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VDI professional with 6+ years of hands-on experience across Citrix, Windows 365, and Azure Virtual Desktop. Passionate about exploring emerging technologies, I share practical, real-world insights, step-by-step guides, and troubleshooting tips on Modern Workplace technologies.
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Microsoft Windows 365 provides multiple licensing options to address different workforce scenarios. The most commonly used models are Windows 365 Business, Windows 365 Enterprise, and Windows 365 Frontline.
Windows 365 Business and Enterprise provide a dedicated Cloud PC per user, licensed on a per-user, per-month basis.
In these models:
Each Cloud PC is permanently assigned to a single user
The desktop experience is persistent across sessions
Users can securely access their Cloud PC from supported endpoints
These models are best suited for scenarios where users require a full-time, persistent virtual desktop, similar to a physical laptop or workstation.
For an official and detailed comparison between Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise, refer to Microsoft Learn: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-365/business-enterprise-comparison
Microsoft introduced Windows 365 Frontline to support organizations with shift-based or frontline workers where users do not require concurrent access.
Key characteristics of Windows 365 Frontline:
Licenses are not permanently assigned to users
A license is consumed only while a user session is active
Licensing is based on concurrent usage, not total user count
This model helps organizations optimize costs in environments where multiple users access Cloud PCs across different shifts.
Consider an IT Service Desk in a organization with the following setup:
Total administrators: 90
Shifts: 3
Administrators per shift: 30
Maximum concurrent users: 30
Using Windows 365 Business or Enterprise:
The organization would need 90 licenses
Each administrator receives a dedicated Cloud PC
Licenses are required regardless of shift patterns or active usage
Using Windows 365 Frontline:
The organization needs only 30 Frontline licenses
Licenses are consumed only by active sessions
All 90 administrators can share the same license pool across shifts
Windows 365 Frontline supports two deployment models: Dedicated and Shared.
One Frontline license allows provisioning of up to three Cloud PCs
Only one Frontline Cloud PC user session can be active per license at any given time
Cloud PCs are assigned to individual users
The desktop experience is persistent, similar to Business and Enterprise
In this scenario:
30 Frontline licenses can provision up to 90 Cloud PCs
A maximum of 30 users can be signed in concurrently
Additional sign-ins are not possible until an active session ends and a license becomes available
This model is suitable for shift-based users who still require a persistent desktop experience.
Cloud PCs are provisioned as a shared pool
Cloud PCs are not assigned to specific users
Users are assigned via an Entra ID group
At sign-in, users are connected to an available Cloud PC
At sign-out, the Cloud PC is signed out and returned to its original state
This model behaves like a non-persistent virtual desktop environment:
User-specific data and local changes are not retained by default
Each session starts with a clean environment
Microsoft has introduced User Experience Sync to improve usability in Windows 365 Frontline Shared environments.
User Experience Sync:
Preserves user settings and profile experience
Does not provide full desktop persistence
Enhances user continuity without changing the non-persistent nature of shared Cloud PCs
A detailed technical discussion on User Experience Sync can be covered in a separate article.
Windows 365 Business / Enterprise
Best suited for users who require a full-time, persistent Cloud PC without dependency on shift-based usage.
Windows 365 Frontline Dedicated
Suitable for shift-based users who need a persistent desktop while optimizing licensing costs through concurrency.
Windows 365 Frontline Shared
Appropriate when users require temporary access to applications or corporate resources and full user data persistence is not required.
This article is based on publicly available Microsoft documentation and personal experience. It does not represent official Microsoft guidance.