Welcome to this news blog post from the official Microsoft Virtual Desktops global community. In this newsletter, we will take you along with all the community and partner news over the past few weeks news.
Nerdio
Nerdio are happy to announce that they will be attending IGEL Disrupt as a sponsor. As a prep for IGEL Disrupt you can read an interview with Nerdio’s CRO Joseph Landes here – https://www.igel.com/blog/disrupt23-sponsor-qa-interview-nerdio/

Community
Imprivata Tap-and-Go for AVD & Windows 365
Fredrik Brattstig from IGEL has published a blog post in which he shows the Imprivata tap-and-go access for Windows 365 and AVD Desktops. I haven’t seen this before and it looks really cool, it enables you to tap and go using a smartcard device to logon to your desktop. You can see his blog post and video here – https://virtualbrat.com/2023/01/27/what-did-i-just-see-new-technology-around-the-corner/

Group Policy Module for AVD
Microsoft have released ADMX files for Azure Virtual Desktop. Using the ADMX Files you are able to manage Screen Capture Protection, RDP Shortpath and Watermarking for AVD. You can download them here – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/administrative-template?tabs=group-policy-domain

Windows 365
How Automation and AI Will Change How We Approach Apps W/ Scott Manchester | Rimo3 Podcast
Rimo3 recently hosted a podcast episode where they had a chat with the one and only Scott Manchester. Parts of the discussions were the way DaaS has changed through the years, how AI and automation will impact app management, and the DaaS Revolution. You can checkout the podcast episode here –
Windows 365 App Experience | Cloud PC Application for Windows
Vidya M A has published a blog post on the new Windows 365 App experience for Windows 10. The Windows 365 app is specifically made for Windows 365 and gives you the ability to launch your Cloud PC from multiple devices types. You can also perform advanced functionality like Restart, Restore and Rename your Cloud PC. You can read his blog post here – https://www.anoopcnair.com/windows-365-app-experience-cloud-pc-application/

Script to add a Windows 365 Cloud PC User
Thomas Marcusen has written an excellent script which allows you import a list of users and assign then to a Cloud PC. This could be extremely useful is you need to onboard lots of users quickly! You can view more information about the script here – https://blog.thomasmarcussen.com/script-to-add-a-windows-365-cloud-pc-user/

Microsoft
Watermarking now available for AVD
Microsoft have announced that Watermarking is now available for Azure Virtual Desktop in public preview. This feature places a QR code on your AVD session so if any documents are leaked then then it can be traced back easily. This feature greatly enhances security and data leakage for those environments who need it. You can view more info here – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/watermarking

Azure Virtual Desktop Web Client User Interface
Microsoft have released an update to the AVD Web Client User interface. The user interface now includes dark mode, the ability to view your resources in grid or list format, and the ability to reset the web client back to the defaults. You can view more info here – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-virtual-desktop-blog/announcing-public-preview-of-the-new-azure-virtual-desktop-web/ba-p/3731165?WT.mc_id=AZ-MVP-5004159
