150 +
engineering hours saved per month
72 K
annual savings on a single AVD host pool
100 %
of AVD customers standardized on Nerdio Manager for MSP
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Start nowChallenge
- Deploying and updating Azure Virtual Desktop environments required manual PowerShell processes, Sysprep image capture, and multi-step VM rebuilds that consumed a minimum of two hours per image per month.
- Native Azure auto-scaling only supported basic on/off schedules, leaving significant cost optimization opportunities unrealized.
- As a structured MSP with separate project and support teams, Dataprise needed a repeatable, standardized AVD platform that could be efficiently handed off post-deployment.
Solution
- Standardized all AVD deployments on Nerdio Manager for MSP to automate host pool provisioning, golden image management, and monthly image updates.
- Implemented advanced auto-scaling policies based on CPU, RAM, and session utilization to dynamically right-size infrastructure and reduce Azure spend.
- Leveraged Nerdio University, in-person training, and direct access to Nerdio engineers to accelerate team expertise and continuously optimize deployments.
Scaling Azure Virtual Desktop without scaling complexity
Dataprise, a managed services provider with a dedicated Azure engineering practice, supports a growing number of customers running Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
As that footprint expanded across customers, the operational load grew with it.
Each new deployment required provisioning host pools, configuring session hosts, building and maintaining images, and ensuring every environment could be cleanly handed off from the project team to long-term support. Much of that work was script-driven.
“I used to do everything via PowerShell, creating all the objects and everything,” explained Randy Dover, Cloud Engineer and Manager of Azure at Dataprise.
That approach worked, but it didn’t scale easily. Every build depended heavily on engineer expertise. Every image update required hands-on effort. And every project-to-support transition introduced risk if documentation or processes weren’t perfectly aligned.
With 16–17 AVD customers—many running multiple images— even routine monthly updates became time-consuming.
“It was more manual,” Dover said. “You had to go in and touch each piece.”
As Azure usage scaled, so did the number of moving parts. The team needed a way to standardize deployments, reduce administrative overhead, and keep costs aligned with actual usage without increasing headcount.
Reclaiming hours from image management
Image lifecycle management was one of the biggest time drains.
Previously, updating and assigning images across host pools required manual coordination. Now, scheduled image tasks automate much of that process.
“We have a task that automatically updates that image on a schedule and adds it to the appropriate host pool,” Dover said. “All we have to do is update that base image.”
The time savings are measurable... and powerful.
“It saves us about two hours per month, per customer, per image.”
Across their customer base, that translates into dozens of engineering hours reclaimed each month—time redirected toward higher-value customer initiatives.
We’ve seen savings from scaling – 0n one pool we’re saving over $6,000 per month.
Randy Dover,
Cloud Engineer and Manager of Azure, Dataprise
Driving measurable cost efficiency
Cost control was another operational pressure point.
Left unmanaged, host pools can quietly accumulate unnecessary compute costs. With Nerdio’s Auto-Scaling capabilities, Dataprise aligned infrastructure more closely with real usage patterns.
“We’ve seen savings from scaling,” Dover said. “On one pool, we’re saving over $6,000 per month.”
For customers, those savings reinforce confidence. For Dataprise, they strengthen the business case for Azure Virtual Desktop as a managed offering.
AVD that’s realistic to operate at scale
For Dover, the conclusion is practical.
“If they’re using AVD, they will use Nerdio,” he said. “There’s no reason not to.”
For Dataprise, Nerdio didn’t change what Azure Virtual Desktop could do. It changed how sustainably the team could deploy, manage, and scale it across customers, across images, and across internal teams.
As the company continues growing its Azure practice and onboarding new AVD customers, Nerdio Manager for MSP provides the standardized platform Dataprise relies on to keep deployments efficient, repeatable, and cost-optimized.
About Dataprise
Founded in 1995, Dataprise is committed to enabling its clients to achieve excellence through technology, positioning itself as the premier strategic managed service and security partner to CIOs and IT leaders across the United States. Dataprise delivers top-notch managed cybersecurity, disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS), managed infrastructure, cloud, mobility and managed end-user services, transforming businesses and enhancing user experiences while mitigating risks.