Microsoft Enhances Windows 365 with Cross-Region Disaster Recovery and AI Recommendations

Key Takeaways:

• The cross-region disaster recovery feature creates temporary copies of Cloud PCs in geographically distant regions.
• Microsoft has launched GPU-enabled Cloud PCs for Windows 365 Enterprise and Frontline workers.
• Microsoft has released new security features like Purview Insider Risk Management and data encryption to ensure robust protection.

Microsoft is celebrating the third-year anniversary of its Windows 365 service this month. The company also announced several new updates, including cross-region disaster recovery, GPU-enabled Cloud PCs, and enhanced security features.

Microsoft originally launched Windows 365 for commercial customers back in July 2021. This service enables users to access Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs on any device via a web browser. Users can also access Cloud PCs through the Windows 365 app on Windows 11 devices. Windows 365 is available in different editions such as Enterprise, Business, Government, and Frontline to cater to different organizational needs.

Microsoft has introduced support for cross-region disaster recovery and data resilience for Windows 365 Cloud PCs. This feature creates temporary copies of Cloud PCs in different regions, ensuring users can continue working even if their primary region faces an outage.

“This cross-region disaster recovery feature is easily configurable and integrated into existing reports and workflows, providing administrators with robust resilience and streamlined management to ensure business continuity even during challenging scenarios. It also reduces the risk of data loss and allows IT admins to quickly respond to unexpected disruptions,” said Scott Manchester – Vice President for Windows Cloud.

Additionally, GPU-enabled Cloud PCs are now generally available for Windows 365 Enterprise and Frontline workers. This new offering has been available in public preview since November 2023, and it’s designed for intensive graphic design, image and video rendering, 3D modeling, and other GPU-dependent workloads. These Cloud PCs are available in different configurations to meet customers’ different performance needs.

Microsoft has announced that the Windows App will be generally available for customers on Windows, macOS, and iOS in Fall 2024. The app features a customizable home page for quick access to virtualization solutions like Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, and Azure Virtual Desktop. It can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store on Windows devices, with a planned launch for Android later this year.

The new AI-powered Cloud PC recommendations help IT admins optimize the use and performance of Windows 365 Cloud PCs. This feature uses machine learning to determine the best configuration for each Cloud PC based on employee usage, patterns, and performance needs. To get started, administrators need to sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center and navigate to the Cloud PC overview section.

Windows 365 gets new security capabilities

Last but not least, Microsoft unveiled a couple of new security features coming to its Windows 365 solution. Customers can monitor employee activity with Purview Insider Risk Management to detect and mitigate insider risks in enterprise environments.

Furthermore, IT admins can prevent unauthorized access to Windows 365 Cloud PCs with re-authentication policies such as remote lock screen and quicker session time limits. The “Encryption with Customer Key” feature lets administrators encrypt their data at rest and in transit.