Amazon provides web access to Workspaces with new streaming protocol

Amazon enables WorkSpaces Web Access via the WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol, or WSP. Users should get a more stable connection through the browser to WorkSpaces with this protocol, even with moderate network connections.

Administrators can select WSP when creating a WorkSpace, after which users with a browser from Windows, macOS or Linux can access the virtual environment via the protocol. WSP is only available for Windows-based WorkSpaces. Therefore, users cannot connect to Amazon Linux WorkSpaces via the protocol with their browser. Amazon WorkSpaces is a desktop-as-a-service cloud service that allows users to use a Windows or Linux desktop environment running on a virtual machine on AWS servers on a variety of devices.

The protocol offers support for webcams, among other things. The WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol must according to Amazon provide more stable connections to WorkSpaces, with packet loss due to poor network conditions having a less negative impact.

To make this possible, the streaming protocol has been separated from the WorkSpaces and the analysis of the user sessions takes place via microservices on Amazon’s AWS servers. This allows the company to adjust codecs and encoding in real time if the session experiences a degradation in the connection.

Amazon announced WSP early this year. The clients for macOS and Windows already supported the protocol. Users can connect to WorkSpaces through both WSP and the Personal Computer over Internet Protocol, if the directories are different. Conversely, a single directory can serve WorkSpace users through both PCoIP and WSP.

Microsoft is set to reveal more details about its Windows 365 offerings announced last month on Monday. That is a competing service for Amazon WorkSpaces, which allows users to use Windows virtual machines via browsers.