Although Microsoft already offers Windows PCs powered by the cloud through multiple solutions including Windows 365, these workstations do not usually cater to specialized use-cases and have long deployment times. One scenario that Microsoft felt that it had been missing for several years is offering powerful cloud-based workstations to developers, pre-configured and ready for building applications. To tackle this problem, the Redmond tech firm announced Microsoft Dev Box in May 2022, and now, the solution is generally available.
In a nutshell, Microsoft Dev Box offers pre-configured development workstations in the cloud, enabling developers to quickly begin coding without worrying about lengthy deployment times or the underlying hardware and architecture. Certain Development tools and utilities are pre-installed, and it also integrates with Azure Development Environments so that developers can leverage existing templates to get up and running in no time. It's essentially a combination of Windows 365, Intune, and Endpoint Manager in one handy package that's also cost-effective.
Microsoft Dev Box does not only focus on high compute requirements, but also storage needs through premium SSDs, especially for larger builds. The managed service currently offers Windows-based workstations, with custom images available through Azure Compute Gallery to meet specialized development requirements. Dev Box also has built-in integrations with Visual Studio to optimize the IDE's experience on a cloud PC. Additionally, development leads can provision custom machines through configuration-as-code, while integrating it with existing Git flows.
Microsoft says that it has decided to roll out Dev Box for everyone following successful testing in multiple environments. 10,000 engineers at Microsoft currently use Dev Box and several customers have been leveraging it in the preview stages too.
Interestingly, Microsoft initially planned to offer only pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pricing for Dev Box, this did not go well with IT admins who wanted a more predictable pricing model for part-time use. As such, the Redmond firm is now offering a fixed maximum monthly price for full-time use of a Dev Box too so that IT admins can choose which combination of workstations best fits their use-cases. As it currently stands, Dev Box offers an 8 vCPU, 32GB RAM, and 256GB storage for a maximum monthly cost of $138/month, going all the way up to $629/month for a configuration with 32 vCPU, 128GB RAM, and 2TB storage. Developers, leads, and IT admins can get started with Microsoft Dev Box here.