DUBAI, UAE, September, 2026: Nutanix, a hybrid cloud leader and AI innovator, has announced support for the general availability of Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) Hybrid with Nutanix AHV, giving organizations greater choice over where their virtual desktops and data run.
This will enable organizations to run Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts on-premises while continuing to use Microsoft’s cloud-based control plane for identity, access and session brokering. Nutanix has been involved in the Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid initiative from the outset as a launch ecosystem partner, helping bring Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid support to the Nutanix AHV hypervisor.
This hybrid deployment model is designed for organizations that want to modernize desktop delivery while retaining greater control over their infrastructure and data. It is particularly relevant across regulated industries where data residency, digital sovereignty, security, latency, performance and infrastructure economics can influence where workloads need to run.
With Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid on Nutanix, the Azure Virtual Desktop control plane remains in Azure while session hosts run on Nutanix AHV in the customer’s data center. Azure Arc connects those session hosts into the Azure environment, helping preserve the Azure-based identity, policy and management experience. Users can authenticate through Microsoft Entra ID, while organizations retain control over areas such as VM capacity, lifecycle management, networking, storage, disaster recovery and automation on AHV.
Organizations can also choose how they want to operate the environment. Teams with established scripting and automation skills can use Nutanix APIs and tools to manage Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid directly, while organizations looking to reduce operational effort can use Nerdio Manager to automate and centralize tasks such as VM provisioning, lifecycle management, power management, image and patch updates, policy management and autoscaling.
Key capabilities include:
- Running Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts on premises on Nutanix AHV while retaining Microsoft’s Azure-based Azure Virtual Desktop control plane.
- Supporting data residency and digital sovereignty objectives by keeping desktops and data within customer-controlled environments.
- Using Azure Arc and Microsoft Entra ID to maintain a consistent identity, policy and management experience across the hybrid environment.
- Supporting Windows Server multi-session and Windows 11 Enterprise single-session, with Windows 11 multi-session remaining exclusive to Azure and Azure Local.
- Giving IT teams a choice between API-driven management and automated orchestration with Nerdio Manager.
- Helping organizations balance cloud innovation with existing infrastructure investments, operational control, performance requirements and cost considerations.
“Customer choice and flexibility are at the core of Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid. Nutanix’s support helps organizations extend the benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop to environments that align with their operational and business requirements, enabling a smoother path to modernization while preserving existing investments,” said Bhavya Chopra, Partner Director, Product Management, Microsoft.
“The value for customers is straightforward. They no longer have to choose between using Azure Virtual Desktop and maintaining control over where their desktops run. If compliance, data sovereignty, latency or cost means those workloads need to stay on premises, they can run them on Nutanix AHV while still using Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop services. It gives IT teams a more practical way to modernize without forcing every workload into the same model,” said Tarkan Maner, President at Nutanix.
Learn more:
For additional details, download the Nutanix Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid Solution Brief and visit http://www.nutanix.com/microsoft to learn more about the Nutanix and Microsoft partnership.
Red the Nutanix blog https://www.nutanix.com/blog/nutanix-support-for-azure-virtual-desktop-hybrid-is-now-generally-available
Read Microsoft’s GA Launch blog aka.ms/avdhybridgablog
Photo Caption: Tarkan Maner, President at Nutanix
About Nutanix:
Nutanix is a hybrid multicloud computing leader, offering organizations a unified software platform for running applications, deploying enterprise AI workloads and managing data anywhere. With Nutanix, organizations can simplify operations for traditional and modern applications, freeing them to focus on business goals. Trusted by more than 30,000 customers worldwide, Nutanix helps empower organizations to transform digitally and power hybrid multicloud environments consistently, simply, and cost-effectively. Learn more at http://www.nutanix.com or follow us on social media.
