Microsoft Office on Amazon WorkSpaces Applications (formerly known as Amazon AppStream 2.0): simpler, faster, and licence-included
As the hybrid workplace matures, organisations want to standardise how they deliver everyday tools without the weight of traditional VDI or desktop management. That’s why Amazon’s latest announcement matters: Microsoft Office, Visio, and Project are now available as licence-included applications on Amazon AppStream 2.0. In practical terms, end users can open a browser and use the Microsoft productivity stack in the same streamed session as their business applications.
Crucially, this isn’t just a convenience update. It’s a clean path to simplify EUC operations and compliance, reduce device sprawl, and give teams a reliable way to work with Office files and line-of-business apps side-by-side delivered securely from AWS:
- A single, seamless productivity experience
Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Visio, and Project now stream alongside your internal applications in one session. Users can switch tasks without switching platforms, enabling immediate adoption and training is minimal. No more maintaining different delivery patterns for “core productivity” versus “business apps”.
- Less complexity, more control for IT
Because these are licence-included builds on AppStream 2.0 images, you can standardise on LTSC 2021 or 2024 (Standard/Professional) and choose 32- or 64-bit consistently across the image. Version and architecture alignment keeps images predictable; updates are handled on your schedule, not every endpoint’s.
- Flexible deployment patterns to match demand
Choose On-Demand fleets with autoscaling for variable usage, Always-On for zero warm-up, and multi-session for compatible user groups to improve density. This lets you tune experience and cost by persona rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all desktop.
- Enterprise-grade security and identity
Amazon AppStream 2.0 integrates with your identity provider (e.g., SAML 2.0) for single sign-on and centralised access control. Data remains off the endpoint, and you can layer governance with session scripts, logging and monitoring. This supports Zero Trust principles and enhances the user experience.
- Cost governance by design
Application-level fees apply when licence-included apps are present on a Windows fleet. The simplest way to avoid unnecessary charges is to segment images and fleets: keep “Office-only” personas separate from “Office + Visio/Project”. Right-sizing instance families and using autoscaling round out a pragmatic, data-driven cost posture.
Transforming productivity delivery with Noventiq’s AWS EUC offerings
Because the future of work demands more than tools, it demands a strategy focused on outcomes. While getting the model right, the image strategy, identity, networking, cost controls, and benefits from proven patterns. Noventiq, a Premier AWS Consulting Partner, delivers end-to-end support across AWS’ portfolio of future-ready EUC services.
Are you ready to reimagine the workplace? Let’s build it together. Schedule a consultation with our experts today!
