mail.Send (optional for sending messages via Graph ) Alt text: A screenshot of the Select permissions setup. Once the permissions have been added, click Grant consent. Click Certificates & secrets in the left navigation menu, and then click New client secret. Important! Note this key and store it somewhere safe, like a key vault. This key will only be visible upon creation. Once you navigate away, you will be unable to expose the key again and will have to generate a new key. Create the Cloud PC provisioning process automation In this section, we will build the Power Automate flows that will orchestrate the self-service process. This decision flow illustrates the end-to-end process of adding the requestor to proper AD security group, prompting an approval process, and then notifying requestor of their Cloud PC readiness. Alt text: A flowchart depicting the process for the automated provisioning process. To begin, sign into Microsoft Power Automate with your Microsoft 365 organization credentials. From the left navigation menu, click + Create then: Click Automated cloud flow. Name the flow and choose the flow trigger, “When a new response is submitted” (Microsoft Forms) from list. Click Create. Alt text: A screenshot that shows the flow name and trigger selection options. In When a new response is submitted, select your form from the Form Id drop down, then: Click + New step. Search for “forms” in Choose an operation and select Get response details (Microsoft Forms) from Actions. For Get response details, select your form from the Form Id drop down and then select Response Id as Dynamic content. Alt text: A screenshot of the criteria for the Get response details step. Click on + New step (To add variable for the Object ID of the targeted group in Azure AD). In Choose an operation, type variable. Select Initialize variable from Actions. Type VARGroup ID details screen. Give it a name, e.g., VARGroupID and select “String” as Type. Click + New step (To add variable for the “id” attribute value of the Cloud PC). Choose an operation, type variable. Select Initialize variable from Actions. Give it a name, e.g. VARCloudPCID and select “String” as Type. Click on + New step (To add variable for the “status” provisioning value of the Cloud PC). Search for VAR in Choose an operation. Select Initialize variable. Give it a name (e.g. VARProvisioningStatus) and select “String” as Type. Click on + New step (To add variable for your tenant ID). Choose an operation, type variable. Select Initialize variable from Actions. Give it a name (e.g., VARTenantGUID) and select “String” as Type. Tenant ID/Tenant GUID is required for authentication against the CloudPC Microsoft.Graph API. For information on getting your tenent ID, see How to find your Azure Active Directory tenent ID.For information on getting your tenent ID, see How to find your Azure Active Directory tenant ID. In the Value field, enter your Tenant ID. Click on + New step (To add variable for your Choose an operation, type variable. Select Initialize variable from Actions. Give it a name (e.g., VARAppID) and select “String” as Type. (This AppID represents the App Registration Client GUID, which is required for authentication against the CloudPC Microsoft.Graph API). In the Value field, enter your App Registration Client ID. Click on + New step (To add variable for the “Secret,” which is your . Choose an operation, type variable. Select Initialize variable from Actions. Give it a name (e.g., VARSecretID) and select “String” as Type. This is required for authentication against the CloudPC Microsoft.Graph API. Refer to Step 6 in the “Register MS Graph in Azure AD” section of this document. For additional protection, use Azure KeyVault to store and retrieve this client secret. Refer to Defining inputs and outputs for this variable action to obfuscate the secret during run time and from the logs. In the Value field, enter your Client Secret. At this point, we need to determine the automated actions, based on the “Business Segment” value provided by requestor. This can be accomplished by applying a Switch action. : Click on + New step. Search for “Switch” in Choose an operation and select Switch (Control). Next to On, select What Business Segment are you part of? from Dynamics content. Add as many “Cases” as needed to meet your specific needs. In our example, we have 3 Cases, which represent the 3 business segments: South Enterprise, LATAM, and Microsoft Federal. Within each Case, click Add an action Search for “variable” and select Set variable. Select VARGroupID from the Name drop down. Insert the Object ID of the desired targeted group for each “Case.” Note: The Object ID can be retrieved by viewing the group properties in Azure AD. Alt text: A screenshot of options for setting the Case variables. Click on + New step (This step will initiate the approval process) Search for “approval” in Choose an operation and select Start and wait for an approval. Select Approve/Reject – Everyone must approve from the Approval type drop down. Enter the email addresses for approvers in the Assigned to field. Fill in the remaining fields as desired. In our example, we elected to use values gathered from the requestor. Alt text: A screenshot of the available settings for the approval process in Start and wait for an approval. Click on + New step. This step will set up the execution process determined by approval outcome. Search for “Condition” in Choose an operation and select Condition control. Select Outcome under Dynamic content as the value. Choose is equal to and type “Approve” for the value. You will be presented with two sub processes, If yes and If no. Add necessary flows for each. Alt text: A screenshot of the If yes and If no sub-process flow setup options. For the If yes process: Click Add an action. Search for “Azure AD” in Choose an operation and select Get User. Select Responders’ Email for the User Id or Principal Name value. Click Add an action. Search for “Azure AD” in Choose an operation and select Add user to group. Select VARGroupID for Group Id and Id for User Id. Click Add an action. Search for “Send email” in Choose an operation and select Send an email (V2) Office 365 Outlook. Select VARGroupID for Group Id and Id for User Id. Rename to “Send an approved email.” Fill in all fields, as desired. Alt text: A screenshot of the Send an approval email setup. [Optional] If you want to added notification, click Add an action. You can add notification to your flow. In our example we are using Twilio, but you can choose to use other services. Follow your SMS provider’s instructions to properly configure in Power Automate Flow. Click Add an action. To pause the flow and allow the provisioning process to kick off in the backend, select Delay and configure the desired time. In our example, we’ve elected to delay the flow for 1 minute. Search for Delay in Choose an operation. Click Add an action. Important! To add the control to perform Graph API calls against tenant to monitor requestors Cloud PC provisioning status, search. In the Method field, select GET. Under URI, set it up exactly as illustrated below, placing the UserPrincipalName dynamic content inside the string: https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/deviceManagement/virtualEndpoint/cloudPCs?$filter=userPrincipalName eq '@{outputs('Get_user')?['body/userPrincipalName']}' and status eq 'Provisioning'&$count=true For Authentication, select Active Directory OAuth. Leave the authority as default. Enter your TenantID variable under Tenant, https://graph.microsoft.com under Audience, the AppID under Client ID, and the Secret in the Secret section. Alt text: Example setup for Graph API controls to monitor requestor Cloud PC provisioning status. Click Add an action, and search for “Parse JSON.” Under (note in the UI you will also see Parse User CPCs), select Body for the Content field and insert the body of the HTTP request response into the Schema field. Use the following schema: Alt text: A screenshot of completed content and schema details for Parse JSON. { "type": "object", "properties": { "@@odata.context": { "type": "string" }, "@@odata.count": { "type": "integer" }, "value": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "displayName": { "type": "string" }, "imageDisplayName": {}, "provisioningPolicyId": { "type": "string" }, "provisioningPolicyName": { "type": "string" }, "onPremisesConnectionName": { "type": "string" }, "servicePlanId": { "type": "string" }, "servicePlanName": { "type": "string" }, "status": { "type": "string" }, "userPrincipalName": { "type": "string" }, "lastModifiedDateTime": { "type": "string" }, "managedDeviceId": {}, "managedDeviceName": {}, "aadDeviceId": {}, "gracePeriodEndDateTime": {}, "servicePlanType": { "type": "string" }, "statusDetails": {} }, "required": [ "id", "displayName", "imageDisplayName", "provisioningPolicyId", "provisioningPolicyName", "onPremisesConnectionName", "servicePlanId", "servicePlanName", "status", "userPrincipalName", "lastModifiedDateTime", "managedDeviceId", "managedDeviceName", "aadDeviceId", "gracePeriodEndDateTime", "servicePlanType", "statusDetails" ] } } } } Note: You can also get this schema by using the Graph explorer to request from the same endpoint. Use the Generate from example button to generate the schema: Click Add action and search for “Apply to each.” In the Output field, select Value from our Parse JSON step. A Do until step should appear., If it doesn’t, click Add an action and search for “Do until.” Alt text: A screenshot of the Do until setup. In the Do until step, select the ProvisioningStatus variable is equal to string(‘provisioned’). Click and search for “Set Variable.” Configure the CPC-ID Variable to the ID of the item from the Parse JSON. Click Add an action and search for “HTTP.” Configure the HTTP using the same variables for TenantID, APpID, and Secret, as in the previous HTTP action, but using the following URI: https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/deviceManagement/virtualEndpoint/cloudPCs/@{variables('CPC-ID')} Example: Alt text: Example setup for monitoring Cloud PC. Click Add an action, search for “Parse JSON.” Select Body for the Content field and insert the following into the Schema field: { "type": "object", "properties": { "@@odata.context": { "type": "string" }, "id": { "type": "string" }, "displayName": { "type": "string" }, "imageDisplayName": { "type": "string" }, "provisioningPolicyId": { "type": "string" }, "provisioningPolicyName": { "type": "string" }, "onPremisesConnectionName": { "type": "string" }, "servicePlanId": { "type": "string" }, "servicePlanName": { "type": "string" }, "status": { "type": "string" }, "userPrincipalName": { "type": "string" }, "lastModifiedDateTime": { "type": "string" }, "managedDeviceId": { "type": "string" }, "managedDeviceName": { "type": "string" }, "aadDeviceId": { "type": "string" }, "gracePeriodEndDateTime": {}, "servicePlanType": { "type": "string" }, "statusDetails": {} } } Alt text: A screenshot of the Parse JSON schema. Click Add an action and search for “Set Variable.” Select ProvisioningStatus for the Name and configure the provisioning status variable to the status of the item from the Parse JSON. Click Add an action and search for “Delay.” Set a delay in an appropriate increment to recheck the status based on your typical Cloud PC provisioning time (e.g., 30 minutes is a normal time increment). In our example, we selected an increment of every 15 seconds. Consider throttling concerns to not overwhelm the API and cause timeouts. Once you’re past the Do Until scope, Click Add an action and search for “Send an Email.” Create your “successful” provisioning email. In our example, we use several variables and dynamic content to ensure clarity. You can also embed links to the different clients available to the employee for accessing their Cloud PC. Alt text: An example of a “successful” provisioning email setup. Click Add an action and search for “Send Text Message.” Create your “successful” provisioning SMS. In our example, we use several variables and dynamic content for clarity. Alt text: An example “successful” provisioning SMS message setup. Once you’re past the Apply to Each scope, Click Add an action, and search for “Terminate.” Set the Status to Successful. Return to the Approval Conditon to setup the rejection or If no process. Scroll up in the workflow to access this setup. Click Add an action and search for “Send Email.” Create and carefully word the rejection email. Alt text: An example of a rejection email setup. Click Add an action and search for Terminate. Set the Status as Cancelled. The entire Power Automate flow should look like the image below. Alt text: A Power Automatic flow diagram depicting the process described in this document. Once you’ve completed adding in steps to your automation flow, you’re ready to test the solution. Select Test and execute the steps described in the User experience section of this document. User experience Once the self-service experience is configured, the employee or requestor should be able to generate a request. The following is an example of what the user can expect during their request experience. The requestor completes the Self-service user request form. Alt text: An example of a completed self-service request form filled in by an employee. The flow kicks off based on information entered in the form by the requestor. The approval process begins. Alt text: An illustration of the approval process flow. The Approver gets an email and Microsoft Teams notification to approve, reject, or reassign the request. Alt text: An example of an approval request. Once approved or rejected, the flow continues to add the user to the proper Azure AD Group, which in turn will assign the proper Windows 365 license and the correct provisioning policy. Alt text: An illustration of the If yes and If no process flows. If the request is approved, the approval email and SMS text will be sent to the requestor informing them that the request was approved. If the request is rejected, the rejection email will be sent. Alt text: An example of an approval email. Alt text: An example of an approval text message. Power Automate will monitor the provisioning status as it changes from “provisioning” to “provisioned.” Once the Cloud PC status changes to “provisioned,” the requestor will receive an email and SMS text message informing them that their Cloud PC has been provisioned and is ready to access. Alt text: An example email message informing the requestor that their Cloud PC has been provisioned. Alt text: An example text message informing the requestor that their Cloud PC has been provisioned. Continue the conversation by joining us in the Microsoft 365 Tech Community! Whether you have product questions or just want to stay informed with updates on new releases, tools, and blogs, Microsoft 365 Tech Community is your go-to resource to stay connected.
Enable FIDO Token (RSA DS100) passthrough to W365 Machine via Windows App
Hi There, Working with Enterprise license, trying to establish the approach to allow FIDO Token, specifically the RSA DS100, to redirect from the Host device. The users can only connect via the Windows application, not via the RDP client. I have the Device Class/Driver ID of the token. It is key that removable storage is not enabled as a result of this, for obvious reasons. Ideally the allowance would be scoped to only include the token. Thanks in advance.Unlocking the Power of Windows 365 in 2025: Your Ultimate Learning Guide
Fun fact, the article below is written by Microsoft Copilot! Before kicking off, I want to wish all of you Happy (and successful) New Year! As we move further into 2025, the digital workspace continues to evolve, and Windows 365 remains at the forefront, offering seamless and flexible cloud computing solutions. Last year, we have been recognized for the second consecutive year as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Desktop as a Service (DaaS). Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the world of cloud PCs, there's always more to learn about making the most out of Windows 365. To kick this year off with a tradition, here’s your comprehensive new guide to mastering Windows 365 in the year 2025! Getting started with Windows 365 Microsoft provides a wealth of resources to help users understand and maximize Windows 365. Start by exploring the official Windows 365 website for detailed documentation, tutorials, and updates. Additionally, the Microsoft Learn platform offers structured learning paths and modules specifically tailored to Windows 365. Windows 365 migration: It's easier than you think - Windows IT Pro Blog Windows 365 Cloud PCs and Microsoft Intune for VDI administrators | Windows IT Pro Blog New end-user experiences for Windows in the cloud: December 2024 | Microsoft Community Hub Technical deep dive bootcamp on Microsoft AVD and Windows 365 The future of Windows, Windows 365 and AI | Microsoft 365 Community Conference Create provisioning policies for Windows 365 Windows 365 deployment overview Windows 365 networking deployment options Windows in the Cloud video series Windows in the Cloud video series dives into Windows 365 capabilities: Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop news from Microsoft Ignite - Windows in the Cloud What’s next in Windows 365 Frontline - Windows in the Cloud Introducing Windows 365 Link – the first Cloud PC device Microsoft Teams in the Windows cloud Windows App: what's new and what's next | Windows in the Cloud GPU-enhanced Windows 365 Cloud PCs - Windows in the Cloud Leadership spotlights Leadership spotlight: Melissa Grant, Windows Marketing Leadership spotlight: Marcus Ash on the future of Windows and AI design Customer spotlights Episode 1 - Windows 365 Customer Spotlights with Sepideh AMAs (Ask Microsoft Anything) Looking for more tips to deploy and manage Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop faster, better, and simple? Catch up on the most recent sessions on-demand: AMA: The latest in Windows 365 and Windows in the cloud(December 2024) AMA: Windows 365 - Q3 2024 capabilities(October 2024) AMA: Windows 365 GPU-enabled Cloud PCs(September 2024) AMA: Windows App(August 2024) Upcoming dates: January 29, 2025 - AMA: Windows 365 February 26, 2025 - AMA: Windows 365 March 26, 2025 - AMA: Windows 365 Microsoft Ignite ’24 content available on demand In case you missed any of the breakout sessions that the Windows cloud engineering team delivered to Microsoft Ignite, they are now available on demand. Here are just a few highlights: Transform end-user computing experiences with Windows, Windows 365 and Intune Download PowerPoint slides here. Secure and resilient Windows strategy from Client to Cloud Download PowerPoint slides here. What's New in Windows Security, Productivity and Cloud What's new and what's next for Azure Virtual Desktop Books Mastering Windows 365 Mastering Microsoft Intune Get Microsoft certified As a candidate for this certification, you have subject matter expertise managing devices and client applications in a Microsoft 365 tenant by using Microsoft Intune. You’re responsible for: Implementing solutions for efficient deployment and management of endpoints on various operating systems, platforms, and device types. Implementing and managing endpoints at scale by using Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Intune Suite, Windows Autopilot, Microsoft Copilot for Security, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Windows 365. Implementing identity, security, access, policies, updates, and apps for endpoints. Learn more about the course via: Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate - Certifications | Microsoft Learn Join the Windows 365 Community Engage with the Windows 365 community to share experiences, ask questions, and learn from others. Participate in forums such as the Microsoft Tech Community and follow relevant hashtags on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. Connecting with peers and experts can provide valuable insights and tips. Windows 365 Community weekly newsletters Follow us on LinkedIn Join our community on Discord Hands-On Practice There’s no substitute for hands-on experience. Set up your own Windows 365 environment and experiment with its features. Create different scenarios, troubleshoot issues, and explore various settings to get a practical understanding of how Windows 365 works. This practical approach will help solidify your knowledge and boost your confidence in using the platform. Go for our Interactive Demo for Windows 365 to: https://aka.ms/w365demo Attend Virtual Events and Webinars Save the date now for the third installment of the Microsoft Technical Takeoff for Windows and Microsoft Intune! This free, virtual skilling event will offer prescriptive, technical deep dives and panel-based discussions to help you feel prepared and confident in deploying and managing devices, apps, and experiences from client to cloud! Microsoft Technical Takeoff | Microsoft Community Hub Community events in 2025 to attend Workplace Ninja Summit + local user groups Workplace Ninja Summit is another amazing community event where you can learn about all things Intune and Windows 365. Its goal is to share knowledge with the community and to make workplace management with Microsoft Technologies simpler for everybody. Dates: 22 - 25 September 2025 More information can be found at Workplace Ninja Summit 2025 UK edition Workplace Ninjas UK 2025 - Expo + Breakouts | Edinburgh - 16 - 17 June 2025 Australia edition Workplace Ninja Australia Tour 2025 - Canberra, Fri, Feb 14, 2025, 9:00 AM | Meetup USA edition Workplace Ninjas US | 2025 Two-Day Conference Announcement December 2025 MMS Minnesota The Midwest Management Summit is a 4-day conference purposely capped at 750 attendees so that nobody gets lost in the crowd. Speakers have time to meet and talk to you. There are no people rushing out of a session to get the next speaker going. You have time to absorb what you see and talk it over with speakers and other attendees. Dates: May 4-8, 2025 at the Radisson Blu in Bloomington, MN More information can be found at https://mmsmoa.com/ MEM Summit Modern Endpoint Management Summit is an event dedicated to exploring the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in the field of endpoint management. Dates: 23 - 25 April 2025 - Paris, France Learn more about the event via: MEM Summit 2025 EUC Tech Summit Denmark EUCtech Denmark, an independent organization focusing on End User Computing technologies from Citrix and Microsoft. Dates: May 22, 2025 @ 7:30 am - 4:30 pm Learn more: EUCtech Denmark AVD Techfest AVD TechFest is an international festival bringing industry experts, vendors, and community speakers together to share and discover best practices for Windows 365 and Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) technology. Learn more at avdtechfest.com Stay in touch with us. Learning about Windows 365 in 2025 is an ongoing journey that combines official resources, community engagement, and hands-on experience. By tapping into these diverse learning avenues, you can stay ahead of the curve and fully harness the potential of Windows 365 to transform your digital workspace. Oh, and if you did not already, make sure to follow me on Linkedin to stay connected! Happy learning! Christiaan d.Enhancing Secure Remote Work with Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite
(Windows 365, Microsoft Entra Suite) Contributors: Juan José Guirola Sr. (Security GBB for Advanced Identity) Tenney Bartenfelder (GBB – Advanced Identity) Summary The document discusses the benefits of using Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite to enhance secure remote work environments across various industries. Importance of Secure Remote Work: Remote work offers flexibility and access to a global talent pool but also introduces risks such as data breaches and cyber threats, making secure remote work crucial for business continuity. Windows 365 Cloud PC: Windows 365 provides a full Windows environment streamed from the cloud, offering centralized security, data protection, conditional access, integration with Microsoft security tools, remote management, and scalability. Microsoft Entra Suite Features: Microsoft Entra Suite includes Private Access, Internet Access, ID Governance, ID Protection, Verified ID, and Least Privilege Access, providing comprehensive security for modern workplaces. Global Consulting Firm Case Study: A global consulting firm improved security, scalability, user experience, and identity governance by adopting Windows 365, Microsoft Entra Private Access, and Microsoft Entra Identity Governance. Manufacturing Company Case Study: A manufacturing company addressed data security, scalability, user experience, identity governance, and internet threats by implementing Windows 365 Cloud PC, Microsoft Entra Private Access, Internet Access, and Identity Governance. Healthcare Provider Case Study: A healthcare provider ensured secure remote access, data security, scalability, user experience, identity governance, and verifiable identity by using Windows 365, Microsoft Entra Private Access, Internet Access, Identity Governance, and Verified ID. Comparison with Traditional Virtual Desktop Solutions: Windows 365 offers simplicity, per-user licensing, seamless Microsoft integration, scalability, robust security, and consistent user experience compared to traditional virtual desktop solutions. Comparison with Other IAM Solutions: Microsoft Entra Suite provides identity-centric Zero Trust Network Access, Secure Web Gateway, automated identity lifecycle management, digital identity verification, least privilege access, and advanced threat detection compared to other IAM solutions. Comparison with Other SASE Solutions: Other SASE solutions may offer strong security and scalability but often lack the seamless integration with Microsoft 365 and other productivity tools that Microsoft Entra Suite provides. Conclusion: Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite offer robust, scalable, and integrated solutions for secure remote work, enhancing productivity and security in hybrid work environments. Main Document In today’s digital age, remote work has become a staple for many organizations. However, with the flexibility of remote work comes the challenge of ensuring security across various devices and networks. This is where solutions like Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite come into play, offering robust security features that help organizations maintain productivity without compromising on security. The Importance of Secure Remote Work Remote work offers numerous benefits, including increased flexibility, reduced commute times, and the ability to tap into a global talent pool. However, it also introduces risks such as data breaches, unauthorized access, and cyber threats. Ensuring secure remote work is crucial to protect sensitive information and maintain business continuity. Windows 365: A Secure Cloud PC Solution Windows 365 transforms the traditional desktop experience by streaming a full Windows environment from the cloud to any device. Here are some key benefits: Centralized Security: Windows 365 leverages Microsoft Zero Trust security model, which includes identity verification and risk factor, device health validation, and least-privilege access to ensure that only authorized users can access Cloud PCs. Data Protection: Data is stored in the cloud, not on local devices, reducing the risk of data loss or theft. With features like virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) and Secure Boot, Windows 365 ensures that data is encrypted, both in transit and at rest, and protected from malware and other threats. Conditional Access: Administrators can set Conditional Access policies to control who can access the Cloud PCs and under what conditions, enhancing security by ensuring that access is granted only from compliant devices and locations. Integration with Microsoft Security Tools: It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, providing advanced threat protection and security management capabilities. Remote Management: IT Administrators can manage and configure Cloud PCs remotely using tools like Microsoft Intune, simplifying the management of security policies and compliance. Scalability and Flexibility: Windows 365 allows organizations to quickly scale up or down based on their needs, providing flexibility to support a dynamic workforce while maintaining security standards. Microsoft Entra Suite: Comprehensive Security for Modern Workplaces Microsoft Entra Suite offers a unified approach to identity and network access security, making it easier for organizations to implement a Zero Trust security model. Key features include: Microsoft Entra Private Access: This feature provides identity-centric Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to secure access to private applications and resources. It helps reduce operational complexity and costs by replacing legacy VPNs. Microsoft Entra Internet Access: An identity-centric Secure Web Gateway (SWG) that protects against malicious internet traffic, unsafe or non-compliant content, and other threats from the open internet. It ensures secure access to SaaS applications and internet traffic. Microsoft Entra ID Governance: A comprehensive identity governance and administration solution that automates the identity and access lifecycle. It ensures that the right people have the right access to the right apps and services at the right time. Microsoft Entra ID Protection: This advanced identity solution block’s identity compromise in real-time using high-assurance authentication methods, automated risk and threat assessment, and adaptive access policies powered by advanced machine learning. Microsoft Entra Verified ID: A managed verifiable credentials service based on open standards that enables real-time identity verification in a secure and privacy-respecting way. It includes premium capabilities like Face Check for streamlined remote onboarding and self-service recovery of passwordless accounts. Least Privilege Access: Automates the access lifecycle to ensure users have the minimum necessary access to perform their roles, helping to prevent lateral movement in case of a breach. Improved User Experience: Enhances the user experience with faster and more secure sign-in via paswordless authentication, single sign-on for all applications, and superior performance. It also provides a self-service portal for managing access requests and approvals. Reduced Complexity and Cost: By integrating multiple security tools into one suite, Microsoft Entra Suite reduces the complexity and cost of managing security tools from multiple vendors. Sample Use Cases Case Study: A Global Consulting Firm Background: A global consulting firm with offices in multiple countries needed a secure and scalable solution to support its remote workforce. The firm faced challenges with its existing VPN-based remote access solution, which was not adequately equipped to handle the increased demand for remote work and stringent security requirements. Additionally, the firm required robust identity governance to manage the lifecycle of user identities and ensure compliance with various international regulations. Challenges: Data Security and Compliance: Ensuring the protection of sensitive client data and compliance with various international regulations. Scalability: The need to quickly scale remote access solutions to accommodate a growing number of remote consultants. User Experience: Providing seamless and efficient user experience for consultants accessing critical applications and client data remotely. Identity Governance: Managing the lifecycle of user identities, including the creation, updating, and removal of access rights, to ensure that consultants had appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. Management Complexity: Reducing the complexity of managing a diverse IT environment with multiple security and access control solutions. Solution: The consulting firm adopted Windows 365, Microsoft Entra Private Access, and Microsoft Entra Identity Governance to address these challenges. Windows 365 Scalability: Enabled the firm to quickly scale virtual desktops based on demand, providing flexibility for remote and hybrid work. Centralized Management: Simplified IT management with centralized control over updates, patches, and configurations. Consistent User Experience: Delivered seamless user experience across devices, ensuring consultants could access critical applications and client data efficiently. Microsoft Entra Private Access: Zero Trust Security: Implemented Zero Trust principles to secure access to private applications and resources, ensuring only authorized users could access sensitive information. Conditional Access: Used Conditional Access policies to control access based on user identity, device health, and location, enhancing security. Identity Protection: Leveraged advanced identity protection features to detect and respond to potential security threats in real-time. VPN Replacement: Replaced the legacy VPN solution with Microsoft Entra Private Access, providing secure access to private corporate resources without the need for a traditional VPN. Microsoft Entra Identity Governance: Identity Lifecycle Management: Automated the creation, updating, and removal of user identities based on signals from HR systems, ensuring that consultants had the right access from day one and that access was revoked promptly when they left the organization. Access Lifecycle Management: Managed access rights across various resources, ensuring that consultants had appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. This included automated access reviews and entitlement management to maintain compliance and security. Privileged Access Management: Secured privileged accounts by implementing policies for just-in-time access and monitoring privileged activities to prevent misuse. Outcome: Enhanced Security: The firm achieved a higher level of security with Zero Trust principles, protecting sensitive client data and ensuring compliance with international regulations. Improved Performance: Consultants experienced improved performance and reliability with Windows 365, enabling them to work efficiently from any location. Scalability and Flexibility: The firm could easily scale its virtual desktop infrastructure to meet changing demands, supporting a dynamic workforce. Streamlined Management: IT teams benefited from simplified management and centralized control, reducing administrative overhead and improving operational efficiency. By integrating Windows 365, Microsoft Entra Private Access, and Microsoft Entra Identity Governance, the global consulting firm successfully created a secure, scalable, and efficient remote work environment, enhancing productivity and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. Case Study: A Manufacturing Company Background: A global manufacturing company with multiple production facilities and offices worldwide needed a secure and scalable solution to support its remote workforce and 3 rd party access. The company faced challenges with its existing remote access infrastructure, which was not adequately equipped to handle the increased demand for remote work and stringent security requirements. Additionally, the company required robust identity governance to manage the lifecycle of user identities, including joiner, mover, and leaver scenarios, and to control access to internal resources and mitigate internet threats. The company was intrigued by the Entra Private Access ability to provide per app VPN functionality to restrict 3 rd parties from lateral movement on their network. Challenges: Data Security and Compliance: Ensuring the protection of sensitive manufacturing data and compliance with various international regulations. Scalability: The need to quickly scale remote access solutions to accommodate a growing number of remote employees. User Experience: Providing a seamless and efficient user experience for employees accessing critical applications and data remotely. Identity Governance: Managing the lifecycle of user identities, including the creation, updating, and removal of access rights, to ensure that employees had appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. Internet Threats: Protecting against malicious internet traffic and ensuring secure access to SaaS applications and internet resources. Management Complexity: Reducing the complexity of managing a diverse IT environment with multiple security and access control solutions. Solution: The manufacturing company adopted Windows 365 Cloud PC, Microsoft Entra Private Access, Microsoft Entra Internet Access, and Microsoft Entra Identity Governance to address these challenges: Windows 365 Cloud PC: Scalability: Enabled the company to quickly scale virtual desktops based on demand, providing flexibility for remote and hybrid work. Centralized Management: Simplified IT management with centralized control over updates, patches, and configurations. Consistent User Experience: Delivered seamless user experience across devices, ensuring employees can access critical applications and data efficiently. Microsoft Entra Private Access: Zero Trust Security: Implemented Zero Trust principles to secure access to private applications and resources, ensuring only authorized users could access sensitive information. Conditional Access: Used Conditional Access policies to control access based on user identity, device health, and location, enhancing security. VPN Replacement: Replaced the legacy VPN solution with Microsoft Entra Private Access, providing secure access to private corporate resources without the need for a traditional VPN. Microsoft Entra Internet Access: Secure Web Gateway: Provided identity-centric Secure Web Gateway (SWG) to protect against malicious internet traffic and ensure secure access to SaaS applications and internet resources. Threat Protection: Enhanced protection against internet threats, ensuring that employees can safely access the internet and SaaS applications. Microsoft Entra Identity Governance: Identity Lifecycle Management: Automated the creation, updating, and removal of user identities based on signals from HR systems, ensuring that employees had the right access from day one and that access was revoked promptly when they left the organization. Access Lifecycle Management: Managed access rights across various resources, ensuring that employees had appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. This included automated access reviews and entitlement management to maintain compliance and security. Privileged Access Management: Secured privileged accounts by implementing policies for just-in-time access and monitoring privileged activities to prevent misuse. Outcome: Enhanced Security: The company achieved a higher level of security with Zero Trust principles, protecting sensitive manufacturing data and ensuring compliance with international regulations. Improved Performance: Employees experienced improved performance and reliability with Windows 365 Cloud PC, enabling them to work efficiently from any location. Scalability and Flexibility: The company could easily scale its virtual desktop implementation to meet changing demands, supporting a dynamic workforce. Streamlined Management: IT teams benefited from simplified management and centralized control, reducing administrative overhead and improving operational efficiency. Comprehensive Threat Protection: The company effectively mitigated internet threats and ensured secure access to SaaS applications and internet resources. By integrating Windows 365 Cloud PC, Microsoft Entra Private Access, Microsoft Entra Internet Access, and Microsoft Entra Identity Governance, the manufacturing company successfully created a secure, scalable, and efficient remote work environment, enhancing productivity and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. The desired least privilege for 3 rd party access was achieved by isolating the users on a compliant device segmented by per app VPN access via Global Secure Access. Case Study: A Healthcare Provider Background: A large healthcare provider with multiple hospitals and clinics across the United States needed to ensure secure remote access for its staff to access patient records and other sensitive information. The provider faced challenges with its existing remote access infrastructure, which was not adequately equipped to handle the increased demand for remote work and stringent regulatory requirements such as HIPAA. Additionally, the provider required a solution for verifiable identity to manage the lifecycle of user identities, including joiner, mover, and leaver scenarios, and to ensure that only authorized personnel could access sensitive patient data. Challenges: Data Security and Compliance: Ensuring the protection of sensitive patient data and compliance with healthcare regulations such as HIPAA. Scalability: The need to quickly scale remote access solutions to accommodate a growing number of remote healthcare professionals. User Experience: Providing seamless and efficient user experience for healthcare professionals accessing critical applications and patient records remotely. Identity Governance: Managing the lifecycle of user identities, including the creation, updating, and removal of access rights, to ensure that healthcare professionals had appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. Verifiable Identity: Implementing a system to verify the identities of healthcare professionals securely and efficiently. Solution: The healthcare provider adopted Windows 365, Microsoft Entra Private Access, Microsoft Entra Internet Access, Microsoft Entra Identity Governance, and Microsoft Entra Verified ID to address these challenges: Windows 365: Scalability: Enabled the provider to quickly scale virtual desktops based on demand, providing flexibility for remote and hybrid work. Centralized Management: Simplified IT management with centralized control over updates, patches, and configurations. Consistent User Experience: Delivered seamless user experience across devices, ensuring healthcare professionals can access critical applications and patient data efficiently. Microsoft Entra Private Access: Zero Trust Security: Implemented Zero Trust principles to secure access to private applications and resources, ensuring only authorized users could access sensitive information. Conditional Access: Used Conditional Access policies to control access based on user identity, device health, and location, enhancing security. VPN Replacement: Replaced the legacy VPN solution with Microsoft Entra Private Access, providing secure access to private corporate resources without the need for a traditional VPN. Microsoft Entra Internet Access: Secure Web Gateway: Provided identity-centric Secure Web Gateway (SWG) to protect against malicious internet traffic and ensure secure access to SaaS applications and internet resources. Threat Protection: Enhanced protection against internet threats, ensuring that healthcare professionals could safely access the internet and SaaS applications. Microsoft Entra Identity Governance: Identity Lifecycle Management: Automated the creation, updating, and removal of user identities based on signals from HR systems, ensuring that healthcare professionals had the right access from day one and that access was revoked promptly when they left the organization. Access Lifecycle Management: Managed access rights across various resources, ensuring that healthcare professionals had appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. This included automated access reviews and entitlement management to maintain compliance and security. Privileged Access Management: Secured privileged accounts by implementing policies for just-in-time access and monitoring privileged activities to prevent misuse Microsoft Entra Verified ID: Verifiable Credentials: Implemented a managed verifiable credential service to issue and verify credentials for healthcare professionals. This ensured that only verified individuals could access sensitive patient data and applications. Identity Verification: Used verifiable credentials to confirm the identities of healthcare professionals during onboarding and access requests, enhancing security and compliance. Decentralized Identity: Leveraged decentralized identifiers (DIDs) to provide healthcare professionals with self-owned, verifiable credentials that could be securely stored and presented when needed. Outcome: Enhanced Security: The provider achieved a higher level of security with Zero Trust principles, protecting sensitive patient data and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations. Improved Performance: Healthcare professionals experienced improved performance and reliability with Windows 365, enabling them to work efficiently from any location. Scalability and Flexibility: The provider could easily scale its virtual desktop implementation to meet changing demands, supporting a dynamic workforce. Streamlined Management: IT teams benefited from simplified management and centralized control, reducing administrative overhead and improving operational efficiency. Comprehensive Threat Protection: The provider effectively mitigated internet threats and ensured secure access to SaaS applications and internet resources. Verifiable Identity: The use of Microsoft Entra Verified ID ensured that only verified healthcare professionals could access sensitive patient data, enhancing security and compliance. By adopting Windows 365 and the Microsoft Entra Suite, the healthcare provider successfully met their stringent requirements for secure remote access. They achieved enhanced security and compliance with healthcare regulations, ensuring the protection of sensitive patient data. The scalable and flexible virtual desktop provided by Windows 365 allowed the provider to support a dynamic remote workforce efficiently. Additionally, the integration of Microsoft Entra Private Access, Internet Access, Identity Governance, and Verified ID ensured robust identity management, secure access to internal resources, and protection against internet threats. This comprehensive solution streamlined IT management, improved operational efficiency, and delivered seamless user experience for healthcare professionals, ultimately enabling the provider to maintain high standards of patient care and data security in a remote work environment. These case studies demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite in enhancing secure remote work across various industries. If you need more details or have any other questions, feel free to ask! When comparing Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite to other remote work tools, several key factors come into play, including security, ease of use, scalability, and integration capabilities. Here’s a comparison with some popular remote work solutions: Windows 365 vs. Traditional Virtual Desktop Solutions Windows 365: Simplicity and Ease of Use: Widows 365 is designed for straightforward deployment and management. It provides seamless experience with minimal setup, making it ideal for organizations that need quick, reliable access to virtual desktops without the extensive technical customization. Per-User Licensing: Windows 365 uses a per-user licensing model, which simplifies budgeting and cost management. This model allows for predictable costs, making it easier for businesses to plan their expenses. Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: Being a Microsoft product, Windows 365 integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft services like Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Entra Suite, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and many more. This integration enhances productivity and security by providing a unified environment. Scalability: Windows 365 can easily scale to meet the needs of growing businesses. Whether you need to add more users or increase resources, Windows 365 can adapt to changing demands without significant reconfiguration. Security: Windows 365 benefits from Microsoft’s robust security infrastructure. It includes features like multi-factor authentication, conditional access, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Entra Suite (Entra Private/Internet Access, Entra Identity Governance, Entra Identity Protection, Entra Verified ID) ensuring that your data, resources, and applications are always protected. Consistent User Experience: Windows 365 provides a consistent and familiar Windows experience across devices. Users can access their Cloud PC from any device with an internet connection, maintaining productivity and continuity. Traditional Virtual Desktop Solutions: Complexity in Setup and Management: Traditional solutions can be complex to set up and manage, requiring significant IT expertise and resources. This complexity can lead to higher operational costs and longer deployment times. Scalability Issues: Scaling traditional virtual desktops solutions can be challenging. Adding new users or increasing resources often requires substantial reconfiguration and investment in additional hardware. Integration Challenges: Non-Microsoft solutions may not integrate as seamlessly with other tools and services, especially those within the Microsoft ecosystem. This can result in fragmented user experience and reduced productivity. Security Concerns: While traditional solutions offer security features, they may not match the comprehensive security infrastructure provided by Microsoft. This includes advanced threat protection, multi-factor authentication, and seamless integration with security tools like Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Entra Suite. Cost Management: Traditional solutions often use a per-device licensing model, which can be less predictable and more expensive compared to the per-user licensing model of Windows 365. This can make budgeting and cost management more difficult. User Experience: Traditional solutions might not provide a consistent and familiar user experience across different devices. Users may face issues with performance and accessibility, impacting their productivity. Microsoft Entra Suite vs Other Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions Microsoft Entra Suite: Microsoft Entra Private Access Identity-Centric Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Replaces traditional VPNs with a more secure, identity-centric approach, reducing the attack surface and mitigating lateral movement. Seamless Access: Provides fast, seamless access to private applications from any device and location, enhancing user productivity. Conditional Access Policies: Enforces adaptive Conditional Access controls, including multifactor authentication (MFA), to validate both device and user identities. Microsoft Entra Internet Access Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Protects against malicious internet traffic and unsafe content, ensuring secure access to SaaS apps and internet resources. Identity-Centric Security: Integrates identity and network access controls to provide comprehensive protection across public and private networks. Microsoft Entra ID Governance Automated Identity Lifecycle Management: Ensures that the right people have the right access to the right resources at the right time, improving productivity and security. Access Reviews and Compliance: Facilitates regular access reviews and compliance checks to reduce the risk of access abuse and ensure regulatory compliance. Delegated Access Management: Allows business groups to manage access requests and approvals, streamlining operations and reducing IT workload. Microsoft Entra Verified ID Digital Identity Verification: Enables secure, real-time verification of identity claims and credentials, reducing fraud and improving trust. Self-Service Enrollment: Simplifies identity verification processes, reducing the need for support calls and manual checks. Open Standards-Based: Built on open standards, ensuring interoperability and flexibility for various use cases. Least Privilege Access Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Assigns users the minimum permissions necessary to perform their duties, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Just-In-Time Access: Grants access rights only for the duration needed, minimizing the window of opportunity for potential attackers. Regular Audits: Conducts periodic reviews of user access to ensure compliance with the principle of least privilege. Microsoft Entra ID Protection Advanced Threat Detection: Uses machine learning to identify and respond to sign-in risks and unusual user behavior in real-time. Adaptive Access Policies: Automatically adjusts access policies based on detected risks, enhancing security without compromising user experience. Integration with Security Tools: Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft and non-Microsoft security solutions for comprehensive threat management. Other IAM Solutions: Security: Varies widely depending on the provider but may not offer the same level of integration with Conditional Access and Zero Trust principles. Ease of Use: User experience can vary, with some solutions requiring more complex setup and management. Scalability: Many IAM solutions are scalable, but integration with existing systems can be challenging. Integration: May not integrate as seamlessly with Microsoft 365 and other productivity tools, potentially leading to a fragmented user experience. Other Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Solutions Security: Generally strong, but the level of identity integration can vary. Ease of Use: User experience can differ, with some solutions requiring more complex configurations. Scalability: Typically scalable, but integration with existing systems and applications can be a challenge. Integration: May not offer the same level of integration with Microsoft 365 and other productivity tools, potentially leading to a less cohesive experience. Conclusion Windows 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite offer robust, scalable, and integrated solutions for secure remote work. This combined solution stands out for its comprehensive security features, ease of use, and seamless integration with other Microsoft services. While other solutions may offer strong security and scalability, the deep integration and unified ecosystem provided by Microsoft can significantly enhance productivity and security for remote hybrid work environments. Stay tuned for a follow up blog discussing the Business Value of this combined solution (ROI/TCO).
