Windows 365 Enhances Disaster Recovery with New Snapshot Health Indicator Tool

Microsoft has introduced a new point-in-time snapshot health indicator for Windows 365, which gives administrators critical insights into the health of restore points. This new feature enables IT teams to make more reliable decisions when recovering Cloud PCs to reduce the risk of failed restorations.

Windows 365 Cloud PC is a virtual computer hosted in the cloud that provides a personalized Windows experience accessible from any device. It offers robust security features to ensure protection and compliance. This service supports various deployment strategies, including Bring Your Own PC (BYOPC).

What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy snapshots?

Microsoft says that healthy snapshots are more likely to restore successfully, while unhealthy ones carry a higher risk of failure. The new indicator alerts administrators to these risks in advance to help them avoid failed restorations and minimize downtime.

The health of a snapshot is determined by two key parameters: virtual machine (VM) agent health and session host health. VM agent health refers to the status of the VM agent to ensure it functions correctly and performs tasks without issues. Moreover, session host health pertains to the status of the session host, which focuses on the overall performance and stability of the server hosting user sessions.

Point-in-Time snapshot health indicator now available in Microsoft Intune

Microsoft has added this new point-in-time snapshot health indicator within the Microsoft Intune admin center. This feature allows administrators to see the health status of snapshots taken at specific points in time. If a snapshot is unhealthy, admins can view its health indicator, which helps them identify and address issues with those snapshots.

“This indicator clearly marks unhealthy snapshots while all unmarked snapshots are considered healthy, based on the specific parameters mentioned above. The primary goal is to assist admins in selecting the most reliable snapshots for restoration, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful recovery operations,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft highlights that the new point-in-time snapshot health indicator reinforces the importance of improving reliability in the disaster recovery process. It provides administrators with the tools to handle Windows 365 Cloud PC restorations more efficiently.

Last month, Microsoft launched its new Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus solution in public preview for commercial customers. This service helps administrators rapidly bring Cloud PCs back online in the event of an outage.