Microsoft is expanding its cloud PC offering with Windows 365 Frontline, a new offering designed specifically for shift and part-time workers.
The Redmond tech giant calls Windows 365 Frontline an easy and affordable way for organizations to expend the power and security of Cloud PCs to shift workers, giving users access to their personalized Windows apps, settings and data.
According to Microsoft, Windows 365 Frontline is designed to be accessible during a work shift, enabling users to work from anywhere on any device. For example, healthcare workers working in multiple hospitals can access their personalized Windows experience on any device.
In a blog, Microsoft gives several use cases, including healthcare workers visiting different hospitals, IT helpdesk workers, an insurance agent documenting on-site incidents, or customer support representatives.
Shift workers can share licenses instead of organizations paying for individual licenses that are only partially used. The offering can also be configured, deployed and managed with Microsoft Intune, helping IT teams save time and money.
According to Microsoft, each license enables three people to access a Cloud PC during their work hours, enabling organizations to only purchase enough licenses for the number of their active employees at any given time.
“For example, say you have 300 employees but only 100 of them work at the same time,” writes Wangui McKelvey, general manager of apps and endpoints at Microsoft, in an announcement blog. “You only need to purchase 100 licenses to give all 300 employees access to their personalized Windows experience during their shifts.”
Like other Cloud PCs, Windows 365 Frontline gives full access to a user’s personalized Windows experience, and it can be purchased, deployed and managed by Intune to help IT keep management of Cloud PCs and physical devices centralized.
When shift employees begin their shift, they can sign into Windows 365 from the web or Windows 365 app, and the personalized Cloud PC becomes available for the next employee when they sign out at the end of their shift.
The offering includes several security features while maintaining the seamless shift change experience, including an automatic lock screen that signs users out of their Cloud PCs after a specified time period and automatic sign-out if an employee forgets to sign out at the end of their shift. In addition, an auto reset function can restore the Cloud PC to its original state for each new session.
Microsoft says Windows 365 Frontline can also receive updates via Windows Update for Business, and admins can monitor usage patterns with Intune.
The company is also expanding Windows 365 to new endpoints, including LG’s new 2023 Smart TVs to create a workstation in a work-from-home scenario.
Microsoft is also working with Motorola to bring an enhanced Windows 365 experience to Android devices, including the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola. This will allow people to use the ThinkPhone to plug-and-play Windows 365 connectivity that finds and automatically configures their Cloud PC for use on an external screen.
Microsoft also announced the new Windows 365 app generally available in the Microsoft Store, in addition to Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch to make it easier to log in to Cloud PCs and switch to the physical desktop.
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