365 Is a ripoff

[lounge-user]

Microsofts Windows 365 service is what I am refering to, not to be confused with Microsoft 365.

For a low spec PC:

That comes about to: ~ £312/YR/User

A physical PC with better specs £205:

https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-Processor-Windows-Computer-Business/dp/B09H5QXS6K?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1.

Why cant someone just install remote management software on it, I bet I could get a 50 Year old to set up the remote software from a youtube video and only take 1/2 a day max.

This PC could probbably last for 5-6 Years untill it becomes slow and unusable.

The only case where I see Windows 365 being cost effective and a viable choice is if someone is living in a remote area where PC parts are not easily accessable, you could counter my arguement by saying this is not scaleable, however a business could directly contact a PC manufacturer and place a bulk order with the remote software aleardy flashed into storage with preset settings.

 

Im just confused why anyone would want this service even if they are a business or indiviuals

[lounge-user]

The other tiers dont provide more value FYI

You can also use VS inc Blend and its other "Branches" on a Dual Core cpu w/ 8GB of ram, moreover unless you are doing UI work you can just use VSC which is lightweight and more customisable

 

No one knows

[Sauron]

11 minutes ago, lounge-user said:

A physical PC with better specs

This is a flawed comparison, if you're using this you already have a physical pc. The idea with this type of service is that you can access your instance from other machines. If you want to compare prices you should do it with a competing VPS service like Amazon AWS.

[lounge-user]

Just now, Sauron said:

This is a flawed comparison, if you're using this you already have a physical pc. The idea with this type of service is that you can access your instance from other machines. If you want to compare prices you should do it with a competing VPS service like Amazon AWS.

But remote software can archive that, anyways something like linode would be a lot cheaper

[Sauron]

2 minutes ago, lounge-user said:

But remote software can archive that

What do you mean? A VPS isn't the same as a cloud storage service.

3 minutes ago, lounge-user said:

linode would be a lot cheaper

Not really, the base tier is marginally cheaper for a machine with lower storage capacity.

https://www.linode.com/pricing/

[lounge-user]

4 minutes ago, Sauron said:

What do you mean? A VPS isn't the same as a cloud storage service.

I mean something like "Proxmox" but for windows, it can control & "Enter"/ Use multiple pc's on the same network, or you can configure it for WAN

[lounge-user]

Ok I think im missing the point of Windows 365 as I can gather from the responses, Im still confused as their is WAN Remote software for PCs, which allows you to use said PCs via streaming it to other devices, like 356

[Sauron]

25 minutes ago, lounge-user said:

I mean something like "Proxmox" but for windows, it can control & "Enter"/ Use multiple pc's on the same network, or you can configure it for WAN

...yeah but then you need to maintain your own server with your own internet connection... if you need something to be up 24/7 then you need to pay someone to tend to it, have backups, fallback machines and so on. it's not any cheaper, I assure you.

[poochyena]

36 minutes ago, Sauron said:

The idea with this type of service is that you can access your instance from other machines.

but the point is, the "other machine" would very likely be more powerful than this, so whats the point?

[TetraSky]

I honestly don't even see in which scenario Windows 365 would be advantageous over simply having a cheap laptop

[Sauron]

Just now, poochyena said:

but the point is, the "other machine" would very likely be more powerful than this, so whats the point?

aside from the ability to host a service with none of the headaches attached to server maintenance, you might require access to it from machines that are not your own.

[Middcore]

40 minutes ago, lounge-user said:

But remote software can archive that, anyways something like linode would be a lot cheaper

 

You have to say it like you're orgasming, the way Dawid does.

 

Li-NOOOOODE!

[lounge-user]

1 minute ago, Middcore said:

 

You have to say it like you're orgasming, the way Dawid does.

 

Li-NOOOOODE!

This is what I get when I search that, look what you did...

[poochyena]

19 minutes ago, Sauron said:

aside from the ability to host a service with none of the headaches attached to server maintenance, you might require access to it from machines that are not your own.

What scenario is this more beneficial than cloud storage and a cheap laptop or tablet?

[Tristerin]

There are people that value their time far more than $27 a month that can come with anything PC related and self maintenance.  I dont have a reason to use this but others do.

 

EDIT - for some people, you have to understand, its about ease and accessibility and has nothing to do with money.  They have enough to not care about the value - but about the TIME spent maintaining or setting anything up.

[tkitch]

Did you really come to the forum, create an account for the sole purpose of bitching about a product that you clearly have no interest in?

 

I R Confuzed.

[Guest willies leg]

I'd say just buy a raspberry pi 4 kit and use libreoffice.

[lounge-user]

13 minutes ago, tkitch said:

Did you really come to the forum, create an account for the sole purpose of bitching about a product that you clearly have no interest in?

 

I R Confuzed.

No, I have tried Windows 365, after I tried it, I was confused why anyone would find it worth it. It was when the trials were still availiable

[Sauron]

56 minutes ago, poochyena said:

What scenario is this more beneficial than cloud storage and a cheap laptop or tablet?

suppose you need specific software that might not have permission to install on whatever machine you're using (plus installing it would take time you might not have). licensing could also be an obstacle. as for why you'd not use a laptop, multiple people may need to access this, possibly in different physical locations. and again, you may need any one of these things and the ability to host something 24/7.

[Roswell]

4 hours ago, lounge-user said:

No, I have tried Windows 365, after I tried it, I was confused why anyone would find it worth it. It was when the trials were still availiable

This is a product for large business, you are not the intended customer whatsoever.

 

These are managed installs for companies that want to offload some of their IT and security costs to a third party.

[Guest]

On 1/10/2022 at 6:29 AM, lounge-user said:

The only case where I see Windows 365 being cost effective and a viable choice is if someone is living in a remote area where PC parts are not easily accessable, you could counter my arguement by saying this is not scaleable, however a business could directly contact a PC manufacturer and place a bulk order with the remote software aleardy flashed into storage with preset settings.

 

So there are a couple of things you've overlooked here: support/SLA's & scalability.

 

Microsoft have openly admitted, Windows 365 for Business is designed to offer an alternative for small business who might have traditionally gone to their local brick & mortar retailer to purchase to instead purchase a subscription. From MS' perspective, instead of making a % via Windows licensing on day 1, they make an ongoing margin from the subscription every month. However, the value for the business here is that the service is SLA backed, meaning there is financial incentive for Microsoft to ensure stability as well as the fact that it can easily scale.

 

Scalability is actually a really big issue for small business: say you have 5 staff, you want to onboard a 6th or 7th for a few months on a temporary basis. Instead of having to purchase hardware, the business can simply purchase a subscription and allow the user to access it via their own laptop (not perfect but it's small business). Scalability also means that if you find the 'device' too slow, then it's just a licensing upgrade to change. Compare that with most devices: I've seen my fair share of small business setups and normally it's consumer grade laptops or basic business ones: typically poor spec with limited hardware upgrade paths.

 

On 1/10/2022 at 12:58 PM, Roswell said:

This is a product for large business, you are not the intended customer whatsoever.

Not really - in fact I would struggle to recommend it into an enterprise, even with the enterprise SKU's - this is also what a lot of other MS partners are finding. The business SKU's make sense for small business in certain circumstances but I cannot see this being used by enterprise. The reason being, it's a very similar product to Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop), however where AVD is a PaaS solution, Windows 365 is certainly more of a SaaS solution: basically turnkey virtual computers.

 

This has implications for both cost and control: where Windows 365 is fixed cost per user, AVD is based on consumption making it significantly cheaper for larger cyclical workloads (e.g. Monday to Friday, 8-5) as you can scale based on required compute power. Similarly, as Microsoft take 'ownership' of more areas of the solution, enterprise IT teams have limited capability as far as custom requirements, troubleshooting capabilities and more. This is already a known issue for AVD (where the session broker is managed by MS meaning it's very difficult to troubleshoot dropouts). 

[sphbecker]

This is an Enterprise grade VDI offering, it is priced to compete with a company who's alterative is settings up an in house ESXi cluster that could easily cost $1,000,000.

Even for a small business, this is affordable considering you are replacing the cost of IT support (assuming your staff is non-technical), the price really only looks bad when considering it for home use.