Companies such as Login VSI, WorkspaceDNA, and Simular are already building AI agents that can run on Windows 365 for Agents.
5. Protect sensitive development work
Organizations need to give developers flexibility without exposing source code or confidential data. Windows 365 works with Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune, and Microsoft security capabilities to apply consistent identity, access, compliance and endpoint controls. For example, context-based redirection, now in preview can restrict clipboard, drive, printer or USB redirection based on security conditions, while output protection helps safeguard on-screen information.
Why modern development needs an environment that responds to change
As development workflows evolve in the era of AI, developers need different environments based on workloads. Local devices remain essential for developers when direct hardware access, offline work, or specialized local performance matters. Pairing the latest in hardware innovation with software optimized for development helps developers build breakthrough experiences. Project Zenith offers a ready-to-code distraction-free Windows experience on developer-class devices with 64+ GB unified memory and 250+ GB/s memory bandwidth, so developers can get started. And cloud-based environments can complement local development when continuity across devices, workload isolation, flexible compute, or secure access creates a better outcome.
Developers should be able to choose the environment best suited to their work while maintaining a consistent, trusted development experience. A developer may move between coding, compute-intensive builds and testing, AI-augmented application development, and work in a secure customer environment. Each workload benefits from an environment optimized for its specific requirements.
Windows 365 brings the right environment to developers
A modern developer environment should allow developers to begin coding on day one, support customization for specific projects and provide secure governance without limiting developer flexibility. Windows 365 brings these capabilities together in a personalized Cloud PC that developers can access through the Windows App or a browser, while their applications, code, settings and project state remain securely managed in the Microsoft Cloud.
With Windows 365, developers can start with a Windows 11 developer configuration featuring familiar tools such as Visual Studio Code, Git, GitHub Copilot CLI, Python, Node.js and Windows Subsystem for Linux with Ubuntu. Meanwhile, platform engineering and IT teams can standardize environments with reusable images and automated preparation while centrally managing identity, security, policy, monitoring, and lifecycle controls.
The result is more than a desktop in the cloud: it is a faster path from access to first commit. Customers are already seeing this balance of developer flexibility and enterprise control in practice:
London Stock Exchange Group increases developer productivity with Windows 365. “Windows 365 gives us the ability to provide different types of performance and development environments plus access to GitHub Copilot, where we’ve seen an increase in developer productivity and efficiency.” says Sandra Lee, Group Chief Information Security Officer, LSEG.
Siemens uses Windows 365 for scenarios that include developers who need specialized digital tools, as well as employees requiring temporary access. “In all these cases, we need a trustworthy device and a verified identity in our IT landscape—even if the access is only intended to be temporary,” says Hendrik Harder, Global Service Owner Virtual Client at Siemens.
ABN AMRO transforms the workplace for 3,500 offshore developers with Windows 365. Developers reported smoother performance, faster onboarding and more productivity, while IT teams benefited from simplified operations and scalability. “The first time I used Windows 365, I thought I was using my own laptop—the performance was that smooth,” says Peter Witmond, Product Owner Virtual Workplace at ABN AMRO.
Advancing developer experiences with Windows 365 on a unified platform
Microsoft is bringing cloud development environments together on a single platform. With the retirement of Microsoft Dev Box, Windows 365 becomes Microsoft’s strategic platform for virtualized developer environments, AI and agent workloads, and the broader workforce. While existing Dev Box customers can continue using their deployments according to the official service timeline, Windows 365 offers a broader, unified foundation for developers and organizations moving forward.
Dev Box proved what developers need: environments that combine developer flexibility with enterprise control. Windows 365 carries these promises forward and extends them across developers, information workers, AI builders and agents through a shared foundation for identity, security, management, and access models. That shared foundation is what makes the next generation of developer Cloud PCs possible.
Turning workload choice into a modern developer workflow
With Windows 365, organizations can start with a ready-to-code environment, match compute to each workload, contain agent activity during development, provide dedicated environments for enterprise agents and apply consistent controls to protect sensitive work.
Start with a scenario where setup delays, hardware constraints or security requirements slow delivery, and measure improvements in onboarding, time to first commit, support requests, or build performance.
Explore Windows 365 developer resources and review the official Microsoft Dev Box guidance.
