Windows 365 Link: A new era for cloud computing?

As businesses race to go digital, more and more companies are streamlining the hardware and logistics in their offices to ensure both cost and office space optimisation. One significant innovation that is driving this trend forward is cloud computing.

As Microsoft's website reads, "Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services — including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence — over the internet to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale."

The term 'cloud computing' has been a mainstay of the tech industry for a while; in fact, we all have used some sort of cloud computing. Cloud storage services like Google Drive or iCloud, streaming services like Netflix or YouTube, email services like Gmail or Outlook, online collaboration services like Google Docs or Spreadsheet — all are examples of cloud computing.

But if we are already using the technology, what is the new buzz all about? To make this clear, let us explain the three types of cloud computing models.

Firstly, there is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which offers virtualised computing resources over the internet. An example would be Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides scalable infrastructure for businesses.

The second type is Platform as a Service (PaaS), which provides platforms that allow developers to build and deploy applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Examples include Google App Engine and Microsoft Azure.

And finally, the third one is Software as a Service (SaaS), which delivers software applications over the internet, such as Gmail, Dropbox, and Zoom.

We all have used the services from the third group. App developers may have used the second group of services. However, Microsoft's Windows 365 Link aims to give a taste of the first group of services.

Primarily made for businesses and large-scale institutions requiring a tightly interconnected system, Windows 365 Link is Microsoft's first ever personal computer device built for the cloud experience. The device, priced at $349, will remind you of a Mac mini. But unlike a Mac mini, it is a fanless device fully dependent on the internet for operation.

Powered by a yet to be disclosed Intel processor, the device does not come with headlining specifications. The device might seem a bit underpowered with only 8 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of internal storage, but it is connected to a more powerful cloud computer through the internet.

For the operating system, the device loads a version of Windows 11, all from online. It can connect to two 4K monitors at once, as well as other wired and wireless peripherals.

Where the device truly excels is its security. As Microsoft says, local storages are not as secure as the cloud servers, and are more prone to attacks. On the other hand, Windows 365 Link's locked-down operating system does not store data locally, hence the risk of the admin user getting attacked is significantly lower. The authentication system is also passwordless, instead of a password, it uses Microsoft Entra ID.

However, privacy experts believe the opposite to be true, claiming that since a user has full control over their local storage devices, it is more secure.

As Microsoft is rolling out artificial intelligence to its Copilot Plus computers, the 365 Link is no exception — the users will be able to use AI features from its cloud computers.

Is this really the future of personal computing? Not necessarily. Microsoft itself is marketing the device to large-scale government and private organisations. For the device to be usable for personal computing, it has to overcome some limitations — which are not going away anytime soon.

Firstly, storing data in the cloud still does not eliminate the possibility of cyberattacks. Adequate protection is necessary to avoid such attacks.

Another shortcoming of this technology is the dependency on internet connectivity — without a stable internet connection, access to the cloud is limited. Hence, it adds some major inconveniences in case someone wants to use it as a regular personal computing device. But considering the fact that all big organisations have uninterrupted internet connection, this is not a big concern for most office-environment use cases.

Planned to be shipped in April 2025, the Windows 365 Link has the potential to be the standard for what cloud computing is meant to be.