Windows 365: Your Windows PC from the cloud – secure, flexible and ready to use in just a few minutes
Just imagine: your staff open their laptop in the morning, unlock their tablet or simply open a browser and carry on working straight away. Exactly where they left off yesterday. Whether in the office, working from home or on the move. No VPN, no waiting times, no compromises. That’s Windows 365. No longer a traditional desktop tied to a single device, but a fully-fledged Windows PC in the Microsoft Cloud. Personalised, secure and always up to date.
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Windows 365 is transforming the way organisations provision and manage workstations. Employees receive a secure, ready-to-use Windows workstation from the cloud, regardless of device or location. At the same time, IT benefits from reduced effort, greater flexibility and centralised management
What this means for your business in practical terms
Productivity from the very first minute: new staff, temporary workers or external partners are provided with a fully set-up workspace in under 30 minutes. No hardware logistics, no time-consuming staging. The cloud PC is ready to use straight away, complete with all apps, settings and security policies.
Flexibility without losing control: Whether it’s shift work in production, consultants in the field or creative teams with high graphics requirements, Windows 365 adapts. Dedicated cloud PCs for personal work environments or shared desktops for rotating teams. Your IT department retains full control over data, access rights and compliance.
Security that travels with you: Company data remains in the cloud and is never stored on the end device. Even if a laptop is lost, your information remains protected. Combined with Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access and Defender for Endpoint, this creates a zero-trust workplace that integrates seamlessly into your existing security architecture.
If you want to take it a step further, you can optionally disable screen sharing and screenshots on the Cloud PC to prevent confidential content from being leaked without authorisation. And there’s even a solution to prevent people from taking photos of the screen with their mobile phones: QR code watermarks. These invisible watermarks are dynamically embedded into the screen display and make it possible to uniquely link a photographed image to a user, a specific time and a session. This ensures traceability, even if someone physically bypasses the digital security measures.
Predictable costs: Windows 365 is licensed per user per month. No hidden infrastructure costs, no surprises when planning capacity. You can scale up or down as required. This makes IT costs transparent and predictable.
How your staff can access their Cloud PC
Windows 365 offers several ways to access it, depending on your working style and device:
- Windows App: The modern, unified app for everyday access to your Cloud PC. Optimised for collaboration and multi-monitor setups.
- Web browser: Instant access from any device, with no installation required. Ideal for unmanaged devices or quick access whilst on the move.
- Smartphone & iPad: The Windows app is also available for iOS and Android. Quickly look something up whilst on the move, grant access or access documents directly from your smartphone or tablet. And if you need to be more productive: simply connect your iPhone or iPad via USB-C to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to set up a fully-fledged desktop workstation in seconds. Ideal for travelling, client visits or as a spontaneous alternative workspace.
- Windows 365 Boot: The device boots directly into the Cloud PC. Perfect for shared desks and hot-desking scenarios where different people use the same device.
- Windows 365 Switch: Switch seamlessly between the local desktop and the Cloud PC using a keyboard shortcut or swipe gesture.
Who is Windows 365 suitable for?
- Temporary staff & contractors: Rapid onboarding and seamless offboarding, without the need for physical devices
- Shift work & frontline workers: Personalised or shared cloud PCs that adapt to the shift pattern
- External partners & auditors: Secure access to corporate resources, without storing data on third-party devices
- Privileged Access Workstations (PAW): Hardened, isolated cloud PCs for administrative tasks. No local operating system, no persistent data on the end device and full control over access policies. Ideal for IT administrators, security teams and privileged roles requiring a highly secure workstation
- Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery: Immediately available replacement workstations if the primary device fails
- Replacement of existing VDI environments: Moving away from complex on-premises infrastructure towards a managed cloud service
Developers & Power Users: GPU-enabled cloud PCs for demanding workloads
Success story: Glarner Kantonalbank replaces VDI with Windows 365
Glarner Kantonalbank was running an existing VDI environment for virtual desktops. The solution worked, but came with the typical overhead associated with traditional VDI architectures: infrastructure components, image management, operation, maintenance and greater day-to-day complexity.
Together with UMB, the bank opted for a pragmatic approach: rather than undertaking a costly further development of the existing VDI, it was modernised using Windows 365. The focus was on creating a fast, secure working environment that employees were already familiar with.
Within just two weeks, the Windows 365 environment was set up, laying the foundations for the replacement of the previous VDI. A key advantage was the existing Intune configuration. Policies, applications and settings could be reused and specifically adapted for the cloud PCs. This meant there was no disruption for staff, but rather a modern workplace that feels familiar and is centrally managed via Microsoft Intune.
We rebuilt the existing VDI using Windows 365 in just two weeks. Thanks to the existing Intune configuration, policies and apps could be reused straight away. Staff were able to work in an environment they were already familiar with from their local devices.
What made this success possible
- Clear objective: To replace the existing VDI with a modern, cloud-based workspace using Windows 365
- Existing Intune infrastructure: Existing policies, apps and settings could be reused and adapted for cloud PCs
- Familiar user experience: Employees continued to work in a Windows environment they were already familiar with from their on-premises devices
- UMB’s expertise: Structured implementation, a tried-and-tested approach and in-depth expertise in Microsoft Intune, Endpoint Management and Windows 365
Would you like to find out what a VDI replacement solution using Windows 365 might look like in your organisation? Talk to our UMB experts.
Why UMB is your partner for Windows 365
UMB is part of the exclusive group of Swiss Microsoft Top Partners, holding five Solutions Partner certifications in the areas of Modern Work, Security, Infrastructure, Data & AI, and Digital & App Innovation. Our Workplace team supports companies every step of the way, from strategy through migration to day-to-day operations.
What makes UMB special: our team includes a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Windows 365. As an MVP, he is in direct and ongoing contact with the Microsoft product team and actively feeds back insights from real-world client projects into the further development of Windows 365. For you, this means: you benefit not only from expertise of the highest calibre, but also from insights into upcoming features and best practices before they are publicly available.
Whether you’re implementing a new solution, replacing an existing VDI solution or expanding your endpoint strategy: we bring the experience and technical know-how to ensure your journey to the cloud runs smoothly.
Ready for the workplace of the future?
Find out how Windows 365 simplifies your IT, gives your staff greater flexibility and enhances your security. Contact our team of experts for a no-obligation consultation.
