Windows365 Frontline introduced

[German]Microsoft has just unveiled its Windows365 Frontline – a Windows 11-based system streamed from the cloud. The system is designed to offer a personalized Windows that can be deployed and managed via Microsoft Intune alongside cloud PCs and physical devices. The idea behind the Windows 365 Frontline rollout is to offer shift and part-time workers the flexibility of the cloud PC.

Hospitals often run a three-shift operation. In addition, there are meetings via telemedicine. Call center workers can do their work remotely or in the office, much like information workers. A construction or retail employee who works primarily on-site needs mobile flexibility because their work is often spread across multiple job sites or different stores. Microsoft refers to these jobs as frontline, which have special needs.

Gartner estimates that there are 2.7 billion frontline workers – more than twice the number of fixed-desk clerks. Enterprises face challenges to meet their IT and workplace needs. Organizations need to scale technologies faster and to a much larger number of people.

Providing all employees with their own devices is not economically feasible for many companies, especially when many only need access while working. Frontline employees often share physical PCs or kiosks, which introduce security and identity issues. This can impact productivity and put critical information such as intellectual property or customer data at risk.

This is exactly where Microsoft comes in with Windows365 Frontline, as Panos Panay announces in the above tweet and Wangui McKelvey, General Manager at Microsoft, in the article Windows 365 offers flexibility from the office or home to the frontline. Windows 365 – a Windows from the cloud – is to be expanded with Windows 365 Frontline. Windows 365 Frontline is available now as a public preview and will help businesses meet the needs of their entire workforce.

The article says that Windows365 Frontline is designed to provide businesses with an easy and affordable way to extend the power and security of cloud PCs to shift workers and field workers. Windows 365 Frontline cloud PCs provide these employees with access to their personalized Windows apps, settings and data, and enable these part-time or shift workers to work from anywhere and on any device. For IT administrators, the approach offers new capabilities to better support frontline employees.

At the start of the shift, employees simply log in to Windows 365 via the web or the Windows 365 app. At the end of the workday, they log off and the personalized cloud PC is available for the next employee.

To ensure the security of an organization's data, maximize IT investments, and provide shift workers with seamless, personalized work, Windows 365 Frontline includes additional features such as:

• Automatic lock screen: Protects organizations from unauthorized access by third parties that a setting automatically logs users out of their cloud PCs after a period of time you specify.
• Automatic logout: If an employee forgets to log off at the end of their shift, administrators can automate the logoff of users. This can help ensure that access to a cloud PC is available for the next employee.
• Automatic reset: In situations where data needs to be deleted from a cloud PC at the end of a shift, the auto-reset feature restores the cloud PC to its original state for each new session. Employees in high-security situations or those who handle sensitive data – such as healthcare workers, customer service representatives and technical support teams – can be productive on Cloud PCs in accordance with their organization's security policies. This feature will not be available during the public preview.
• Optimized Updates: This feature leverages existing Windows Update for Business policies set by the organization and helps intelligently optimize the timing of applying Windows updates to minimize reboots during the shift.
• Frontline usage reporting: Cloud PC usage patterns can be easily monitored in Microsoft Intune. Reports help customers ensure they have enough cloud PCs to meet the needs of their employees during their shifts.

These are likely to be functions that are in demand in this area. However, we will have to wait and see how data protection looks on the cloud PC with Windows365 Frontline. Details and registration for the preview can be found in the article Windows 365 offers flexibility from the office or home to the frontline.