VDI, Teams, and what’s changin... Note

VDI, Teams, and what’s changing in 2026: VBSS becomes VMSS, and eCDN lands in the core license

Two significant changes are impacting Microsoft Teams on virtual desktop platforms: Virtual Machine Screen Sharing (VMSS) is replacing Video Based Screen Sharing (VBSS) and is currently in public preview. Simultaneously, Microsoft eCDN, previously an add-on, is now included in the core Teams license. Support for Mission Critical (SfMC) Cloud Solution Architects are proactively guiding customers through these updates to mitigate production issues. VMSS is a new feature for screen sharing in the VDI solution for Teams, available now across various VDI platforms like Citrix and AVD. Successful VMSS implementation relies on synchronized updates of the Teams client, virtualization vendor optimizations, and endpoint clients. SfMC CSAs are assisting with VMSS readiness by checking client versions and network configurations. Microsoft eCDN facilitates peer-to-peer video streaming for large events, reducing WAN load. However, security controls often block the necessary client-to-client communication for eCDN to function effectively. Both VMSS and eCDN necessitate improved VDI-to-VDI network reachability, specifically for east-west traffic between session hosts. SfMC CSAs help bridge the gap between platform, network, and security teams to address these connectivity requirements. Customers experiencing client version sprawl, missing network data, or recent firewall changes should engage their SfMC CSA. The current window for piloting and validating these changes before they become default is closing. SfMC offers a partnership approach, embedding CSAs to understand customer environments and prepare for these upcoming shifts.