Microsoft Unveils Windows 365

Microsoft announced Windows 365, a cloud service for delivering Windows 10 or Windows 11 (when it becomes available) to businesses of all sizes. Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft cloud, streaming the full Windows experience (apps, data and settings) to personal or corporate devices.

In a statement, Microsoft said the system will be "secure by design and built with the principles of Zero Trust." It should, the Redmond-based company claims, "secure and store information in the cloud, not on the device, providing a secure, productive experience for workers from interns and contractors to software developers and industrial designers." Windows 365 creates a new hybrid personal computing category called Cloud PC, which uses both the power of the cloud and the capabilities of the device to provide a full, personalized Windows experience.

“With Windows 365, we’re creating a new category: the Cloud PC,“ said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. “Just like applications were brought to the cloud with SaaS, we are now bringing the operating system to the cloud, providing organizations with greater flexibility and a secure way to empower their workforce to be more productive and connected, regardless of location.“

The service is somewhat similar to so-called virtual and remote desktops. That type of solutions has been available for years, but they require a sophisticated IT department to set up and manage. The implementaion costs for such solutions can be unpredictable since they are based on the number of PCs used in a company. Microsoft hopes the Windows 365 will be easy to introduce without a large IT department, with a predictable monthly bill based on the size of each virtual computer.