Windows 365 Licensing Guide

Windows 365 Licensing Guide

Windows 365 provides cloud PCs via two editions: Business and Enterprise. Each edition is designed to meet different organizational needs, with varying levels of administrative control, user management, and security. Here's a comprehensive breakdown including administrative and security comparisons.

1. Windows 365 Business

- Target Audience: Small to mid-sized organizations (up to 300 users).
- Purchase Channels: Available via Web direct, self-service, and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP).
- License Assignment: Managed via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
- Licensing Requirements: No pre-licensing required. Device management through Microsoft Intune is optional for users licensed for it.

Pricing (Sample):
- 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage: ~$31 per user/month.
- 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB storage: ~$66 per user/month.

Key Features:
- Provisioning: Simplified; Cloud PCs automatically provision with default configurations.
- Policy Management: Not supported.
- Application Deployment: Supported only with an Intune license.
- Windows Updates: Default Windows Update for Business settings are applied.
- Networking Costs: Outbound data based on Cloud PC RAM:
  - 2 GB RAM = 12 GB outbound data.
  - 4 GB or 8 GB RAM = 20 GB outbound data.
  - 16 GB RAM = 40 GB outbound data.
  - 32 GB RAM = 70 GB outbound data.
- Device Management: Limited to assigning/unassigning licenses through Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
- Seat Limit: Capped at 300 seats per tenant.

2. Windows 365 Enterprise

- Target Audience: Large organizations with enterprise-level requirements and no seat cap.
- Purchase Channels: Available via Web direct, Enterprise Agreements (EA), and CSP.
- License Assignment: Managed via Microsoft 365 Admin Center or Microsoft Entra ID.
- Licensing Requirements: Requires licenses for Windows 10/11 Enterprise, Microsoft Intune, and Microsoft Entra ID P1.

Pricing (Sample):
- 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage: ~$33 per user/month.
- 8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 512 GB storage: ~$158 per user/month.

Key Features:
- Provisioning: Configurable and customizable by admins through Azure Active Directory.
- Policy Management: Supports Group Policy Objects (GPO) and Intune MDM.
- Application Deployment: Fully supported.
- Windows Updates: Managed by using Intune.
- Networking Costs: When using an Azure VNet, network costs apply through Azure bandwidth pricing.
- Device Management: Full control through Microsoft Intune (image management, policy targeting, resizing Cloud PCs, etc.).
- Seat Limit: No seat cap.

Conclusion

Windows 365 Business is ideal for small organizations needing simplicity and basic management, while Windows 365 Enterprise caters to larger organizations with advanced administrative control and policy management through Intune and Azure. With Enterprise, users benefit from custom provisioning, enhanced security, and monitoring via Endpoint Analytics. Both editions support Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Entra ID for secure cloud PC management.