By Sina Walleit

August 18, 2021
Last updated on May 10, 2024

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Azure Virtual Desktop Pricing: Optimize Costs

Azure Virtual Desktop is the new name for Microsoft’s Azure-based Windows Virtual Desktop application virtualization service. Microsoft implemented a new Azure Virtual Desktop pricing option in July 2021. Geared for organizations that aim to provide application streaming to users outside their organizations, the new option will initially be offered for free until the end of March 2022. This will allow customers to try the service during the promo period, although they still need to pay for their Azure Virtual Desktop subscriptions.

Azure Virtual Desktop Definition

Introduced in 2018 and released to the public in 2019, the then Windows Virtual Desktop allowed virtual applications and desktops to be made available via Azure virtual machines (VMs). Among Azure Virtual Desktop’s other features and capabilities are:

• A simple-to-deploy, full desktop virtualization environment that does not require additional servers other than those already available with your Azure subscription.
• Easy scalability based on your specific business requirements since it’s based on the Azure cloud.
• Windows 10 and 11 Enterprise multi-session capability, which means lower OS overhead and reduced VM requirements.
• Persistent desktop capability allows saving user data and settings for the next time users log on to the network.
• Ability to configure virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments using PowerShell and REST application programming interfaces (APIs).
• Wide range of desktop clients so that access to the VDI is possible from anywhere using any device.
• Diagnostic service, which provides built-in troubleshooting capability in case of errors.
• Secure access using reverse connections, so inbound ports in virtual desktops are always closed, preventing your network from getting compromised.
• Proactive security capabilities to forestall potential security threats.

Azure Virtual Desktop requires an Azure subscription and supports Windows 10 and 11 Enterprise multi-session and Windows 10 and 11 Enterprise. It also supports Windows Server 2012 RC2, 2016,  2019, and 2022. Other system requirements include an Azure Active Directory (AD) and a Windows Server AD synchronized with the Azure AD instance.

New Improvements

Along with the move to rename Windows Virtual Desktop to Azure Virtual Desktop and the new pricing scheme, Microsoft introduced further improvements to the service. This comes even as it seeks to promote Azure Virtual Desktop as a cloud VDI platform suitable for handling today’s remote workforces. These improvements include:

• Better support for FSLogix solutions that enhance and enable user profiles in Windows-based remote computing environments.
• Updates to Azure Virtual Desktop Agent.
• Support for file transfers.
• Hardware acceleration for outgoing video streams.

Different Applicable Fees for Using Azure Virtual Desktop

There are two pricing components behind Azure Virtual Desktop, namely:

1. User Access Rights

• License entitlement: There is no extra cost if you have an eligible Windows, Microsoft 365, or Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Access License (CAL).
• Per user access pricing: A new pricing option has been introduced for monthly per user access to Azure Virtual Desktop for external users only.

2. Azure Infrastructure Costs

To deploy and manage an Azure virtualization environment, you’ll need an Azure account in addition to user access. These are the Azure components that are often required to host an Azure Virtual Desktop installation:

• Virtual machines
• Storage
• Networking

Azure Infrastructure Cost Optimization with Reserved VM Instances

Azure’s pay-as-you-go pricing can drive up infrastructure costs for organizations that have highly unpredictable workloads. To avoid this potential issue, organizations can choose to avail of so-called Reserved VM Instances for fixed 1-year or 3-year terms. According to Microsoft, infrastructure costs may be lower by as much as 80% with this option depending on the term length.

There are upfront costs for reserving VM Instances for fixed-length terms. However, it is also easy to cancel or exchange them for pay-as-you-go pricing if there are changes in your expected workloads. You may also find a combination of Azure Reserved VM Instances and pay-as-you-go-pricing ideal if your organization handles varying workloads.

Pricing Overview for Azure Virtual Desktop

As mentioned above, Microsoft is introducing a monthly, per-user charge for streaming applications and virtual desktops to users outside of your organization, or non-employees, using Windows 10, 11, or 7 desktops. This option is particularly attractive to independent software vendors (ISVs) that offer Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications to their customers.

The fixed monthly charge does not exclude organizations from paying for their Azure subscriptions, normally based on workloads. When deploying Azure Virtual Desktop, you should consider the number of users and usage concurrency to get the Azure services you need at an acceptable service level.

With bring your own license (BYOL), customers can leverage their existing investments in eligible Microsoft products such as Microsoft 365, Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Education, Windows Server versions starting from 2012 R2, and Windows RDS to provide access to virtual desktop and applications to their employees.

Azure Virtual Desktop Pricing – What Microsoft Handles

• Through the Web Access Service, users can access virtualized platforms using any web browser that supports HTML5.
• By using any internet-capable device that is running the WVD client, end users can access Windows Virtual Desktop over the Remote Connection Gateway.
• The Connection Broker handles the end user’s connection to WVD services, offers load balancing and reconnection to ongoing sessions.
• Each administrator or user activity on the WVD deployment is tracked by the event-based aggregator service Remote Desktop Diagnostics, which keeps track of success or failure.
• Users are able to control WVD with the help of REST APIs or Windows PowerShell thanks to extensibility components.

Reduce Azure Resource Management Costs with Parallels RAS

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) helps organizations provision and scale VDI workloads on-demand with Microsoft Azure, simplifying VDI management and deployments. Parallels RAS can use Azure as a hypervisor for your VDI, allowing the easy mix-and-match of on-premises, hybrid, and public cloud environments, without the need to configure complex firewall settings. It also provides instant access to resources using any compatible HTML5 browser.

From a centralized console, Parallels RAS can integrate and manage workloads and resources, extending the capabilities of Azure Virtual Desktop. It features prebuilt Azure VM templates and configuration wizards, enabling it to be fully configured in as little as 30 minutes. Moreover, the platform allows easy access to applications and desktops hosted on the VDI.

Parallels RAS helps scale your IT infrastructure by automatically tracking and adjusting resources on demand. It supports full active-active redundancy and features built-in load balancing, helping improve availability and responsiveness, though it also supports Microsoft Azure Load Balancers. Parallels RAS can also be safely backed up and restored to another location in real-time.

See for yourself how Parallels RAS can help streamline and reduce your application delivery costs with Azure!

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