Running an agent's desktop in the cloud is now not only possible but also easy and affordable - this blog will take you through the "Why" of using Azure Virtual Desktop as a full-blown cloud solution and then also give you step-by-step instructions on how to run Case Manager in the cloud.

Why use Azure Virtual Desktop as your Case Manager Cloud solution

During the middle of 2021 Microsoft announced the Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) solution and towards the end of the year both Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop was made available to the market. Off-course AVD is not the only show in town and Microsoft has certainly been offering many other virtual desktop solutions for many years - so what has changed you may ask. These are the main reasons why we see this change being different and why you might now consider shifting your agent desktops to the cloud:

• Microsoft announced that Virtual Desktop is now more than just running your desktop on a cloud machine - they see it as an entirely new category of computing called Cloud PC. Check out this article to get a feel for the importance of this change.
• The introduction of Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 is making the adoption of virtual desktops for your environment simpler than it has ever been before.
• Microsoft is introducing several game changing technologies to drive the adoption of enterprise grade virtual desktop. Two examples are Azure Virtual Desktop with MSIX app attach and Windows 365.

How to run Case Manager in the cloud using Azure Virtual Desktop

The basic process is actually pretty simple. I will now step you through this in detail using recorded step-by-step instructions. Keep in mind that these instructions are not focussed on the basic or advanced aspects of using Azure - there are plenty of resources out there which you can reference to learn more about Azure setup. The following map shows you the different parts of this series.

Part 1: Setting up a Resource Group, Virtual Network and Host Pool

Part 1 covers the basics of creating a Host Pool. Host pools are a collection of one or more identical virtual machines (VMs), also known as "session hosts," within Azure Virtual Desktop environments. Each host pool can contain an app group that users can interact with as they would on a physical desktop.

Part 2: Allowing users to login to their virtual desktops

Part 2 steps you through the settings required to allow users to log into their virtual desktop sessions.

Check back soon for part 3 of the series...