Azure Windows License Requirements and Setup Guide

To get started with Azure Windows, you'll need to understand the license requirements. You can choose from two main options: Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances or Pay-As-You-Go pricing.

The Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances option allows you to reserve a virtual machine for a one- or three-year term, which can help you save up to 72% on your costs.

You can choose from various virtual machine sizes, including A-Series, Dv2-Series, and F-Series, each with its own set of specifications and prices.

To set up Azure Windows, you'll need to create a subscription and enable the Windows Azure feature. This will give you access to the Windows operating system and allow you to create virtual machines.

Azure's pricing model is based on consumption, making it difficult to pin down exact prices. Microsoft offers three main pricing models: pay as you go, reserved instances, and spot instances.

You can estimate cost savings with the Azure Hybrid Benefit Savings Calculator, which compares Windows VM pricing with and without the benefit.

To qualify for Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows VMs, you must meet the licensing prerequisites, which can be found on Microsoft Licensing.

Azure pricing can be complex, but Microsoft offers three main pricing models for cloud resources: pay as you go, reserved instances, and spot instances. These models help you only pay for what you use.

Azure uses Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) to calculate usage. This ensures that your costs are accurate and up-to-date.

With hundreds of Azure products and services, it's essential to understand their pricing models. For instance, Azure virtual machines (VMs) and other cloud resources have different tiers and prices.

Azure DevOps pricing is based on user licenses or individual services. For example, Azure Pipelines starts with 1800 minutes per month for Microsoft-hosted CI/CD and unlimited minutes for one self-hosted job.

You can purchase Azure DevOps as a Basic Plan license, which offers the first five users free, and $6 USD per user/month. This plan includes Pipelines, Boards, Repos, and Artifacts, but with restrictions.

To evaluate potential cost savings, you can use resources like the Windows Virtual Machine Pricing calculator or compare Windows VM pricing with and without Azure Hybrid Benefit.

To qualify for Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows VMs in Azure, you must meet the specific licensing prerequisites. These prerequisites are outlined in the Volume Licensing section.

For Volume Licensing, you can refer to Microsoft Licensing for more information. To understand how Software Assurance benefits can meet your business needs, check out Software Assurance benefits.

To be eligible for Azure Hybrid Benefit, your organization must have a Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA), which will direct you to the Business Center for easy Software Assurance benefit management.

If your organization has already purchased Software Assurance through Volume Licensing, your benefits will be activated in the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).

To meet the licensing prerequisites, ensure that your organization has Software Assurance benefits, which can be purchased through Volume Licensing.

Azure Windows Desktop is a cloud-based service that allows users to access a Windows experience from any device. This service is powered by Azure and delivers a multi-session Windows 7 or Windows 10 experience to users.

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) or Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a desktop and app virtualization service that resides in the cloud. It's accessed by users using a device of their choice, such as a laptop or desktop.

To get started with Azure Windows Desktop, you'll need to fund the project with Azure subscription credits. You'll also need access to your Azure Active Directory and a user account with Global Administrator access to Office 365 and owner role on the Azure subscription.

Here are the key benefits of Azure Windows Desktop:

Azure Windows Desktop offers a flexible and personalized experience. Users can access their desktop from any device with either the native client application or the HTML5 web client.

The service virtualizes both desktops and apps, allowing you to assign and connect users to them. This means you can deliver a seamless Windows experience to your users, regardless of their location.

One of the key benefits of Azure Windows Desktop is its ability to reduce CAPEX costs. By pooling multi-session resources and reducing the number of virtual machines, you can lower your costs and improve your overall efficiency.

To get started with Azure Windows Desktop, you'll need to fund the project with Azure subscription credits. You'll also need access to your Azure Active Directory and a user account with Global Administrator access to Office 365.

Here are the key requirements for implementing Azure Windows Desktop:

By meeting these requirements, you'll be able to set up Azure Windows Desktop and deliver a seamless Windows experience to your users.

Azure Hybrid Benefit is a cost-saving program that includes several benefits for customers with Windows Server licenses. With Azure Hybrid Benefit, you can run Windows Server VMs on Azure at a lower cost.

The base compute rate for Windows Server VMs on Azure is the same as the Linux rate, so you'll only pay for the base rate. This can lead to significant cost savings, especially for larger deployments.

Azure Hybrid Benefit also includes cost savings for Azure Stack HCI, where the Azure Stack HCI host fee and Windows Server subscription fee are waived. This means you'll have unlimited virtualization rights at no extra cost, although you'll still need to pay for other costs associated with Azure Stack HCI, such as customer-managed hardware and Azure services.

You can also run AKS on Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI at no extra cost, as long as you're eligible for Azure Hybrid Benefit. With this benefit, you can waive fees for the Azure Stack HCI host and Windows Server subscription.

Here's a breakdown of the cost savings with Azure Hybrid Benefit:

Microsoft Subscriptions offer a wide range of cloud-based solutions and services that can improve your operations and increase efficiency.

You can easily scale your subscription up or down to meet changing needs.

Microsoft Azure provides ongoing support, training, and management of your Azure environment as you need it.

The Microsoft Azure specialists at Technology Solutions will guide you through the many Azure product licenses and subscriptions to help you find what you need at the best price.

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based directory service that organizations use to manage user access to cloud apps and services. It simplifies user experience and makes it easier to find information across any apps and services.

With Azure AD, administrators can manage user permissions and security settings, including setting up groups and policies to control which users can access certain resources. This helps ensure that sensitive data is protected.

Azure AD offers several different versions, each with its own price point. The free version includes a commercial online service subscription, such as Azure, Dynamics 365, InTune, and Power Platform.

Single sign-on is a feature of Azure AD that allows users to log into a single interface where all their data is available, eliminating the need to remember different usernames and passwords across different apps or services. This saves users time and reduces frustration.

Premium P1 and Premium P2 versions of Azure AD offer additional features, with Premium P1 costing $6 USD per user/month and Premium P2 costing $9 per user/month. These versions are included in some Microsoft 365 subscriptions or available as an online purchase.

To set up your WVD environment, you'll need to fund the project with Azure subscription credits. This will cover the cost of hosting virtual machine resources.

You'll also need access to your Azure Active Directory, a user account with Global Administrator access to Office 365, and owner role on the Azure subscription. This will give you the necessary permissions to complete the setup process.

To get started, download and install the Windows Virtual Desktop cmdlets for Windows PowerShell on a Windows 10 machine. These cmdlets will allow you to perform the actual work required for WVD setup.

You can choose to use your existing Active Directory or create a new one in Azure. If you decide to use your existing AD, you'll need domain admin access. Alternatively, you can follow a guide to create a new domain controller in Azure.

Here's a summary of the requirements:

Before you can start setting up your Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) environment, you need to prep it first. You'll need to fund the project, which can be done with Azure subscription credits. If you don't have access to a subscription, you can sign up for a free account with a valid phone number and credit card.

To get started, you'll need access to your Azure Active Directory and a user account with Global Administrator access to Office 365, as well as owner role on the Azure subscription. You'll also need to download and install the Windows Virtual Desktop cmdlets for Windows PowerShell on a Windows 10 machine.

You can use your existing Active Directory (AD) or create a new domain controller in Azure. To do this, you'll need domain admin access to your on-prem AD, or follow a guide to create your own DC in Azure.

Here are the specific requirements you'll need to fulfill:

Once you've completed these initial steps, you'll be ready to move on to the next leg of the WVD setup process.

Now that you've installed the required modules, it's time to connect to Azure.

To do this, you'll need to run a specific cmdlet that opens up a Windows popup.

In this popup, you'll be asked to type in the credentials of your Tenant Creator account.

This account is essential for accessing your Azure environment, so make sure you have the correct login information handy.

Once you've entered your credentials, you'll be connected to Azure and ready to proceed with the next steps in setting up your WVD environment.

To create host pools, run the following cmdlets after changing the tenant name to your organization's correct tenant name.

Host pools are collections of one or more virtual machines that are identical.

In this example, two host pools will be created: one for the "Desktop Application Group" and a second one for the "Remote Application Group".

Host pool1 will only have full desktops, and host pool2 will only have published applications.

To keep things simple, host pool1 and host pool2 will serve different purposes.

The commands to create the host pools are on two separate lines.