At this year’s Ignite, Microsoft introduced the Windows 365 Link, which I believe has potential to change classrooms and presentation spaces across campuses. It offers a potential step forward in efficiency and cost-effectiveness, offering colleges a streamlined approach to supporting computing in the classroom.

Instead of equipping each space with a full-fledged computer, institutions can deploy these inexpensive devices, which act as portals to the user’s personalized cloud-based environment. Faculty members can simply walk into a room, authenticate themselves with a fingerprint and instantly access their Windows 365 cloud desktop — complete with their preferred applications, settings and configurations.

In many of our current classroom setups, faculty members often spend valuable class time logging into shared computers, setting up applications and accessing the necessary files. This process, which can easily take five minutes or more, may seem minor on the surface. However, when multiplied across 50 classes in a semester, it amounts to several hours of lost instructional time. With the Link device, this preparatory work is eliminated. Faculty members are in their cloud environment the moment they log in (which can be a biometric login), enabling them to start teaching immediately. They can get their classes set up in their offices, walk to the classroom and seconds later have that exact setup displayed in the classroom. This seamless transition not only improves time management but also reduces the stress of technical setup, allowing faculty to focus entirely on teaching.

Equipping every classroom with traditional desktop computers can be a significant financial burden for institutions, both in terms of hardware investment and ongoing maintenance. A typical desktop PC will cost about $1,000. The Link device is expected to cost $350.

In addition to reducing hardware costs, the device also lowers administrative overhead. IT teams no longer need to manage updates, troubleshoot local machines or handle software installations on a per-room basis. Instead, all user environments are maintained centrally within Windows 365. This not only simplifies IT operations but also enhances security, as the device has no data stored directly on it. Of course, this does add cost as well, as you will need to purchase subscriptions to Windows 365. Those subscriptions do come with a decent price tag, especially as you scale the numbers into the hundreds. Your team would need to do some calculations considering the total cost of ownership of desktop computers versus Link with Windows 365. At its current price point, it may not be affordable for everyone. If you do some investigation you may be able to lower the prices with the specifications you set for the cloud PC. You can choose how many GBs of storge, RAM, processors, etc. By recognizing a room that is used mainly for PowerPoint presentations versus intense computing, you could err on the lower end of the configurations. If in the middle of the semester you realize it is underpowered, log into the cloud and increase the specs.

The Link has the capability to integrate seamlessly with existing classroom technologies. It supports peripheral inputs such as cameras and microphones, making it easy to place into an existing setup. This device provides the advantage of faculty members using “their” computer in a classroom without having to bring their laptops to class. Even institutionally assigned laptops can lead to compatibility or setup issues.

I understand that this approach is not for everyone, and the college classroom is a unique place. However, it is critical for technology managers to understand this technology, as it was clear during the Ignite conference that Microsoft is pushing hard towards cloud computing. It is their future.