Microsoft starts preview of cloud workstation Dev Box

By admin On Aug 16, 2022

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Microsoft lets companies and developers try out Dev Box. Dev Boxes are virtual cloud workstations that allow developers to program and run code remotely without the need for a powerful computer.

During the preview, developers can start a Dev Box within the Azure portal, writes Microsoft. Then they can try out a Dev Box for 15 hours a month with 8 virtual CPU cores and 32GB of memory. Developers also get 365 hours of free access to Dev Box Storage, a 512GB virtual SSD.

After those 15 and 365 hours, companies have to pay for the Dev Box. How much is not clear. The company does say that customers only pay for the number of hours they actually use a Dev Box. In addition to the Dev Box with 8 virtual cores and 32GB memory, it should eventually be possible to choose 4 virtual cores and 16GB memory, or 32 virtual cores and 128GB memory. It is not clear when this is possible and how much this will cost.

Dev Boxes are virtual workstations that run on Microsoft Azure servers. Microsoft says this has been in demand in recent years. The increased hybrid working means that programmers more often have to use their own hardware, or have to be able to take company hardware home. On the other hand, chip shortages make it more difficult to obtain that hardware. Developers are again becoming the target of hackers because they often handle sensitive data.

Businesses can manage and preconfigure Dev Boxes with the tools and settings developers need. Developers can also create their own Dev Boxes, for example if they want to work on a new project and have the first Dev Box running in the background.

Dev Boxes support all the IDEs, SDKs, and tools that Windows supports, Microsoft says. The virtual workstations can be used via Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS and the browser. With Azure Active Directory, administrators can grant access to the necessary code and customer data. The Dev Boxes can be managed along with physical devices and Cloud PCs with Microsoft Intune and Endpoint Manager.

The Dev Boxes were announced in May and are an extension of Microsoft’s cloud PC offering. A year ago, the company made available Windows 365 Cloud PC, subscriptions that give companies access to cloud PCs that always run the latest Windows version. This subscription costs 18 euros to 148 euros per month. Unlike the Dev Boxes, Cloud PC is not specifically aimed at developers.