Virtualization For Windows 10: Say Good Bye To Security Gaps

Are you in the IT world and have been trying to figure out how to go about virtualizing your Windows 10 environment?

We understand that this process can be challenging—with potential roadblocks like cost, compatibility, or legacy systems seemingly preventing progress.

Well, here is some good news: these security obstacles are more manageable than they might at first appear!

Virtualization for Windows 10 acts as a powerful tool that has the potential to revolutionize IT infrastructure and make your workflow more efficient ― but only if you understand how it works in enough detail so that you can use it while leveraging cloud-delivered security.

Virtualization For Windows 10: Keep Your Digital Security On Top

One of the best features of Windows 10 is the ability to create virtual machines, i.e., compute resources running like an actual computer on the ‘host’ operating system.

Windows Virtualization enables a single host to run multiple operating systems, known as “guest” operating systems and facilitates the transfer of virtual machines between hosts. Microsoft’s hypervisor, Hyper-V, manages virtualization for Windows 10 and is capable of handling large enterprise deployments due to its security and reliability. It is also used to power the Azure cloud platform.

Hyper-V is a type 1 hypervisor, a software layer that runs directly on physical hardware and abstracts the underlying hardware resources to provide virtualization. It allows you to create and manage virtual machines, each of which runs on virtual hardware and has its own set of virtual devices, such as virtual disks, virtual switches, and so on.

This is in contrast to type 2 hypervisors, such as VMware vSphere and VirtualBox, which run on top of a host operating system and provide virtualization capabilities to guest operating systems running within virtual machines.

Virtualization for Windows with Hyper-V allows:

• Operating software that needs a prior version of Windows or a non-Windows operating system (OS) on a Windows device.
• Testing software compatibility on various OS, even if you don’t have access to all devices linked with it
• Easy export and import into any Hyper-V-based system, including the Microsoft Azure cloud.
• Operating virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) Windows workloads on Windows 10 machines.

Let’s begin exploring whether virtualization for Windows 10 is the right solution for eliminating security roadblocks.

Attacks are on the rise

In 2022, the prominent digital security issues for enterprises were Ransomware, which increased by a massive 150%, with the U.S.’s second-largest school, Los Angeles Unified School District, targeted with ransomware that impacted over 600,000 students and 70,000 staff.

As cyber-attacks become more advanced and expensive, they can disrupt the normal functioning and operations of entire organizations, posing a risk to their business continuity. Fortunately, enterprises can reduce their threat profile with Desktop as a service for Windows 10. Here’s how.

Secure by design, robust in partnership

Desktop as a service (DaaS) for Windows 10 enables organizations to provide their employees with access to a virtual desktop environment running Windows 10. These solutions can help organizations effectively manage and secure their desktop environments, including protection against ransomware and malware attacks, through multi-layered security measures.

In addition, DaaS can provide employees with secure access to any content on Windows devices and IT admins with built-in security policies that allow for granular control over the user, application, and activity access. These security capabilities can be easily configured, making it quick and easy for organizations to prevent attacks across their enterprise.

Protect Windows desktops and applications

Ransomware attacks are up 93% in the first six months of 2022, and almost all are due to endpoint vulnerabilities. With Ace Desktop as a service (DaaS), enterprises can eliminate local device risks without reducing user experience. Users log into the workspace on devices running Windows to access apps and data safely secured in the cloud.

Digital workspace also provides IT with end-to-end visibility and control on the backend—including controls for managing applications, desktops, and data—to ensure infrastructure stays secure.

Deliver trusted applications

Windows Virtualization ensures that IT can deliver trusted cloud-hosted apps, web and SaaS apps, Android apps, and more to users safely and securely. Featuring regular background updates and security patches, Windows virtualization uses the latest security intelligence to keep digital workspaces safe from threats. Windows also provides IT with essential controls available through Citrix Workspace and Citrix Endpoint Management to protect devices from attacks.

Simplify security for SaaS, web, and network connections

Cloud-based desktop infrastructure provides high-end protection for network access that broadens the security functionality of Windows 10.

Virtualization is positional between Windows devices and the network that brings along the built-in controls for monitoring the activities of remote users. This includes monitoring, session details, login, account accessibility, and more.

Not only does it show IP addresses, but it also gives IT admins granular contextual control over specific user behaviors.

Enhanced session in Hyper-V

Enhanced Session Mode in Hyper-V is a feature that allows the hypervisor to establish a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connection with virtual machines (VMs). This enables the following functionality:

• Scaling of VM screen resolution and support for high DPI monitors.
• Sharing clipboard data and file transfer between the local system and VM via drag and drop.
• Redirection of local devices, including audio, USB storage, printers, and disk drives, to the VM.

Overall, Enhanced Session Mode in Hyper-V provides improved connectivity and interactivity between the hypervisor and VMs, enabling a more seamless user experience and enhanced capabilities for interacting with the VM.

Leveraging DaaS on Windows 10 with ACE

Ace DaaS supports multi-session hybrid cloud models, allowing companies to leverage these options according to their specialized requirements. With ACE, enterprises can create the desktop delivery solution that best serves their requirements. Enterprises can accomplish this by deploying DaaS on Windows 10 workloads and optimizing security with a multi-layered protection experience from a single administration point.