Knowledge base
December 16, 2025
Worry-free cloud workstations: AVD or Windows 365?
More and more organizations are working hybrid. Employees want to be able to work anywhere, IT wants to stay in control and management wants predictable costs. The cloud workplace is therefore no longer a trend, but a basic provision.
The question we often get: do you choose Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365?
Both solutions are mature, secure and suitable for Dutch organizations. Yet the differences are greater than they first appear. Especially since the updates in 2025 around AI, cost control and remote security.
In this article, we explain it clearly for you. Without marketing language. So you can decide for yourself what suits your organization.
What is a cloud workplace in practice?
A cloud workplace means that the work environment is no longer tied to a local PC or server. Users log in securely over the Internet and work in a central Windows environment.
This provides tangible benefits:
Always the same work environment, in the office, at home or on the road
Launch new employees faster
Less dependence on local hardware
Centralized security and updates
The interpretation differs for each solution. And therein lies precisely the difference between AVD and Windows 365.
Azure Virtual Desktop: maximum control and flexibility
Azure Virtual Desktop, often abbreviated as AVD, is a platform within Microsoft Azure. With it, you build your own virtual work environment, tailored to your organization.
What AVD is strong at
AVD gives IT teams complete control. You control how the environment is structured, how users are assigned and how resources are distributed.
Benefits of AVD:
- Scales with growth or shrinkage of your organization
- Optimizing costs through smart use of capacity
- Suitable for complex environments and applications
- Seamless integration with existing Azure structure
For organizations with an in-house IT department or a clear cloud strategy, this is often the most flexible choice.
What to consider
That flexibility also requires knowledge and management. AVD is not a plug-and-play solution. Design, monitoring and optimization are essential to control costs and performance.
That’s why we see AVD mostly at:
- Larger SME organizations
- IT teams that need customization
- Companies with specific compliance requirements
Windows 365: simplicity and speed for users
Windows 365 is easier to compare to a subscription. Each user gets their own Cloud PC, priced fixed per month.
What Windows 365 is strong at
Windows 365 is all about ease of use. The environment is up and running quickly and works immediately.
Benefits of Windows 365:
- Fixed cost per user
- Rapid rollout without complex design
- Very user-friendly for end users
- Ideal for standard office work
For many SMEs, this is attractive. Especially if IT should not be a daily headache.
Limitations to consider
Windows 365 offers less flexibility than AVD. You choose from fixed profiles and can do less fine-tuning at the application or user level.
That’s why Windows 365 is an especially good fit:
- Small to medium-sized SMEs
- Organizations with standard workstations
- Companies that value predictable costs
What has changed in 2025?
By 2025, both solutions have evolved considerably. Here are the main changes we see in practice.
Smarter AI integration
Microsoft Copilot is now more deeply integrated into both AVD and Windows 365. Consider:
- Faster searching and working within the workspace
- AI support for documents and email
- Better user experience without additional tools
For organizations, this means: more productivity without complex implementations.
Better cost control
Especially in AVD, cost models have improved. Automatic scaling and smarter resource utilization make it easier to keep cloud costs predictable.
With Windows 365, the advantage remains: fixed monthly prices per user.
Strengthened security for remote working
Remote working is here to stay. Therefore, security has been further tightened:
Zero Trust architecture applicable by default
Stronger Conditional Access rules
Better protection against stolen accounts
For Dutch organizations, this is important in the context of AVG and NEN7510.
Which choice fits your organization?
There is no standard answer. The right choice depends on your people, your processes and your growth plans.
Broadly speaking, we see this:
- Choose AVD if you need flexibility, customization and scalability
- Choose Windows 365 if you want simplicity, speed and fixed costs
Having doubts? Then that’s usually a sign that you should first look at how work is done within your organization, not the technology.
The ALTA-ICT approach: without choice stress
At ALTA-ICT, we never start with a product. We start with questions.
- How do your employees really work?
- Which applications are critical?
- What may IT cost today and two years from now?
- What compliance requirements apply to your industry?
Based on that, we honestly recommend: AVD, Windows 365 or a combination. Including setup, security, management and optimization.
No vendor talk. Just a workstation that does what it’s supposed to do.
Are you already working in the cloud?
Many organizations now use AVD or Windows 365, sometimes without being optimally set up.
Are you already working with one of these solutions? Or are you about to choose?
A quick check can provide a lot of clarity. Often one conversation is enough to see where gains can be made.
Want to know more?
