{"id":2943059,"date":"2025-10-14T17:00:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2943059"},"modified":"2026-04-20T09:12:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T16:12:50","slug":"arcgis-pro-in-microsoft-azure-modernizing-how-you-deliver-arcgis","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/announcements\/arcgis-pro-in-microsoft-azure-modernizing-how-you-deliver-arcgis","title":{"rendered":"ArcGIS Pro in Microsoft Azure: Modernizing How You Deliver ArcGIS"},"author":6391,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[37101],"tags":[42181,28651,51271,775022],"industry":[],"product":[36561],"class_list":["post-2943059","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements","tag-arcgis-pro","tag-microsoft-azure-cloud","tag-nvidia","tag-virtualizaiton","product-arcgis-pro"],"acf":{"short_description":"Accelerating ArcGIS Pro on Microsoft Azure ","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

<\/h2>\n

Organizations across industries are modernizing how they deliver ArcGIS. As ArcGIS Pro continues to evolve, many teams are turning to Microsoft Azure to balance performance, scalability, and operational efficiency.<\/p>\n

Running ArcGIS Pro in Azure enables GPU-accelerated performance while simplifying IT management\u2014whether through virtual machines, pooled desktops, or fully managed Cloud PCs. The right deployment model can reduce costs, accelerate onboarding, and improve collaboration for distributed GIS teams.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Choosing the Right Azure Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n

Selecting the right Azure service for ArcGIS Pro depends on three core factors:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Data governance:<\/strong> Where your geodatabases and imagery are stored.<\/li>\n
  2. User concurrency:<\/strong> How many analysts need simultaneous access.<\/li>\n
  3. Operational ownership:<\/strong> Who manages patching, scaling, and updates.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2943230,"id":2943230,"title":"cleaned_azure_platform_table","filename":"cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","filesize":155407,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/announcements\/arcgis-pro-in-microsoft-azure-modernizing-how-you-deliver-arcgis\/cleaned_azure_platform_table","alt":"","author":"6391","description":"","caption":"","name":"cleaned_azure_platform_table","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2943059,"date":"2025-10-14 22:00:34","modified":"2025-10-14 22:00:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":575,"height":387,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","medium-width":388,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","medium_large-width":575,"medium_large-height":387,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","large-width":575,"large-height":387,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","1536x1536-width":575,"1536x1536-height":387,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","2048x2048-width":575,"2048x2048-height":387,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","card_image-width":575,"card_image-height":387,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cleaned_azure_platform_table.png","wide_image-width":575,"wide_image-height":387}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    GPU-Enabled Azure VMs: Flexibility and Control<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    When GIS professionals need workstation-class performance without waiting for IT to deploy a full virtual desktop farm, GPU-enabled Azure VMs<\/strong> offer immediate power and control.
    \nUsers can install custom toolboxes, capture golden images, and pause billing when VMs are stopped\u2014ideal for project-based analysis, development environments, or short-term sprints.<\/p>\n

    These VMs provide the most flexibility for ArcGIS Pro users who require full administrative access, beta testing environments, or custom configurations that aren\u2019t practical in shared VDI pools. With local admin rights, teams can quickly stand up a known-good image, test add-ins or scripts, and snapshot their environment for reuse later.<\/p>\n

    Recommended SKUs:<\/strong> NVadsA10 v5<\/a> | NCasT4_v3<\/a> | NVv4<\/a><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Single-Session Sizing (One Analyst per VM)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Best for dedicated performance, personal host pools, or standalone workstations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    User Type<\/strong><\/td>\nRecommended Sizes<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Light (View-only)<\/strong><\/td>\nNV4as_v4 \u2192 NV8as_v4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Medium (Edit \/ 2D\u20133D)<\/strong><\/td>\nNV16as_v4 \u2192 NV6ads_A10_v5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Heavy (3D Analysis)<\/strong><\/td>\nNV18ads_A10_v5 \u2192 NC16as_T4_v3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Multi-Session Sizing (Pooled or Shared Hosts)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    For teams using Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) multi-session hosts or RDSH-based environments, multiple users can share a single GPU VM.
    \nWhile performance per user is lower than dedicated setups, this model significantly reduces cost per seat and simplifies management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    User Type<\/strong><\/td>\nRecommended VM Sizes<\/strong><\/td>\nMax Users per VM<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Light (Viewing)<\/strong><\/td>\nNV18ads_A10_v5<\/td>\nUp to 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Medium (Editing)<\/strong><\/td>\nNC16as_T4_v3<\/td>\nUp to 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Heavy (Visualizing \/ Analysis)<\/strong><\/td>\nNV32as_v4<\/td>\nUp to 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Deployment Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Create<\/strong> a VM in a region with available NV-series capacity and choose the ArcGIS Pro 3.x<\/em> image.<\/li>\n
    2. Select SKU:<\/strong> NVadsA10, NCasT4_v3, or NVv4, and pair with Azure NetApp Files<\/strong> for high-performance, low-latency storage that supports ArcGIS Pro projects, geodatabases, and user profiles.<\/li>\n
    3. Enable Accelerated Networking<\/strong> and add the NVIDIA Driver extension<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    4. Configure Licensing<\/strong> (Named User, Single Use, or Concurrent).<\/li>\n
    5. Benchmark with PAT<\/strong> (Performance Assessment Tool) to validate frame rate, latency, and GPU utilization.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

       <\/p>\n

      Why You Need a GPU for ArcGIS Pro \u2014 and When to Choose GPU-Enabled Azure VMs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

      ArcGIS Pro is a modern, graphics-intensive application designed to fully leverage GPU acceleration. A dedicated GPU is not optional\u2014it\u2019s a core system requirement for smooth map rendering, 3D visualization, and responsive analysis workflows. Without a GPU, users will experience reduced performance, lag, or instability, especially in 3D scenes or large projects.<\/p>\n

      In Microsoft Azure, GPU-enabled virtual machines provide the compute power ArcGIS Pro needs to perform like a high-end workstation\u2014while adding the flexibility of the cloud.<\/p>\n

      Choose GPU-enabled Azure VMs when:<\/strong><\/p>\n