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- As a small but growing MSP, Griffin Networks needed a way to deploy Azure Virtual Desktop consistently and efficiently without dedicating specialized Azure-only staff.
- Rapid changes across Microsoft Azure services made manual AVD deployments complex, brittle, and time-consuming to maintain.
- Supporting multiple SMB customers required a repeatable, scalable approach that reduced risk, avoided costly misconfigurations, and freed engineers to focus on higher-value work.
Solution
- Griffin Networks standardized on Azure Virtual Desktop managed through Nerdio Manager for MSP to centralize deployment, configuration, and lifecycle management.
- Nerdio’s automation replaced manual PowerShell scripting and multi-portal configuration with a single, repeatable workflow that abstracts underlying Azure complexity.
- The Nerdio Manager for MSP console provided a single pane of glass across customers, enabling template-based deployments, consistent configurations, and faster troubleshooting at scale.
Building an MSP on repeatability from day one
Griffin Networks is an SMB-focused managed service provider delivering long-term managed services alongside occasional project-based work, such as networking, Wi-Fi, and cabling. Like many modern MSPs, the team supports a wide range of technologies from firewalls and switches to Microsoft 365 and endpoint security, often with limited specialized headcount.
For Senior Network Architect Chuck Cox, Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) quickly became a critical offering for customers looking to modernize on-premises infrastructure and support remote work. But deploying AVD manually, especially in a constantly evolving Azure ecosystem, was not sustainable.
Standing up Azure Virtual Desktop without Nerdio meant navigating multiple Azure services, portals, and dependencies, often through trial and error. “You start reading documentation, clicking around, failing a few times, tearing it down, and starting over,” Cox explained. “That process could take weeks.”
Turning complexity into consistency
Nerdio Manager for MSP changes that dynamic entirely. By encapsulating best-practice configurations, automation, and PowerShell under the hood, Nerdio enables Griffin Networks to deploy fully functional AVD environments in hours instead of weeks.
For AVD-specific work, Cox estimates Nerdio delivers a 90–95% time savings compared to manual deployments—a difference that directly impacts how much value Griffin Networks can deliver to customers.
Better outcomes for SMB customers
For Griffin Networks’ customers, the shift to Azure Virtual Desktop managed through Nerdio means improved reliability, predictable monthly costs, and a smoother transition away from on-premises infrastructure.
In practice, Griffin Networks sees customers benefit from improved reliability and a more predictable infrastructure model once workloads move to Azure.
Nerdio also helps Griffin Networks right-size environments during the sales process, ensuring customers pay for what they actually need—no more, no less.
A vendor engineers trust
Beyond the technology itself, Cox points to Nerdio’s support and training as a key differentiator. From in-person training events to responsive technical support, Nerdio provides a backstop that MSP engineers can rely on.
“Problems tend to stop with me,” Cox said. “So having Nerdio as someone I can go to when I need help is huge.”
At this point, Nerdio is not just a tool for Griffin Networks; it’s foundational infrastructure. “It’s what allows us to deploy Azure Virtual Desktop at all,” Cox said. “Without it, it’s not worth the hassle.”
Read the full customer story
See how Griffin Networks achieved up to 95% time savings on Azure Virtual Desktop deployments with Nerdio.
