w365 - Enable watermarking inside windows 365 cloud pc

As businesses continue to adopt Windows 365 Cloud PCs, ensuring data security and compliance becomes increasingly critical. One effective security measure is the implementation of watermarking, which can display QR codes on the screen to deter data leakage and track information access. This blog will guide you through the steps to enable watermarking in Windows 365 Cloud PCs using Microsoft Intune.

What is Watermarking?

Watermarking involves overlaying a visual mark, such as a QR code, on the screen. This can help prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive information by making it easily identifiable. QR codes can also be used to embed tracking information, enhancing the traceability of data access and distribution.

 Benefits of Watermarking

- Deterrence: Visible watermarks discourage users from capturing and sharing sensitive information.

Traceability:QR codes can contain metadata that helps track when and where the information was accessed.

Compliance: Helps organizations! meet regulatory requirements for data protection.

How to enable watermarking inside cloud pc:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.

2. Create a configuration profile for Windows 10 and later devices, with the Settings catalog profile type.

3. In the settings picker, browse to Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Azure Virtual Desktop

 

4. Select the Enable watermarking. Don't select the deprecated one.

5. On the Assignments tab, select the group containing the computers then select Next and On the Review + create tab, review the settings, then select Create.

6. Once done, on the cloud pc, open company portal app and click sync button in settings or restart the cloud pc for watermarking to take effect.

After you enable watermarking, you can find more details from the session host by following these steps:

1. Scan the QR code and make a note of the Device ID GUID.
2. Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
3. Select Devices > All devices.
4. In the search box, enter the Device ID GUID to find the device details.

Supported clients:

• The following clients support watermarking:

  • Remote Desktop client for:

    • Windows Desktop, version 1.2.3317 or later, on Windows 10 and later.
    • Web browser.
    • macOS, version 10.9.5 or later.
    • iOS/iPadOS, version 10.5.4 or later.

  • Windows App for:

    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Web browser

Reference: Watermarking in Windows 365 | Microsoft Learn