Effective June 1, 2024, midterm upgrades to higher performing machines of Microsoft Windows 365 are available. This allows customers to upgrade to higher performance editions of Windows 365 during their agreement terms. Customers only pay for the differential cost, not the full license price. This option is available through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) licensing program.
Key Points
- What changed: Previously, if you wanted to upgrade your Windows 365 machine to have better specifications, you could do so in the Intune Admin portal, but could not upgrade the license. You need to upgrade the license, when you upgrade the machine, otherwise you become uncompliant, and Microsoft might charge you for that. Now, you can also upgrade the license as a customer under a Microsoft CSP contract.
- Upgrade Opportunity: Customers using Windows 365 can now upgrade their existing SKUs to higher performance levels. This means they can tap into more compute resources (RAM/CPU/storage size) for new projects and demanding workloads.
- Eligible Editions: The upgrade is available for all editions of Windows 365, including:
- Business
- Enterprise
- Frontline
- Government
Benefits of upgrading:
- Improved Performance: By upgrading to higher performance SKUs, users can experience faster processing speeds, smoother multitasking, and better overall performance.
- Resource Flexibility: Customers can adjust their computing resources based on their specific needs, ensuring optimal efficiency. You might consider starting with a low-performance machine to check, if the solution is the right one for you, and upgrade later to increase performance.
Resizing options
You can downgrade or upgrade your Windows 365 Cloud PC specifications using the Resize feature. Ensure first, that you booked the right licenses corresponding to the target edition (the edition after upgrading or downgrading) of Windows 365.
- Upgrade: You can increase the RAM, CPU, and storage size of your Cloud PC.
- Downgrade: You can reduce the RAM and CPU of your Cloud PC. Resizing does not support downsizing disk space.
Considerations of resizing:
- User Coordination: Resizing automatically disconnects the user from their session, so it is recommended to coordinate with the user before initiating the process. Have them save their work and sign out.
- Nested Virtualization: Downsizing may impact support for nested virtualization.
- License Availability: Ensure that there are available licenses in inventory for the resized Cloud PC configuration.
- How to resize: Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center, navigate to Devices > All Devices, choose the device, and select Resize.
Role Requirements:
- For a Cloud PC provisioned with a direct assigned license, the admin must have one of the following roles:
- Global Admin
- Intune Service Admin
- Intune Reader + Cloud PC Admin roles
- Intune Reader + Windows 365 Admin
- For a Cloud PC provisioned with a group-based license, the admin must have similar roles, along with Microsoft Entra group read/write membership and licensing permissions.
Ready to Upgrade?
Contact SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT for assistance with your Microsoft Windows 365 software licenses. We are here to help you make the most of this opportunity.
About Microsoft Windows 365
Windows 365 Cloud PC enables you to securely stream your personalized Windows experience, including apps, content, and settings, directly from the Microsoft Cloud to any device. This empowers you to work effortlessly across various devices and locations, all while maintaining top-notch security and performance levels.
More information
Learn about Windows 365 PCs and how it works in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V14Ia2uwrtk.
Learn how we can help you with your Microsoft licensing requirements: https://www.schneider.im/software/microsoft/.
Contact us for expert services on your specific Microsoft Online Services and software requirements and to request a quote today.