Announcing self-service purchase capabilities for Windows 365

Windows 365 was announced on July 14, 2021.  Today we are also announcing that self-service purchasing capabilities are coming soon for Windows 365.  Individuals worldwide (excluding India) will be able to acquire a subscription for the following products as early as August 15, 2021:

• Windows 365 Enterprise
• Windows 365 Business

As an administrator, if you prefer to limit these capabilities, you can do so on a per-product basis.  Control for Windows 365 self-purchase is available starting today via PowerShell. You can also take control of any of your users’ self-service purchases, allowing you to move them from a self-service purchase to another license or to cancel their subscriptions completely. Additionally, users who are prevented from making their own purchases can make a request for a license or you as an admin can point users to an existing license request process.  These features give you the ability to control how users acquire software within your organization.

For questions about self-service purchase, including how it may impact your organization, please refer to the self-service purchase FAQ. 

How this will affect your organization:

As mentioned above, you have the ability to control self-service purchase capabilities on a per-product bases using PowerShell. Windows 365 is available for control starting today.

For additional information on controlling self-service purchase using PowerShell, see AllowSelfServicePurchase for the MSCommerce PowerShell module.

Any potential changes you make for Windows 365 with the MSCommerce PowerShell module will not affect settings you already set for other products.

Self-service purchase capabilities are not available for customers who are eligible for Government or Education offers.  If this applies to your organization, no additional action is required to control self-service purchase at this time.

What is Windows 365?

Microsoft recently announced the Windows 365 Cloud PC, which securely streams your Windows experience — including your personalized apps, content, and settings — from the Microsoft cloud to any device.

Windows 365 offers two additions, Windows 365 Enterprise and Windows 365 Business, that include a complete cloud-based offering with multiple Cloud PC configurations based on performance needs:

• Windows 365 Enterprise is for organizations that want to manage their Cloud PCs with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and take advantage of integrations with other Microsoft services, including Azure Active Director and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• Windows 365 Business is for smaller organizations that want a simple way to buy, deploy, and manage Cloud PCs.

Here is how self-service purchase will be integrated into the two editions:

Microsoft 365 Enterprise:  IT admins who use Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) will be able to purchase a license during the resize action on a user’s Cloud PC if their organization does not have any licenses available.

Microsoft 365 Business:  Any user can purchase a license from windows365.com and automatically have a Cloud PC created for them.

What you need to do to prepare:

No action is required unless you prefer to limit self-service purchase capabilities for Windows 365.  Read the above announcement to understand this new feature and once available implement as needed for your organization.