The new and revamped version of Microsoft Teams officially launched for the Windows and Mac platforms in October 2023, after several months in public preview. This week, the company revealed it is launching a public preview of a new optimization architecture for Teams that are run in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated the new VDI version of Teams replaces WebRTC withSlimCore, which is the same media engine that the new Teams client runs. It added that this will allow the vDI version of Teams to get the same features as the new Teams app. Microsoft says that while not all of the new Teams app features will be released on Day One for the VDI version, this change will let that version get new features in a more timely manner.
Some of the new features that are being added to Teams for VDI users include:
- Gallery view 3x3 and 7x7
- Custom meeting backgrounds uploaded via Teams admin center
- 1080p
- Include computer sound while sharing screen
- Hardware acceleration on the endpoint
- Presenter mode
- Teams Premium
Along with feature parity, the VDI version of Teams will also get performance improvements, automatic updates, and better support with "no dependency on VDI Partner’s stack."
Microsoft also went into more detail on the architecture behind the VDI version of Teams. It stated:
The biggest changes are on the client-side. It has been very expensive for IT Admins to keep upgrading the Remote Desktop client or the Citrix Workspace app every time there was a new feature, and this was only exacerbated in BYOD. To put this problem behind us for good, we are introducing a new client-side plugin (MsTeamsPlugin.dll in the diagram) responsible for virtual channel establishment with Teams on the Server (if you are a Citrix customer, don’t forget this Studio policy), and subsequently for media engine downloading.
More technical info on the new VDI version of Teams is available on Microsoft's support site.
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