Everything Azure for MSP's - November 2021

This page is open for comments and contribution for items related to the March 2021 Everything Azure for MSP's.

The Everything Azure for MSP's webinar is held monthly on the last Wednesday of every month at 2:00p CT.  Be sure to block that recurring time on your calendar.  

Join us in December as we discuss 2022 along with new features in NMM 2.4

Questions and Answers

• What are the current limitations of AD Join in NMM and what is a good Azure AD Join use case? 
  • Current limitations include the following:
    • Azure Virtual Desktop (classic) doesn't support Azure AD-joined VMs.
    • Azure AD-joined VMs don't currently support external users.
    • Azure AD-joined VMs only supports local user profiles at this time.
    • Azure AD-joined VMs can't access Azure Files file shares for FSLogix or MSIX app attach. You'll need Kerberos authentication to access either of these features.
    • The Windows Store client doesn't currently support Azure AD-joined VMs.
    • Azure Virtual Desktop doesn't currently support single sign-on for Azure AD-joined VMs.
  • With these limitation the current use case we would recommend is dedicated personal desktops due to Azure File shares and FSLogix not being supported, and users requiring local profiles.  We also cannot recommend auto-scaling in (removing hosts) as new hosts would wipe out the profile.  
• For an Azure AD Joined environment, what exactly is not supported for FSLogix in the current version NMM 2.3?
  • Azure AD (AAD) Join in NMM 2.3 does not currently support FSLogix profiles in any capacity. Any users logged into AAD joined hosts will use local profiles only.
• Can I move my NMM install to a new subscription, let's say I have a promo subscription and want to take advantage of this?
  • No, Azure does not support the moving of a managed application (Which NMM is).  A deletion of the accounts, and reinstall of NMM would be required.  Please contact support at nmm.support@getnerdio.com  if you do need further details on this process.  
• Are any of the Nerdio certificates and education items going to change or is the NFA cert just no longer being offered?
  • Nerdio is actually in the process of adding more cert options, so YES, things are changing.  For partners that are in the process of or have taken and passed the NFA 100, the enrollment will be moved to NMM 200.  You will be contacted to facilitate your access to the curriculum with an opportunity to take the NMM 200 exam.  If you were enrolled in NFA 100 there is no cost for moving you to NMM 200.  
• If V5s are available in my region, should I use them?
  
  • Absolutely it's a no brainer. V5s are rolling out across Azure which uses a newer generation Intel or AMD chip. The V5s are faster and usually the same price or cheaper than the older generation chips. It's a free upgrade! Use our pricing calculator to view the costs of V5s. On the Intel side it's around the price as older generations. For AMD, the V5s are typically cheaper than the older generations.
    
    If you have reserved instances on an older generation VM size then that's a different story. Reach out to your CSP and see what can be done about switching to a different VM size. You might have to stay on the current VM size. However, if V5s are an option for you there's no reason not to use them.

Important links discussed in the webinar

Azure AD vs. Azure AD DS, vs AD DS: Compare Active Directory-based services in Azure | Microsoft Docs