The decisions that bring people here
Most readers arrive from one of our Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365 guides with a decision to make. The engagement usually starts with one of these:
We want session hosts outside Azure without giving up the AVD control plane
Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure Arc-enabled servers lets session hosts run on-premises or in another cloud while Azure keeps the brokering, identity and management. Networking, identity path, FSLogix placement and licensing all change. Our hybrid architecture guide is the public version of the design work we do here, and the public preview post is where most readers start.
Our AVD images are updated by hand and nobody is sure how to roll back
Golden images drift, host pools get patched in place, and an update that breaks a line-of-business app has no clean reversal. We move teams to Compute Gallery versioning, session host configuration with automated rolling updates, and a documented rollback path. The method is in our AVD image management guide.
Windows 365 or AVD, and for which users?
Fixed per-user pricing against consumption billing, Intune-only management against infrastructure you run, dedicated Cloud PCs against pooled multi-session hosts. Most organizations end up with both. We size the decision by workload with your own usage data; the Windows 365 versus AVD comparison is the framework we use.
Cloud PCs are over-provisioned and the bill shows it
Everyone got 4 vCPU and 16 GB because nobody wanted a performance ticket. The utilization report says otherwise. We right-size by workload profile, including Windows 365 Flex (formerly Frontline) dedicated-mode resizes through provisioning policies, and automate the review with Graph. See the right-sizing and Frontline resize guide.
Identity is cloud-only and the profile story has to match
FSLogix on Entra-joined session hosts with no Active Directory, Azure Files with Entra ID authentication, external identities for contractors. The FSLogix cloud-only setup guide covers the configuration; the engagement covers your tenant.
How an engagement runs
Every engagement is fixed-fee and remote by default, with on-site days available in Alberta and by arrangement across the United States and Canada. Hours cover Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern time. US clients are invoiced in USD and Canadian clients in CAD.
Architecture review
Two to three weeks. We review the current or proposed design against Microsoft’s reference architectures and what we have seen break at scale: identity path, networking, profile storage, image lifecycle, autoscale, security baselines and cost.
You get: architecture decision records, a target-state diagram, a prioritized remediation or build plan and a cost model you can take to finance.
Windows 365 deployment
Provisioning policies sized by workload profile, custom images where they earn their place, Azure Network Connections for on-premises access, Intune compliance and security baselines, Conditional Access, Windows Autopatch, monitoring and user self-service. Pilots take 2 to 4 weeks; enterprise rollouts 6 to 12.
You get: a production environment, Terraform-managed infrastructure where it applies, documented policies and a day-two runbook.
Azure Virtual Desktop build or modernization
Host pool design, session host configuration and automated host pools, dynamic autoscale, Compute Gallery image pipeline, FSLogix on Azure Files or Azure NetApp Files, Entra-joined or hybrid identity, RDP Shortpath, monitoring with Azure Monitor and Insights, and hybrid session hosts on Azure Arc where the workload needs them.
You get: host pools you can rebuild from code, an image update and rollback procedure, autoscale plans tuned to your usage and the documentation to run it.
Training
Windows 365 Now is a four-day, ten-seat, instructor-led course with live labs covering provisioning, Intune management, security hardening, image management and day-two operations.
Windows 365 versus Azure Virtual Desktop in one table
We have deployed both. The honest comparison:
| Dimension | Windows 365 | Azure Virtual Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Fixed per user per month | Consumption-based Azure billing |
| Management | Intune, like a physical PC | Azure portal, Intune for session hosts, infrastructure you run |
| Best for | Dedicated desktops, predictable budgets | Pooled multi-session, variable workloads, hybrid session hosts |
| Complexity | Lower; Microsoft runs the infrastructure | Higher; you run host pools, images, profiles and scaling |
| Session hosts outside Azure | No | Yes, on Azure Arc-enabled servers |
| Customization | Fixed SKUs, custom images | Full VM control: GPU SKUs, custom images, specialized configurations |
Choose Windows 365 for simplicity, predictable cost and Intune-managed dedicated desktops. Choose AVD for pooled desktops, multi-session, granular cost control or session hosts that must run outside Azure. Choose both when different user groups have different needs, which is most organizations above a few hundred users.
Proof, without naming names
We do not publish customer names or logos. We have deployed Windows 365 Cloud PCs for organizations ranging from 25-user pilots to enterprise rollouts, across energy, healthcare, retail, banking and telecom:
- Production Windows 365 environments provisioned through Terraform, so the Cloud PC estate is rebuilt from code rather than from the portal.
- Unified endpoint management through Intune, with security baselines and compliance policies covering Cloud PCs and physical devices as one fleet.
Kevin Kaminski has been a Microsoft MVP every year since 2008 and writes the AVD What’s New and Windows 365 What’s New series on this site, so the advice reflects the services as they ship this month.
Windows 365 and AVD consulting FAQ
Do you do Azure Virtual Desktop as well as Windows 365?
Yes. Host pool architecture, session host configuration and automated host pools, autoscale, image lifecycle, FSLogix on Entra-joined hosts and hybrid session hosts on Azure Arc-enabled servers are all regular work, often alongside Windows 365 in the same tenant.
How is Windows 365 different from Azure Virtual Desktop?
Windows 365 is a fixed-price, per-user Cloud PC managed through Intune. AVD is consumption-based, supports pooled multi-session hosts and gives you full control of the infrastructure, which also means more to run. The table above and our comparison page go deeper.
How long does a Windows 365 deployment take?
A 25 to 50 user pilot takes 2 to 4 weeks. Enterprise rollouts of 500 or more users take 6 to 12 weeks with phased provisioning.
What does an engagement cost and how is it billed?
Fixed-fee, scoped after a discovery call. US clients are invoiced in USD and Canadian clients in CAD. The architecture review is the usual starting point.
Do you work with organizations in the United States?
Yes. Most work is remote from Calgary, Alberta across Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern time, with on-site days by arrangement.
Can you help us right-size Cloud PCs we already run?
Yes. We use the utilization and connection quality reports, Endpoint analytics and your licensing model to set sizes per workload profile, then run the resizes in Intune or through Graph.
Do you offer Windows 365 training?
Yes. Windows 365 Now is a four-day, ten-seat, instructor-led course with live labs.
Related services
Microsoft Intune consulting — the management plane for Cloud PCs, session hosts and physical devices
Azure consulting — networking, identity and Terraform foundations under your desktops
Windows 365 readiness checklist — the free pre-deployment checklist we use on engagements