COVID-19 changed the way many companies around the world do business, forcing employees to work remotely from their homes. Offices might be starting to open again now, but many businesses are instead choosing to continue work from home practices. Reduced expenses, increased flexibility, and improved employee satisfaction are all considerable driving factors that motivate businesses to work remotely long after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided.

For SMBs transitioning to remote work for the first time, it is crucial to have proper strategies and solutions in place from the outset. Your teams depend on secure and productive desktop programmes and applications to work, wherever they are. You have a safe and structured set-up in your office, so why not remotely?

A Microsoft solution like Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) offers a reliable desktop experience with impressive security features. Find out why it could make all the difference for your business, even after the COVID-19 climate has passed:

With WVD, your team can access the full Windows 10 and Windows server desktop and application virtualisation from anywhere. Personal devices with an internet connection can now become secure workspaces.

Team members in different counties? Maybe a colleague overseas? No matter where your team are based, they can enjoy the same IT experience. There is no need to train on new software or programmes, and the transition is as smooth as possible.

WVD integrates completely with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise and Microsoft Teams. Your end users have all the tools and security they need to stay busy and collaborate without disruptions. Visualisation brings the office environment to each employee’s home or remote space, reducing the downtime needed to set-up secure, personal workstations.

You only pay for what you use with Windows Virtual Desktop. No catches. Your eligible Windows and Microsoft 365 licenses can be used to access WVD, allowing you to make the most of the resources you already have in place.

You can also have multiple concurrent users thanks to the exclusive Windows 10 multi-session capability. This functionality enables you to maximise on use and increase productivity without increasing licensing or infrastructure costs.

Many companies face a financial hurdle when shifting to remote work. COVID-19 brought on unexpected changes, almost eliminating the amount of pre-planning and budgeting companies could do before making the shift. Don’t fret if you can’t provide laptops to all your employees; you can still move to remote work. Windows Virtual Desktop uses cloud infrastructure, so your team accesses a familiar PC desktop from their own devices.

Cloud computing with outages is not effective or efficient. Azure Site Recovery and Azure Backup technologies are built into Windows Virtual Desktop, so your team can continue running during outages or disruptions. In addition, Azure’s Service Health tool can help you prepare for planned maintenance and mitigate downtime or outages.

Your virtual desktop infrastructure is managed for you with WVD. Instead of worrying about hardware inventory and maintenance, you can focus on your users and apps. Getting users up and running is quick and secure with limitless scale, and full automation enables you to control your infrastructure based on the needs of your business.

It’s easy to feel out of control or out of sync when remote working. There’s no physical space where you can group and re-align. Thankfully, cloud solutions can put you in full control of users and devices without the need to monitor in person.

Through WVD, you can apply adequate access controls for each user and device and manage them on demand. Reverse connections and security solutions like Azure Firewall and Azure Sentinel help reduce vulnerabilities and keep your virtual desktops secure, as well as protecting your users against cyber-attacks.

The changes brought about by COVID-19 were sudden and unexpected but are likely here to stay. Many businesses were already dipping their toes into the water of remote working due to advances in cloud computing and cloud infrastructure. The pandemic has only sped up inevitable developments that are sure to last, so businesses need to adapt to survive.

Windows Virtual Desktop offers the benefits and features your business needs to properly transition to secure remote work. Don’t sacrifice productivity or security now or in the future, especially when it’s so easy to implement the right solution. Email us today for a tailored WVD introduction and let us help you figure out what works for your business.