Cloud Virtual Desktop Implementation

Traditional remote access solutions expose your network to risk.

Maintaining on-premises server rooms is expensive and vulnerable.

Supporting old hardware in endless capital refresh cycles drains resources.

What Is Azure Virtual Desktop?

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a secure, cloud-hosted virtual desktop environment that lets users access applications and data from anywhere—without exposing your network to risk or compromising on security.

Think of it as bringing your users to the data, instead of bringing the data to their devices.

Users access AVD through

Any device (Windows, Mac, iPad, Chromebook, even web browsers)
The Remote Desktop app or web portal
A seamless experience that feels just like working at the office

Behind the scenes

Their desktop, applications, and data live in Microsoft’s FedRAMP High-accredited Azure data centers—protected by enterprise-grade security that would cost millions to build yourself.

Why Azure Virtual Desktop?

Traditional VPNs connect remote devices directly to your network—which means every compromised laptop or phishing victim becomes a direct threat to your infrastructure.

AVD implements Zero Trust Architecture:

Users authenticate with phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication
Conditional access policies enforce security requirements before granting access
Foreign or "dirty" devices never touch your network
Microsegmentation limits lateral movement if credentials are compromised

Your business depends on applications that require old technologies: SMB file shares, ODBC connections, server-adjacent performance.

AVD keeps legacy applications running:

Applications run on Azure-hosted virtual machines with the exact environment they need
Users access them through RemoteApp or full virtual desktops
Latency between the virtual desktop and your data is under 1ms (because they're in the same data center)
RDP protocol was designed for high-latency remote access—unlike SMB and ODBC, which fall apart over the internet

You don’t need to rewrite applications, migrate databases, or force users onto compromised workflows. The legacy app keeps working. Your business keeps moving.

Healthcare, government, tribal organizations—many businesses handle confidential or private data that requires strict controls.

AVD provides compliance capabilities you can’t build on-premises:

FedRAMP High accreditation and dozens of other certifications
Data sovereignty controls for tribal lands and regulated industries
Audit reports from Microsoft's Trust Center when audit season arrives
Encrypted data at rest and in transit
Conditional access policies that enforce who can access what, from where

You offload security and assurance responsibilities to Microsoft’s compliance teams—who spend millions annually maintaining these certifications.

Common Use Cases for Azure Virtual Desktop

Remote and hybrid work

Enable secure remote access without VPN headaches or security compromises.

Legacy application migration

Keep critical applications running while eliminating on-premises server rooms.

Contractors and seasonal staff

Provide temporary workers with secure access without issuing company devices or exposing your network.

Field staff and mobile workers

Give teams access to applications and data from tablets, home computers, or public kiosks.

Data enclaving for compliance

Isolate sensitive data in secure environments with granular access controls.

Disaster recovery and business continuity

Eliminate single-site risk by hosting desktops in Microsoft's multi-region, replicated data centers.

Connectivity in Remote Markets: The Game Has Changed

Let’s address the elephant in the room: “Cloud solutions sound great, but what about internet connectivity in Alaska? Hawaii? Tribal lands? Remote work sites?”

It’s a fair question. For years, it was the right question.

But the landscape has fundamentally shifted.

Gone are the days of expensive enterprise MPLS circuits that cost thousands per month and still left you vulnerable to single points of failure.

Today, SD-WAN technology intelligently routes traffic across multiple commodity broadband connections—cable, fiber, wireless, and satellite—delivering enterprise-grade reliability at a fraction of the cost.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services like Starlink and OneWeb have revolutionized connectivity in underserved markets:

Current capabilities

Starlink delivers 450Mbps download / 70Mbps upload today
Low latency (20-40ms) suitable for VoIP, video conferencing, and cloud applications
Available in remote locations that were unreachable by wireline providers

Near-future capabilities

1Gbps service expected within 18-24 months
Continued expansion of coverage and capacity
Pricing that makes enterprise connectivity accessible to organizations of all sizes

What This Means for Azure Virtual Desktop

Field workers and remote sites can now access Azure Virtual Desktop with performance that rivals urban office environments.

Oil field camps, construction sites, tribal health clinics, ranger stations—connectivity is no longer the limiting factor.

Rural communities that have been underserved by fiber and cable providers for decades can now compete on equal footing.

Your location doesn't determine your capabilities anymore.

Redundancy becomes affordable.

Even if you have fiber connectivity, adding Starlink as a failover connection is cost-effective and reliable. When one connection fails, users stay productive.

RDP Was Designed for This

Here’s the technical advantage: Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) was specifically designed to work well over high-latency, variable-quality connections.

Unlike legacy protocols like SMB file shares or ODBC that fall apart over the internet, RDP adapts to available bandwidth and optimizes the user experience.

This is why Azure Virtual Desktop works so well in remote locations—even when connectivity isn’t perfect, the protocol ensures users can work productively.

The virtual desktop and applications run in Azure’s data center with sub-1ms latency between components. Users only need enough bandwidth for the RDP stream, not for moving massive files or running applications locally.

We Design for Your Connectivity Reality

Because we work in Alaska, Hawaii, and tribal lands every day, we understand connectivity realities that coastal consultants don't think about.

Redundancy strategies - Multiple connectivity paths to ensure uptime
Bandwidth optimization - Right-sizing virtual machines and configurations for available connectivity
Realistic performance expectations - Testing and validation in your actual environment, not in a lab

How AVD Reduces Risk

Eliminates single-site vulnerabilities

Your server room is one flood, fire, or break-in away from catastrophe. Microsoft Azure regions have multiple, replicated data centers with enterprise-grade physical security.

Protects against phishing and credential theft

Strong MFA and conditional access policies prevent compromised credentials from becoming full breaches.

Reduces hardware dependency

No more capital refresh cycles for aging servers. No more emergency hardware replacements when equipment fails.

Enables Zero Trust Architecture

Microsegmentation and identity-based access controls limit what attackers can reach—even if they compromise a user account.

How We Implement Azure Virtual Desktop

Every AVD implementation is custom and bespoke—because your applications, workflows, and users are unique.

We move at your pace to achieve your goals.

What you need to get started

A shared vision of where you want to be. That's it. We help you line up everything else—Azure subscriptions, licensing, network configuration, identity management.

1

Discovery

Understanding your applications, data, users, and security requirements

2

Design

Architecting the AVD environment to meet your specific needs

3

Build

Provisioning virtual machines, configuring access, migrating applications

4

Testing

Validating performance, security, and user experience

5

Deployment

Rolling out access to users with training and support

6

Transition

Handing off to your internal IT team or supporting ongoing operations through Managed IT Services

Implementation timelines vary widely—this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We customize to your environment and move at a pace that ensures success.

The User Experience

Seamless access from anywhere

Users open the Remote Desktop app or web browser, authenticate with MFA, and access their desktop or applications. It feels just like being in the office—because the applications are running in a powerful, low-latency environment, not struggling over a slow internet connection.

Works on any device

Company laptops, personal computers, tablets, Chromebooks, even smartphones. As long as they can authenticate, they can work.

Consistent performance

Because applications run in Azure data centers with enterprise-grade infrastructure, performance is predictable and reliable—not dependent on the user’s home internet speed or personal device capabilities.

After Implementation: Ongoing Support

We don’t walk away.

Support AVD through Managed IT Services

We handle monitoring, updates, troubleshooting, and user support

Train your internal IT team

We transfer knowledge so your team can manage AVD independently

Your choice. Your pace. Your goals.

The Cloud Isn't Cheaper—It's More Capable

Let’s be honest: Azure Virtual Desktop is not a cost-reduction strategy.

The cloud is almost always more expensive than on-premises infrastructure—but it’s vastly more capable.

With AVD, you gain

Security controls you couldn't afford to build yourself
Compliance certifications that would take years to achieve
Redundancy and disaster recovery beyond what most organizations can implement
Flexibility to scale up or down as business needs change
Elimination of risks that on-premises environments can't fully mitigate

Need to Migrate Before Implementing AVD?

Many organizations implement Azure Virtual Desktop as part of a broader cloud migration strategy. If you're still running on-premises Exchange servers, file servers, and Active Directory, we can help you migrate to Microsoft 365 and Azure—creating the foundation for secure remote access through AVD.

Learn more about Azure & Microsoft 365 Migration →