Microsoft has announced a new service it says will give developers self service access to high performance, cloud-based workstations that are pre-configured and ready-to-code for specific projects.
The new service, dubbed Microsoft Dev Box, was announced at Microsoft Build, the company’s annual developer conference.
It came alongside the launch of new Azure Deployment Environments, which Microsoft says will make it easier for developer teams to quickly spin up app infrastructure with project-based templates.
Why the move?
The latest development could be great news for developers who don’t have access to powerful physical workstations.
Microsoft says the cloud-based service update will help developers who are currently facing long onboarding times, conflicting development workstation settings, and difficulty switching between tasks.
The software giant says Dev Box empowers developers to focus on the code only they write, allowing them to access the tools and resources they need without worrying about workstation configuration and maintenance.
Dev teams can preconfigure Dev Boxes for specific projects and tasks, enabling devs to get started quickly with an environment that’s ready to build and run their app quickly according to Microsoft.
In addition, Microsoft say Dev Box leverages Windows 365 to integrate Dev Boxes with Intune and Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
On the IT security front, IT admins will be able to enforce comprehensive access controls in Azure Active Directory according to Microsoft, including establishing conditional access polices that require users to connect via a compliant device, require multifactor authentication (MFA) sign-in, or configure risk-based sign-in polices for Dev Boxes that access sensitive source code and customer data.
Users can go here to sign up to get on the list to evaluate Microsoft Dev Box, which is currently in private preview, before moving to a public preview within the next few months.
