At Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Amsterdam, Aspex was one of the co-founders of Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD). During the Microsoft Mechanics demos, the first POC's for customers were set up. Yannick Dils, Cloud Solution Architect at Aspex, and Micha Wets, Technology Strategist at Aspex & Microsoft MVP at WVD, were there. In this interview, they reflect on the road that has already been taken and what the future holds for WVD.

1. ASPEX | Brouwersvliet 5, 2000 Antwerpen |+32 3 220 21 98 |info@aspex.be
1 year Windows Virtual desktop
an interview with Micha Wets & Yannick Dils

2. ASPEX | Brouwersvliet 5, 2000 Antwerpen |+32 3 220 21 98 |info@aspex.be
At Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Amsterdam, Aspex was one of the co-founders of Windows Virtual
Desktop (WVD). During the Microsoft Mechanics demos, the first POC's for customers were set up.
Yannick Dils, Cloud Solution Architect at Aspex, and Micha Wets, Technology Strategist at Aspex &
Microsoft MVP at WVD, were there. In this interview, they reflect on the road that has already
been taken and what the future holds for WVD.
Micha Wets Microsoft MVP | Cloud Solution
Architect
As Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional)
Micha is completely at home in the IT world and he also regularly speaks
at international conferences such as MS Inspire. Micha has more than 10
years of experience as a DevOps Engineer and knows everything about
private, hybrid and public clouds.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micha-wets-0b994a5/
Yannick Dils Cloud Solution Architect
Yannick has been working in IT for 12 years now, with a strong focus on
cloud and modern workplace solutions and is currently working at ASPEX
as a Cloud Solution Architect.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannick-dils/
What preceded - Aspex tests the WVD Private Preview
Micha, take us back to Microsoft Ignite 2019,
the official launch of WVD.
Micha Wets: "I'd like to take you a little further
back in time, to March 2017. Then we were
invited by Microsoft to think along, about the
product that would become WVD later on. As a
Cloud Solution Provider, Aspex already
experimented with RDmi (Remote Desktop
modern infrastructure), the predecessor of
WVD, so to speak. Providing companies with
efficient cloud solutions is exactly what we do at
Aspex. RDmi was a perfect match for that".
So what relationship was established between
Microsoft and Aspex in March 2017?
Micha Wets: "The product team of Microsoft
was looking for hosting companies that could
test the new product. Make no mistake, that
went very far. All functionalities had to be
tested in depth. We also made changes to the
code ourselves and optimised the product with
the user requirements in mind. The knowledge
that Aspex gains on a daily basis in the work field
is invaluable for the development of a new
product".
Aren't you being too modest when you talk
about "testing"? It seems to me that Aspex
really supported in de development WVD.
Micha Wets: "That's right. But we weren't the
only ones. Together with three other companies
worldwide, we worked intensively on the so-
called Private Preview. I remember a very
animated three-day workshop at the Microsoft
Corporate Headquarters in Redmond,
Washington. We were there together with
Microsoft's product team and the other testers.
There was a very dynamic atmosphere.
Everyone was so convinced of this product. The
feedback and insights that came to the table
during that workshop undoubtedly shaped
WVD".

3. ASPEX | Brouwersvliet 5, 2000 Antwerpen |+32 3 220 21 98 |info@aspex.be
Microsoft Ignite 2019 - Announcement of the WVD Public Preview
The Public Preview, a year ago on Microsoft Ignite 2019, was not the absolute starting point for
WVD. Micha clearly explained that Aspex had already been actively involved in the development
and testing of WVD for two years before.
Yannick, what did the official performance of
WVD in Amsterdam mean for Aspex?
Yannick Dils: "It was an important milestone.
Up to that point, we had access to the full
backend, but setting up the first POCs for
customers allowed us to test the full control of
WVD. From the day of the announcement on,
the customers were enthusiastic. That was a
very strong signal that the market was ready for
this product. That didn't surprise us, because
today's way of working benefits greatly from
efficient and secure solutions to work mobile
and device-independent".
I can imagine that after the Public Preview, you
were overwhelmed
by questions from the customers.
Yannick Dils: "Indeed. It was a very instructive
period. In a Private Preview, you can test as
much as you want - and that has to be done
thoroughly - but once the product goes public,
you are always confronted with user-specific
issues. In order to support our customers
quickly and effectively, it was a big advantage
that we had been involvedwith WVD - and RDmi
- for so long. We had built up a lot of knowledge
over the years. The good relationships with the
product team of Microsoft and other testers are
also of great value".
After the public performance on Microsoft
Ignite 2019, has WVD evolved significantly?
Yannick Dils: "The Microsoft product team is
continuously working on improvements and the
development of new functionalities. Once a
product is public, you can't just let go of new
features every day. Stability is very important.
Microsoft pays a lot of attention - and rightly so
- to security. If there are threats in that area,
they are immediately intercepted. As far as
functionalities are concerned, we at Aspex
ourselves have developed a lot on WVD over the
past year. With that, we are
really evolving to a very user-friendly Modern
Desktop platform".
On the picture we see Micha Wets at the head office of
Microsoft in Redmond America in 2017.

4. ASPEX | Brouwersvliet 5, 2000 Antwerpen |+32 3 220 21 98 |info@aspex.be
Aspex Services on WVD
Micha, can you tell us more about the
developments that Aspex made on WVD
recently?
Micha Wets: “Sure. Microsoft offers great WVD
service and session hosts, but can of course not
respond as accurately to the specific needs of
each type of user. That is why we have
developed additional services at Aspex. These
include Mobile Desktop Management, backup
& monitoring and Active Directory best
practices. The objective is always to offer the
customer a user-friendly solution, tailored to his
needs. We use a strict methodology to ensure
that nothing is overlooked. This approach
varies, of course, depending on the applications
the client wants to run and the workload".
Does Aspex then create a different tailor-made
solution for each customer?
Micha Wets: "Over the past year we have
developed a set of extra services on WVD. The
trick is to listen carefully to the wishes of the
customer and then bring together the right
services in a suitable solution. We have to make
a distinction between customers who purchase
WVD with the appropriate services for their
own use and customers who act as resellers or
distributors. The latter typically already have a
Microsoft Azure subscription. Then we inject
the desired service modules into their
environment".
WVD - The way to run Modern Desktop on any device
So after a year we can
conclude that the market is
picking up WVD well, not in
the least because of the user-
friendly services developed
by Aspex around it. What
potential do you see for WVD
in the coming years?
Micha Wets: "We are busy
developing even more
services. The management
possibilities will expand even
further. In addition, we will
continue to pay special
attention to the ease of use.
The management of WVD will
become effortless for people
without any technical
knowledge. We are also
working intensively on a
smooth deployment of WVD
within the existing reseller
portal".
"I also want to stress the
importance of knowledge
sharing. I myself and several
colleagues at Aspex are active
within numerous
communities and user
groups. BeeMug, TechNine
and MC2MC are a few
examples. In these
communities a large cross-
fertilization of ideas and
knowledge takes place. Aspex
wants to share its expertise
through these channels. The
relationship with Microsoft
also runs smoothly. The close
contact with the product
team remains even after the
Public Preview. Aspex and
Microsoft strengthen each
other through constant
feedback".
Yannick Dils: "From the
perspective of our customers,
I can confirm what Micha
says. In order to support
them optimally, it is
important that we are at the
head of the pack through the
user groups and the
partnership with Microsoft. In
this way, all users benefit
from the shared knowledge
and expertise. From the
customer's point of view, I
see many more management
functionalities in WVD within
this and a year. After all, WVD
is the way to run Modern
Desktop on any device. Every
Modern Desktop should be
integrated with WVD".
Thank you for this reflection,
gentlemen. Within a year we
would like to come over
again for a virtual coffee.