Want to learn Windows Virtual Desktop? Here are some good resources for a good (kick)start in 2020!

As the year 2019 is finished, it’s now time to take a step back and reflect on last year’s achievements—and begin learning for the year 2020!

“The way I measure my life is – Am I better than I was last year?” – Satya Nadella

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is the new Azure kid on the block in the year 2019. Since it’s GA release on the 30th of September, the interest and popularity have been massive. Due to the popularity, I thought it’d be useful to share some of the free available learning content.

I hope the links in this article help you kickstart (or progress) your Windows Virtual Desktop implementation in 2020! Happy (new year) learning! 🙂

Disclaimer: All the material posted in this article is free! Do you have other good free materials? Feel free to post it in the comment section below.

Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn is a completely free structured learning experience as part of Microsoft Docs. Microsoft Docs is to absorbed content in a more search and navigate manner than learn–mostly based on free videos and multiple-choice type of content.

The good news is that not so long ago–a very comprehensive new video series on Windows Virtual Desktop is added to learn and—test knowledge check yourself.

Spring 2020 release

Fall 2019 release

Deliver remote desktops and apps from Azure with Windows Virtual Desktop

Microsoft Docs

Microsoft Docs is the technical library of documentation for end-users, developers, and IT professionals who work with Microsoft products. Learn here in a walkthrough manner how to install and configure Windows Virtual Desktop.

Spring 2020 release

Microsoft Mechanics

Microsoft Mechanics is Microsoft’s official video series for IT Pros. Watch & share valuable content and demos from the people who build it–all freely available from YouTube.

The videos have a high focus on demos, how-to’s and insights for Microsoft 365, Azure, Office, Windows, Surface and quantum computing–and as part of continuously added new series, Jeremy Chapman and the WVD Engineering group created a complete Windows Virtual Desktop Essentials (video) how-to series.

Microsoft Tech Community

The Microsoft Tech Community is a place to interact with IT Pros, Developers and end-users along with Microsoft. The focus of the site was initially on Office 365 but now encompasses Azure, Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) and many other–like Windows Virtual Desktop–Microsoft technologies. A great success.

Azure Academy

The Azure Academy YouTube channel is created by fellow Microsoft colleague Dean Cefola–from the Azure FastTrack team. In his channel, he shares his deep-dive field experiences and best practices on Azure services for free–how awesome is that?

I also like the stuff he created–because it’s technology-driven, which I like. Dean recently started with a completely new series on how to Deploy, Manage and Maintain Windows Virtual Desktop. Make sure to follow his YouTube channel.

Microsoft Partner Network

While every partner’s journey is different, following these steps will enable you to innovate faster, better support customers, and get guidance on the next Windows Virtual Desktop opportunity for your business.

Upcoming events

Microsoft is organizing several events soon. Register and attend one of those to receive the latest information and tips and tricks on deploying Windows Virtual Desktop.

WVD Architectural – Planning Poster

The Remote Desktop Services team has created a poster to help you plan, build, and run your Windows Virtual Desktop environment.

Desktop virtualization using Windows Virtual Desktop-service architecture

Microsoft Certifications

There are currently no Microsoft Certifications specific to Windows Virtual Desktop available. To get certified on this specific topic, I’d personally recommend you to pass (at least) the following related certifications below:

Pro tip: Are you attending Ignite the Tour soon? Make sure to take advantage and claim your free exam here.

I hope these links will help you to educate yourself on Windows Virtual Desktop.

Thank you very much for stopping by.

Christiaan Brinkhoff