Hydra is the Practical Way to Manage AVD and Windows 365

How is Hydra different from other Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 management platforms?

Hydra is designed to simplify how Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Windows 365 are actually operated day to day.

Operational simplicity

Other AVD and Windows 365 management platforms require rebuilding environments or adopting new operational models. Hydra attaches directly to existing environments and provides a single control plane for managing host pools, sessions, images, and scaling, so teams can start using it within minutes while keeping the workflows they already know and use.

Usage-aligned pricing

Alternative platforms price based on monthly active users (MAU), meaning every unique login during the month counts toward licensing. Hydra uses peak concurrent user pricing, so organizations pay only for the highest number of users connected at the same time. This aligns costs with real usage patterns like shift work, contractors, and seasonal access. See Hydra pricing for details.

Hydra supports both traditional pooled AVD desktops and Windows 365 Cloud PCs, allowing organizations to manage mixed environments from a single operational interface.

How is Hydra different from native Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 management?

Native tooling typically requires administrators to manage AVD and Windows 365 through multiple portals, scripts, and manual workflows. Hydra simplifies this by providing a single management layer for AVD and Windows 365, allowing teams to manage host pools, Cloud PCs, sessions, scaling, and images without switching between portals or maintaining custom automation.

Hydra also adds capabilities that are difficult to manage with native tooling alone, including:

– Real-time session visibility through the Hydra agent
– Automation for routine operational tasks
– Centralized image lifecycle management
– Built-in autoscaling and power management

The result is faster operations, reduced administrative overhead, and a more predictable way to run AVD and Windows 365 at scale. Learn more in the Hydra solution overview.

How does Hydra reduce Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 costs?

Hydra reduces costs for organizations in two primary ways: usage-aligned pricing and infrastructure optimization.

First, Hydra uses peak concurrent user pricing, meaning organizations pay only for the highest number of users connected at the same time during a billing period. This avoids the inflated licensing costs associated with monthly active user (MAU) pricing, where every individual login during the month counts toward licensing.

Example: If 2,000 users log in during the month but only 600 are active at once, MAU pricing charges for all 2,000. Hydra charges for 600, cutting costs by 70%.

Second, Hydra includes built-in autoscaling and power management for Azure Virtual Desktop, automatically adjusting infrastructure capacity based on real usage patterns. This prevents organizations from paying for idle compute resources when users are offline and can reduce monthly Azure infrastructure costs by up to 70%, based on Login VSI customer data.

For Windows 365 environments, Hydra provides centralized visibility into Cloud PC performance and usage so teams can identify oversized machines, underpowered users, or unused Cloud PCs that may be wasting license spend.

Together, these capabilities help organizations significantly reduce the total cost of running Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 environments.

Can Hydra manage my existing workspace environment?

Yes. Hydra can attach to and assume operational control of existing Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 environments without requiring re-architecture, re-imaging, or migration projects.

Once deployed, Hydra automatically discovers existing host pools, session hosts, Cloud PCs, and configurations. Teams can then begin managing those environments through Hydra immediately while keeping the underlying Microsoft infrastructure unchanged.

This allows organizations to adopt Hydra incrementally and without disruption, often becoming operational within minutes instead of weeks. Deploy directly from the Azure Marketplace, with no onboarding fees or environment rebuilds required.

What types of organizations use Hydra?

Hydra is designed for enterprises running or transitioning to Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, AVD on Azure Local, or a hybrid mix. Typical organizations using Hydra include:

– Enterprise IT teams managing large Microsoft desktop environments
– Organizations migrating from legacy VDI platforms (Citrix, Omnissa Horizon) to Microsoft desktops
– Managed service providers (MSPs) operating multi-tenant AVD or Windows 365 environments
– Enterprises that need predictable cloud desktop costs without complex management tooling

Hydra is built for organizations that want operational simplicity, predictable costs, and familiar management workflows while modernizing their desktop infrastructure. MSPs should also see Hydra for MSPs for multi-tenant capabilities and pricing details.