Case Study
Learn how a billion-dollar plastic company used Nerdio Manager to transition to the cloud quickly and easily.
About M.Holland
From healthcare to cars, plastics play a critical role in most of the products we use daily, and M. Holland plays a critical role in the plastics industry. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, M. Holland is a leading international distributor of thermoplastic resin. The company helps suppliers identify and leverage the most strategic channels to markets around the world, while also offering sourcing and supply chain solutions. Its product line includes materials that can fit virtually every application, manufacturing process, and market.
M. Holland does over $1 billion in annual sales and sells to more than 4,000 customers. Since 1950, the company has grown steadily through both organic growth and numerous acquisitions. Most important for M. Holland is the deep, on-going relationships that it establishes with clients, through a consultative approach and a focus on long-term partnerships.
Situation
Although M. Holland has been in business in the United States since its founding in 1950, it has recently increased its presence around the world, with branches in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and expansion plans for Europe and Asia. However, the company was reaching the limits of its mostly on-premises IT solutions. Its 350+ employees around the world need access to business-critical systems around the clock. The company’s growth and expansion plans meant that it could no longer afford to have all its IT infrastructure located on premises.
Over the years, M. Holland had built its IT infrastructure around an on-premises Microsoft stack, but that wasn’t keeping up with their requirements in today’s more agile business environment. “With our existing systems, if our office went down, our company was dead in the water,” said Vincent Rocco, System Administrator, M. Holland Company. “We started a transition to more cloud-based systems because we need to keep the business running 24/7, 365 days a year. Our business couldn’t stop if the office went down.”
Solution
Although M. Holland has been in business in the United States since its founding in 1950, it has recently increased its presence around the world, with branches in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and expansion plans for Europe and Asia. However, the company was reaching the limits of its mostly on-premises IT solutions. Its 350+ employees around the world need access to business-critical systems around the clock. The company’s growth and expansion plans meant that it could no longer afford to have all its IT infrastructure located on premises.
“Azure Virtual Desktop is a no brainer for us,” – Vincent Rocco, System Administrator, M. Holland Company.
Over the years, M. Holland had built its IT infrastructure around an on-premises Microsoft stack, but that wasn’t keeping up with their requirements in today’s more agile business environment. “With our existing systems, if our office went down, our company was dead in the water,” said Vincent Rocco, System Administrator, M. Holland Company. “We started a transition to more cloud-based systems because we need to keep the business running 24/7, 365 days a year. Our business couldn’t stop if the office went down.”
Results
For M. Holland, Nerdio Manager is a key component for its transition to more cloud-based solutions. It’s made overall management of M. Holland’s virtual environments much more efficient and easier.
Using Microsoft’s native solutions for managing virtual disks can be cumbersome. According to Rocco, the company would have to go through multiple steps, from creating an image, stopping it, prepping it, deallocating it, and then imaging it.
“Since day one, Nerdio Manager has made Azure Virtual Desktop incredibly simple,” said Rocco. “The biggest value for us has been Nerdio’s ability to do master image creation.”
“I had many issues when I tried to do it natively through Microsoft,” he said. “That’s why we went with Nerdio Manager.”
In addition, M. Holland cites Nerdio’s extensive online, always-available technology resources as a key to easy deployment and ongoing management. “Nerdio has incredible training videos,” said Rocco. “If you want to learn anything, they have a video about it.”
By using Nerdio Manager, M. Holland has been able to turbo-charge their transition to AVD, creating an IT environment that’s much more robust, secure, and available than their previous on-premises solutions. It’s enabling more effective support and easier management of functions like master image creation to help M. Holland continue to grow their business. But for Rocco, it’s not just about what Nerdio Manager for WVD can do for his company, it’s also personal. “Someone with limited knowledge like me can come in, learn Nerdio, and be an Azure WVD guru,” he said. “It’s great.”
But for Rocco, it’s not just about what Nerdio Manager can do for his company, it’s also personal. “Someone with limited knowledge like me can come in, learn Nerdio, and be an AVD guru,” he said. “It’s great.”
“I couldn’t have done what I’ve done without Nerdio and got my company to the point that we’re at without Nerdio,” – Vincent Rocco, System Administrator, M. Holland Company.
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