Windows 365 for Developers

Was asked by a Customer why we should look at Windows 365 and Cloud PC’s for the Developer persona, over traditional laptops for their primary development device.

So for that unfortunate Customer I did a brain dump (poor Customer 😊) of my thoughts and learnings being on the Windows 365 team from the start.

But thought given about 40% of our use cases are developer I thought I would share here:

Detail value for developer productivity:

• Rapid enablement of developers, spin up a Cloud PC in 20mins, developer productive on Day 1.
• Ability to customise Cloud PC per project or toolset to reduce time to code. 
• Every Cloud PC has 14 snapshots (10 set between every 4hrs to 24hrs + 4 weekly). Allows developers to quickly self-recover a dev machine if they install something that causes issues.
• Developers can be given Admin permissions in a Cloud PC that is ring fenced from main stream network to allow developer freedom but isolated.
• Allow developer to leverage securely any device, anywhere to access a Cloud PC developer workstation, true secure BYOD.
• Leveraging Microsoft Network offers significant performance advantages (aka 1,200Mbps down and up) over home or corporate network regardless of local network accessing Cloud PC.
• Cloud PC can be deployed across the globe to any of our supported regions at no additional cost to support global teams.

IT Value over normal PC

• Cloud PC cannot be lost, broken or stolen.
• IT can rapidly recover multiple CPC if bad patch or update causes issues through the snapshots.
• Compliance - A eDiscovery VHD can be created at anytime for additional compliance and forensics for investigation. With option to block or allow continued access of the user.
• IT has full control with CPC using DLP and outside the CPC how much interaction that CPC has with local device to keep data, code, documentation and IP safe.
• If developer leaves you can just disable AAD account to immediate block access to developer environment without having to retrieve physical machine or chance of developer removing content off machine while you try to recover the physical machine.
• Performance of Cloud PC will continue to improve over time, example when we moved from Intel to AMD chipsets for W365 the performance of CPC improved 16% with no additional costs or action from Customers.
• Physical hardware is only good for the first couple of years before it degrades and also physical is fixed moment in time in terms of hardware and performance. 
• As Microsoft introduces new versions of Windows like Win11+ underlying hardware of Cloud PC will change to fully support the new OS without Customer being blocked. Unlike for example physical machines unable to move to W11 from W10.
• No need to send devices, manage and try to recover machines for global users which is a costly and very time-consuming exercise. 

Would love to hear your thoughts on how Cloud PC’s can positively affect the Developer experience.