Microsoft is canceling its plan to remove Office ProPlus from Windows Server 2019. Here’s why.
Microsoft will offer partners the ability to deploy Office 365 ProPlus and run OneDrive Files On-Demand on a remote Windows Server 2019. The surprise move is a reversal of a decision made late last year, when Microsoft announced it was dropping support for Office 365 ProPlus for Windows. Server 2019 Remote Desktop Services (RDS).
The reversal is good news for partners whose customers have Windows Server 2008 R2 due to migrate by January, who can’t – or don’t want to – rely on the public cloud to store files. Microsoft’s change of heart means that Windows Server 2019 is now a migration option.
Microsoft’s Jared Spataro
“While Office 365 ProPlus provides the best experience when running on Windows 10, we know some of you rely on Windows Server to provide virtual desktop services to your users,” said Jared Spataro, vice president. -president of Microsoft 365. “I am happy to share that we will support Office 365 ProPlus running on Windows Server 2019.”
Spataro said support for Windows Server 2019 will be available in the coming months. The inclusion of OneDrive Files On Demand will allow partners to set up Windows Server 2019 in a virtual environment and provide files and sync capability that only downloads files to a local device that users need.
Office 365 ProPlus users will see better performance in virtual environments thanks to the integration of FSLogix container technology that Microsoft acquired last year, Spataro said.
“FSLogix container technology is now fully integrated with Office applications in virtual environments,” Spataro noted. “This technology improves the speed and reliability of virtualized Office applications to give the impression of using Office applications on a dedicated machine. FSLogix containers work in virtualized environments, including those provided by Microsoft, Citrix, and VMWare.
Microsoft includes FSLogix technology at no additional cost to customers with Microsoft 365 E3/E5/A3/A5/Student Use Benefits/F1/Business, Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5, Windows 10 A3/A5, Windows 10 VDA, Remote Desktop Services (RDS), Client Access License (CAL), and Subscriber Access License (SAL).
Although Microsoft further encourages the use of Office 365 and Azure-hosted OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online for file and sync services, some customers still prefer to enable access on Windows Server. With mainstream support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 ending in six months, partners and customers have been waiting to be notified of the possibility of migrating to the new Windows Server 2019.
“It’s about time they did,” said Peter Fidler, president and founding partner of WCA Technologies, a managed services provider, IT consultant and Microsoft Silver Partner.
Many WCA customers are law firms that want their Office files to stay on servers.
“Lawyers always want or need Office on a remote server,” he said.
Along with pending support for Windows Server 2019, Microsoft has improved the virtualization performance of Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams. Improvements to Outlook’s cached mode will provide faster access to email and calendars, Microsoft says, by syncing Inbox before Calendar and reducing the number of folders synced by default. A new admin option on Outlook cached mode aims to increase the speed of synchronized calendars.
OneDrive will have a per-machine install option, which Microsoft says will allow users to share a single installation of the OneDrive app while allowing users to manage their own folders and files. Similarly, Teams will have a per-machine install option for chat and collaboration. Microsoft will also add calling and meetings in Teams through enhanced audio, video, and media features, thanks to its partnership with Citrix.
Microsoft also noted upcoming improvements for Teams that will include support for the company’s pending Windows Virtual Desktop, optimized caching for non-persistent setups, and overall performance improvements.
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