Communication is a major challenge for many remote working businesses. In fact, over half of remote workers claim they feel disconnected from their in-office employees.
That's not surprising — without the ability to connect with your team in a human way, teamwork and productivity are liable to suffer.
To navigate this challenge, it makes sense to build a remote-ready virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that supports the applications you need. That way, you can maintain productivity across your dispersed workforce and keep your collaborative culture operating without interruption.
In this blog, we'll be asking an important question: can you run Microsoft 365 Teams on a virtual desktop? And if so, how can you make the most of it?
Can you run Teams on a virtual desktop infrastructure?
The short answer is yes. (You're now free to breathe a sigh of relief.)
You can indeed run Teams on your VDI, providing you have the following components:
- A virtualisation broker
- A virtual desktop infrastructure
- The Teams desktop app
As of 2021, the Teams application is certified for audio and visual use with Windows Virtual Desktop. You may also choose to run the application on Citrix and VMware environments. If you use a different VDI platform, check with your provider to see whether Teams is compatible.
There are plenty of instructions on the Microsoft website for installing and updating Teams on your platform of choice.
However, it's important to note that Teams on VDI will run slightly differently in a virtualised environment. Some advanced features may be missing, and you may contend with a lower quality resolution on video calls.
The perfect pair: Teams on WVD
With so many businesses transitioning to remote or hybrid work, the demand for productive and secure applications has risen — so much so that 30 percent of US companies used Microsoft Teams during the pandemic.
We're sure you're familiar with the productivity and efficiency benefits that come with using Microsoft Teams. But what are the benefits of hosting it on your virtual desktop environment, specifically?
Here are three reasons why Teams and WVD make the perfect pairing:
- Disparate team access. Windows Virtual Desktop provides almost instant user access to your applications (including Teams), no matter where your employees are. You can also provision new user desktops rapidly and at scale, ensuring you avoid tedious downtime and grow without any constraints.
- File sharing. Teams on WVD allows you to securely share files with your employees and collaborate in real-time, all within one centralised hub. It's essential if you're working outside of the office and your job involves shared documents.
- Security. When your workforce is primarily based at home, security is an understandable concern. Both WVD and Microsoft Teams are built with the strongest cloud-based security measures and benefit from regular updates. A VDI approach avoids the storage of sensitive files on local devices, housing everything on your secure virtual infrastructure instead. You can also closely monitor user activity, implement existing security policies, deploy multi-factor authentication, and stay one step ahead of any data threats or breaches.
Revamp your remote work setup
The good news is that Microsoft Teams is compatible with many of the big virtual desktop infrastructure players.
With that said, we understand how complex it can be to set up your VDI and applications for success, especially with a smaller in-house IT department.
As certified Microsoft Advanced WVD Specialists and Gold experts, we have a wealth of experience enabling productivity-boosting remote working environments across leading platforms. So, If you find yourself struggling to get the most out of your VDI environment, get in touch. We'd love to revamp your remote setup.
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