Create Azure Virtual Desktop for temporary private use for learning purposes?

Question

Is possible to create Azure Virtual Desktop for temporary private use for learning purposes? My goal is to learn how to deploy one Virtual Machine with 3 users.

I have already Azure subscription, Microsoft Entry ID, Network

Which license would be the best choice for this project, eg. Mircosoft 365 E3? But on other hand, I don't need any Office applications for this project.

My attentions is to follow this user guide.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/deploy-azure-virtual-desktop?tabs=portal

Does this make any sense to do for learning purposes?

Answer 1

Hello, @Ken Ekholm !

How would I create Azure Virtual Desktop for learning purposes?

There are 3 approaches for learning to deploy Azure Virtual Desktop in the documentation as well as a Microsoft Learn course that you can follow. The deployments will be as private and temporary as you decide to make them (delete the resources at any time and privacy is a core part of security best practices).

• Use the quickstart to create a sample infrastructure: This is intended to be a quick introduction to Azure Virtual Desktop that can be used for smaller scenarios with a few users and apps (like your 3 user scenario) but it can also be used to evaluate larger enterprise scenarios.
• Tutorial: Deploy a sample Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure with a Windows 11 desktop: This is a simple introduction that will show you how to deploy a Windows 11 Enterprise desktop in Azure Virtual Desktop and allows you to assign users to the application group. It's the most simple example and doesn't include a published app, but it sounds like it would match your scenario.
• Deploy Azure Virtual Desktop: This is the most in-depth introduction to Azure Virtual Desktop and will cover a more adaptable approach for deploying Azure Virtual Desktop that can be used in a variety of scenarios. This will be a longer and more difficult deployment approach.
• Training (5h 20m): Deliver remote desktops and apps with Azure Virtual Desktop: This Microsoft Q&A learning path will cover what you need to know for Azure Virtual Desktop in a guided course that includes preparing, deploying, optimizing, securing, and protecting Azure Virtual Desktop in addition to deploying applications. It does require an active Azure subscription.

The cheapest option is to use an Azure free trial but if you already have a subscription, you can minimize costs by deleting your resources as soon as you are done with them.

Note that Windows Server licenses are included in the per hour VM cost and are the most efficient for paid learning. Windows 11 licenses are free to use for student and learning subscriptions for dev/test purposes. If you don't have a student/free subscription and won't be using Windows Server, a Microsoft 365 E3 would be a cheaper option for Windows 11 (although it does require an annual commitment which is overkill for learning). Azure sales would be best equipped to walk you through all available purchase options.

Edit: After speaking with the Azure Virtual Desktop team they added a recommendation to look at academic and trial licenses, and underscored the value of reaching out to Azure sales for additional guidance for specific licensing needs.

I hope this helps! Happy learning!

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