Numecent Cloudpager Integration with Azure Virtual Desktop App Attach

Numecent’s Cloudpager integration with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) App Attach enhances application delivery by leveraging Cloudpaging technology to streamline deployment, maximize compatibility, and optimize performance for Windows desktop environments.

Cloudpager is a cloud-native application container management platform designed to extend DevOps capabilities to Windows desktop application management.

Its integration with AVD App Attach allows administrators to dynamically provision application containers (Cloudpaging and MSIX formats) to AVD users, including those in active sessions, with minimal effort. This collaboration with Microsoft addresses challenges in deploying complex, legacy, or resource-intensive applications to modern, non-persistent multi-session AVD environments.

Cloudpaging

Cloudpaging is a powerful technology that redefines Windows application delivery by combining containerization, streaming, and virtualization.

Cloudpaging containers abstract applications from the underlying operating system, breaking them into “pages” (instruction fragments) and isolating dependencies like outdated Java Runtime Environments (JREs). This ensures even legacy or custom applications run on Windows 10/11, including AVD’s multi-session environments, without conflicts or performance degradation.

This approach abstracts applications from the underlying operating system, resolving dependency conflicts and enabling seamless deployment across diverse environments, including non-persistent multi-session virtual desktops.

Simplified Migration and Deployment:

Existing Cloudpaging customers can migrate to AVD by dragging and dropping Cloudpaging containers into Cloudpager, enabling App Attach, and instantly making applications available for provisioning. This reduces adoption friction and accelerates cloud transitions. Applications can be deployed, updated, rolled back, or removed in real-time without requiring user logoffs or reboots, minimizing downtime.

Granular controls allow administrators to isolate specific components or integrate them with the desktop, eliminating compatibility issues. For example, a legacy app requiring an older JRE can be isolated while maintaining full functionality.

Cost and Operational Efficiency:

By virtualizing applications per user and removing them from base images, Cloudpager reduces the need for multiple custom images and host pools, lowering cloud storage costs. It supports non-persistent multi-session environments, which use the least expensive Windows licenses.

Integration with ephemeral OS disks enhances performance and eliminates storage costs for disks, as they are free to use (customers pay only for compute). Real-time software reclamation and metering help manage license costs and ensure compliance.

Enhanced Management and Automation:

Cloudpager’s intuitive cloud console provides a single pane of glass for managing application lifecycles, supporting Cloudpaging, MSIX, App-V, and WAM containers. Administrators can use point-and-click interfaces or PowerShell for automation. Role-based Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) policies manage access and deployments to security groups and users, enhancing security and scalability.

High Performance:

Cloudpaging optimizes application launch times by caching critical components, with flexible pre-fetch options tailored to user needs. A case study from Waterman Group highlights 98% software virtualization coverage, with significant performance improvements for resource-intensive suites like Autodesk, achieving speeds unattainable with traditional virtualization.

Conclusion

Numecent’s Cloudpager integration with AVD App Attach simplifies the deployment of complex applications to virtual desktops, offering unmatched compatibility, performance, and cost efficiency.

By combining Cloudpaging’s virtualization with AVD’s App Attach, it enables enterprises to modernize their application estates, reduce operational overhead, and prepare for future Windows transitions. For organizations with legacy applications or hybrid workforces, this integration is a powerful solution to enhance AVD adoption.