Microsoft Remote Desktop, RDS, AVD, VDI: How the Desktop Stack Actually Fits Together

Microsoft’s desktop virtualization ecosystem is a cornerstone of modern IT infrastructure, allowing organizations to deliver secure and scalable access to applications and desktops. However, the terminology surrounding this ecosystem – Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services (RDS), Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) – can sometimes be confusing, even for seasoned IT professionals.

This article seeks to clarify the naming chaos and the roles of each component, while also explaining how the components can be used to form a complete remote access and application delivery strategy. 

Dismantling the Microsoft Remote Desktop naming mess

Microsoft’s use of the term Remote Desktop is a masterclass in ambiguity. Depending on context, it can refer to three distinct things: 

• Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP): A proprietary network protocol for secure, encrypted communication between clients and servers. When a user establishes a remote desktop connection, that connection is based on the RDP protocol.
• Remote Desktop Clients: The access tools (The Microsoft Remote Desktop app for Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS) that establishes a remote connection to the remote desktop.
• Remote Desktop Services (RDS): A Windows Server role that enables session-based desktops and application virtualization. 
• Remote Computer Access: Remote Desktop is also the name that Microsoft gives to a feature found on most Windows computers. This feature allows remote access to the machine and is primarily used for troubleshooting purposes. However, some organizations allow users to remotely access their work computers by establishing an RDP session through the corporate VPN. Microsoft helps to keep organizations secure by requiring Network Level Authentication and by allowing admins to specify which user accounts are allowed to connect remotely.

 Adding to the potential confusion is the fact that Microsoft has also launched Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), a cloud-based VDI solution that builds on RDS but introduces modern features like Windows 10 and Windows 11 multi-session support and tighter integration with Azure. 

The Remote Desktop naming overlap likely stems from Microsoft evolving its desktop stack over decades. The result is a tangled web of acronyms and overlapping functionalities that can sometimes baffle even technical experts.  So here is the simplified distinction between the various terms:

What the names mean

• Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the transport protocol that is used in remote desktop environments
• Remote Desktop Clients are the software applications that users use in order to access their remote desktops. 
• RDS is the on-premises, session-based platform. 
• AVD is a the Azure cloud-based desktop and app virtualization platform that combines elements of both RDS (session-based) and VDI (personal desktops).

 Understanding this hierarchy is critical to avoiding deployment pitfalls. 

The Remote Desktop Client

The Remote Desktop Client is the software used to establish an RDP connection between a user’s physical device and a remote computer. This holds true regardless of whether the user is accessing a physical desktop, a virtual machine (VDI), a cloud PC, or a remote application.

The Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems include a basic remote desktop client. Users will often pin this client to the Windows toolbar for easy access. It is worth noting however, that there are other clients available.

Microsoft is no longer updating the Microsoft Remote Desktop App for Windows with new features. Microsoft recommends that users visit the Microsoft Store and download the Windows App instead. This app provides access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Dev Box, and more. When downloading this app it is important to verify that the app publisher is listed as Microsoft corporation. Otherwise, you risk downloading a third party app.

Microsoft also provides remote desktop apps for other platforms. As a general rule, you can find the remote desktop application listed in the platform’s app store. Again however, it is important to verify that the app’s publisher is listed as Microsoft Corporation.

This is not to say that third party remote desktop clients are bad. There are some very reputable third party, open source clients available. Some organizations who use Microsoft 365 have been known to make third party clients available to their users by placing those clients into OneDrive so that users can easily gain access to those clients when needed.

Remote Desktop as an access layer, not a deployment model 

At its core, Remote Desktop is an access layer that works with a diverse collection of back end architectures. An individual Remote Desktop client can connect to: 

• A single server via RDP (This is commonly used to provide admins with remote access to Windows Server). 
• A shared application or desktop via RDS (session-based). 
• A personal virtual desktop via VDI. 
• A cloud-hosted Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop via AVD. 

Microsoft’s Remote Desktop client is designed to be flexible and to abstract the complexity of the back end, allowing IT teams to focus on deployment strategies without forcing users to learn new tools. An IT department might conceivably adopt a new remote desktop platform, while the end users remain oblivious to the change because they continue to use the same client that they always have. To put it another way, the Remote Desktop Client is just the interface that is used to access RDS, VDI, or AVD.

VDI as a design choice

In order to understand VDI, it’s helpful to contrast it with RDS.

Remote Desktop Services (RDS)

RDS is session-based. Users connect to a Windows server, where the user’s applications reside. Rather than hosting an entire collection of virtual machines, as is the case with VDI, users share a common Windows Server desktop. This approach works well for high density environments where cost effectiveness is key (although Windows Server and RDS CALs are required for each session).

While a normal RDS session provides users with access to a remote desktop environment, RDS can also be configured to host individual applications. In this configuration, a user can use a specially configured client to provide direct access to the application. In many cases, the user experiences the illusion that the application is running locally on their device.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

In a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI environment, each user gets a dedicated virtual machine (VM) with its own OS and applications. From the user’s standpoint, this virtual machine looks and feels just like any other Windows PC.

Rather than running a server operating system as is done through RDS, the remote Windows virtual desktops run desktop operating systems such as Windows 10 or Windows 11. The fact that each user is working from a separate virtual machine ensures isolation, meaning that a crash affecting one user should not impact other users.

As a general rule, VDI also provides better application compatibility than RDS, because applications are running on a desktop operating system, rather than a server OS. VDI environments also generally offer a very predictable level of performance, making it easy for IT pros to determine the required hardware.

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

Historically, the biggest problem associated with VDI was its complexity. A typical VDI environment is based around connection brokers, gateways, virtualization hosts, and other infrastructure components that must all work together to provide users with the capabilities that they need. Azure Virtual Desktop changes this dynamic by hosting virtual desktops in the cloud, and freeing admins from deploying complex infrastructure. Some of the benefits that are commonly associated with AVD include:

• No need to construct connection broker or gateway infrastructure. These components still exist, but are largely managed by Microsoft.
• Uses Azure’s built in load balancer and security, thereby reducing the need for third party tools
• Support for Windows 10 and Windows 11 desktops
• Users can leverage the same remote desktop client that they are already used to.

Microsoft’s intent is clear: They are positioning AVD to be the cloud successor to RDS-based VDI, offering modern features without the legacy overhead. 

What should you be using?

Given the fact that there are so many options for hosting remote desktops, organizations may be hard pressed to decide which option is right for them. The important thing to keep in mind is that RDS, VDI, and AVD are all very capable platforms that can provide users with access to remote desktops. As such, it isn’t necessarily that one technology is clearly superior to all of the others, but rather that organizations should select the option that best meets their needs.

Scenario 1: Still running RDS on-premises

If you are currently running RDS on premises, then you can continue to do so for the foreseeable future, even though Microsoft is trying to nudge its customers in another direction. This is assuming, of course, that RDS works and is meeting your needs.

The most compelling reason for staying with RDS may be that licensing and infrastructure have already been paid for, and so it may not make economic sense to move to a subscription based model.

Even so, support for your version of Windows Server will eventually come to an end and hardware will eventually need to be refreshed. At that point, it’s worth reevaluating whether RDS is still your best option or if you would be better off using VDI or AVD.

Scenario 2: Evaluating AVD

Microsoft has made it clear that AVD is going to be the future for remote desktops, so it makes sense to go ahead and begin evaluating AVD.

AVD has a lot going for it. It’s easy for users to access their virtual desktops from anywhere, AVD greatly reduces infrastructure management, and AVD has been designed with disaster recovery and resilience in mind.

The tradeoff is that using AVD requires cost discipline and that over time, the ongoing costs can exceed those of on premises environments if they are not carefully managed.

Azure Virtual Desktop is easily scalable, and is a good fit for organizations that seasonably scale their workforce up and down. It is also a good fit for organizations who employee numerous remote workers or who simply want a cloud first strategy.

Scenario 3: Hybrid estates

Most real world deployments are hybrid and consist of some mix of on-premises RDS, VDI, and AVD. The main advantage to the hybrid approach is that it allows you to modernize incrementally, while giving you the freedom to keep legacy applications where they work best.

The Bigger Picture: Remote Desktop as a strategic enabler

Microsoft’s remote desktop stack is more than a collection of tools—it’s a strategic framework for enabling remote work, hybrid environments, and cloud-first IT. By separating the access layer (Remote Desktop clients) from the deployment models (RDS, VDI, AVD), Microsoft gives IT teams the flexibility to choose the right solution for their needs. 

For the end users, this means a consistent experience across platforms, whether they’re on Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS. For IT, it means having a unified architecture that simplifies management, reduces complexity, and future-proofs investments. 

Final thoughts: Navigating the stack with confidence

The confusion around Microsoft’s desktop stack is understandable, but it’s not insurmountable. By cutting through the naming chaos, recognizing Remote Desktop as an access layer, and framing VDI as a design choice (not a feature), IT professionals can make informed decisions that align with their organization’s requirements. 

As remote work continues to be the norm, the ability to leverage tools like RDS, AVD, and VDI remains critical. And with the same Remote Desktop client serving as the universal access point, the path to a seamless, secure, and scalable desktop environment has never been clearer. 

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