Microsoft Launches New VDI Solution for Teams with Performance Improvements

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the public preview of Microsoft Teams optimized for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), which is now generally available to customers using Azure Virtual Desktops and Windows 365. This enhanced VDI solution offers improved functionality and performance for virtual environments.

Microsoft Teams for VDI has been completely redesigned to improve performance on Azure Virtual Desktops and Windows 365. Microsoft has ditched WebRTC, an open-source technology that’s used for audio and video streaming in many collaboration platforms, in favor of SlimCore.

What are the benefits of the new SlimCore-based optimization?

According to Microsoft, adopting SlimCore will help bring Teams for VDI in line with the features of the native Teams desktop app. The new SlimCore-based optimization provides better performance, faster call setup, more reliable screen sharing, less downtime and faster case resolutions.

“This new architecture brings the Teams’ user experience to a closer alignment between physical and virtual desktops. By introducing a new media engine (same one used by the Teams native Windows app) that is decoupled from the Remote Desktop client, and always up to date, we can introduce features faster without requiring VDI infrastructure upgrades,” Microsoft explained.

The new optimization also introduces support for features like Gallery View (3×3 and 7×7), Presenter mode, and noise suppression. Additionally, it offers Teams Premium features such as watermarks, townhalls, and background customization. Users will need to restart Microsoft Teams to switch from the old WebRTC-based to the new SlimCore-based optimization.

Microsoft to auto-update new VDI solution for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft will automatically update the new VDI solution for Teams once or twice a month. Administrators managing non-persistent VDI environments are advised to disable automatic updates using a Registry key.

Additionally, Microsoft recommends configuring networks to allow IDs 11, 12, 47, and 127, along with UDP 3478 traffic to ensure faster call set up times. The company also suggests applying DSCP markings in the Teams admin center to improve the quality of audio, video, and screen sharing during calls and meetings.

Lastly, Microsoft highlights that administrators can monitor details of ongoing VDI calls through the Teams Admin Center. They can also use the Call Quality Dashboard to generate custom reports. The new optimization will be enabled by default, but IT admins can disable it via a PowerShell policy if needed.