Finally! Bring your Legacy apps into the modern world!
If you are a user of Microsoft 365 (originally Office 365), then you will no doubt love the fantastic new features in a modern IT environment. Indeed, since its launch in 2011, Microsoft 365 has been something of a success; there are now over 180 million active monthly users of the service.
Nonetheless, if you’re one of the many organisations that are still tied to legacy systems, designed many years ago to run in the conventional ‘server-based computing’ paradigm, then you’re no doubt a little disappointed. Microsoft 365 does not support legacy applications and therefore those apps will be a barrier to you enjoying the full experience of this solution.
If this situation sounds similar to that in your business, then Microsoft has now begun offering a new service which will help to seamlessly bridge the gap between your current Microsoft 365 apps and data, and your legacy applications. The answer is Windows Virtual Desktop.
Windows Virtual Desktop uses the Azure platform, the cloud computing service provided by Microsoft, to create a cloud computing environment based on servers. This means it is friendly to your legacy applications.
Because Windows Virtual Desktop is built in Azure, the same platform used to host Microsoft 365 services OneDrive for Business and SharePoint, it is simple to connect your cloud storage outlets to your Windows Virtual Desktop environment – therefore, you never have to worry about your crucial files and data being outside your workspace.
If you are already a Microsoft 365 E3 (or above) user, then your Windows Virtual Desktop licences are included within these licenses. All you need to do is set-up your workspace within Azure. You will need to purchase Windows Virtual Desktop licences separately if you don’t have an enterprise licence.
If you are contemplating Windows Virtual Desktop, we advise all businesses to enlist the help of a Managed Service Provider (MSP) such as Serval IT Systems to ensure that your environment is correctly built and supported. Microsoft supports maintaining the Azure environment, but in your Windows Virtual Desktop, they do not support anything you do. So if you have a specific support issue with an application within your Windows Virtual Desktop, Microsoft won’t support you–they just support the infrastructure in their datacenters.
If you want a company that helps your workers through the unavoidable regular teething IT problems, then an MSP partner is a great option for supporting your teams.
At Serval IT Systems, we are a Managed Service Provider with over a decade of experience supporting businesses to get the most out of their cloud investment. Furthermore, through our partnership with the entrust IT Group, we are long-time Citrix partners. Citrix is the most stable, secure and efficient way of connecting to your multiple cloud environments.
We work with businesses up and down the UK to assist their teams. If yours is a company with an existing IT team looking for a little more support for day-to-day problems so you can concentrate on bigger projects, or you are a small and medium-sized business with no IT team looking to outsource your IT support –we can help!
Windows Virtual Desktop is the best option for companies with legacy software which they can not function without. If you are one of those businesses you will find immense benefits from using WVD. However, it is a complex service. If you would like help, we can offer it. Please get in touch for more information.