Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, has announced at Microsoft Ignite 2025 that its Nutanix Cloud Platform solution will support Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments. This will enable organisations to run Azure Virtual Desktop on premises on the Nutanix AHV hypervisor, offering a new level of flexibility in how virtual desktops are deployed and managed.
This effort aims to meet the evolving needs of distributed workforces and will give IT teams more infrastructure choices while optimizing control, performance, security, and cost efficiency.
“The Nutanix Cloud Platform delivers a performant, resilient, cost-efficient, and secure infrastructure base for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) workloads,” said Tarkan Maner, Chief Commercial Officer at Nutanix. “This collaboration with Microsoft will empower our customers with more options for virtual desktops, whether they’re modernising on premises or extending into hybrid cloud environments.”
Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments addresses critical compliance and regulatory requirements in industries such as financial services, healthcare, and government, where data residency and sovereignty are paramount. Customers will benefit from running Azure Virtual Desktop locally on Nutanix AHV while using the Azure Virtual Desktop brokering and management stack on Azure Arc–enabled servers to connect securely to Azure.
Key Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments on Nutanix AHV will include:
- Hybrid Flexibility: Combine on-premises performance with Azure scalability for burst capacity and disaster recovery.
- Ability to run Microsoft applications: Native support for Microsoft 365, Teams optimisations, Microsoft Entra, and security services.
- Optimized for Performance: Ideal for latency-sensitive and graphics-intensive workloads.
- Cost Efficiency: Leverage existing Microsoft licensing and Nutanix infrastructure for predictable economics.
“Azure Virtual Desktop is built to deliver a secured, scalable, and deeply integrated experience with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and Windows,” said Scott Manchester, Vice President of product for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop at Microsoft. “Nutanix support for Azure Virtual Desktop will give customers more choice, whether they deploy in the cloud or on premises—without compromising on the modern security model or licensing efficiencies.”
Nutanix is expanding the possibilities for VDI, which will enable organisations to tailor their environments to meet business needs—without being locked into a single deployment model.
The Nutanix Cloud Platform’s support for Azure Virtual Desktop is currently under development.
