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Azure Virtual Desktop image management and troubleshooting required highly specialized engineers, creating operational risk and bottlenecks.
Cloud infrastructure costs were difficult to predict and optimize, especially during rapid migrations and unplanned events.
Legacy on-premises infrastructure created resilience risks with limited documentation and heavy reliance on tribal knowledge.
Solution
Novatech standardized on Nerdio Manager for MSP to centralize AVD image lifecycle management, automation, and troubleshooting.
Policy-driven auto-scaling and cost controls were implemented to significantly reduce per-user Azure spend.
Nerdio support and onboarding engineers were embedded into critical projects, accelerating migrations and reducing operational risk.
Simplifying Azure for engineers at every level
As an MSP supporting complex customer environments, Novatech relied heavily on Microsoft Azure, but managing it wasn’t simple. Golden desktop images required multiple manual steps, and Windows generalization often failed without clear error guidance.
“Generalization through Windows has been bad for years,” said Matt Wagner, Incident Response and Configuration Assurance Manager at Novatech. “They don’t necessarily explain what problems you’re running into.”
At the same time, recent turnover meant key Azure knowledge lived in people’s heads rather than documentation.
“We had just had a lot of turnover in senior engineering that had a lot of that tribal knowledge that never wrote anything down,” Wagner explained.
The Azure portal itself only added to the challenge.
“The Azure portal itself is very powerful, but it’s also very sprawling,” Wagner said.
Nerdio Manager for MSP brought structure to that complexity. With centralized visibility and guided workflows, engineers can access critical settings quickly and avoid unnecessary escalations.
Turning AVD image management into a repeatable process
AVD image creation and maintenance had long been a pain point. Native Azure workflows required stopping VMs, cloning, generalizing images, and troubleshooting cryptic errors, often consuming hours or days of senior engineering time.
Nerdio transformed that process.
“The image management is so nice; the ability to just clone an image and let it take care of all the steps on the backend,” Wagner said. “Nerdio just does all that for you.”
Novatech now automates monthly patching for both Microsoft and third-party updates, validates images before deployment, and promotes changes with confidence. This has unlocked a 40–60% reduction in time spent on AVD image work, freeing engineers to focus on higher-value initiatives.
“When it comes to AVD work, it’s probably closer to 40 to 60%,” Wagner noted. “We save a lot of time when it comes to AVD images and troubleshooting with Nerdio.”
Cutting cloud costs without sacrificing performance
Controlling cloud spend was a top priority, especially after Novatech had to migrate rapidly following a data center outage. Initial Azure cost estimates were based on rough assumptions and quickly proved inaccurate. Auto-Scaling changed that.
What was expected to cost $20–$25 per user now runs closer to $4–$5, delivering both savings and predictability. That ability to lower and stabilize infrastructure costs has become a key part of Novatech’s customer conversations.
“Every client likes to hear that their bills are going to go down,” Wagner said. “Spend less and spend more predictably.”
Resilience when it mattered most
Nerdio’s impact was most visible during a critical infrastructure failure. When Novatech experienced a catastrophic data center outage, the team worked with Nerdio to uplift the entire environment into Azure quickly.
“We were able to uplift the entire data center into Azure and have it all online in less than a month,” Wagner said. “It started with 70 VMs that nobody knew what they were… and we were able to cut it down to about 30.”
Beyond the technology, it’s also the people who have stood out. “I’ve never had a rep just reach out and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on? How can we help?’” Wagner said. “They were just there for me. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Building confidence across the business
For Novatech, Nerdio is operational insurance. “Nerdio is our backup guy,” Wagner explained. “If me or my guy in India get hit by a bus tomorrow, I know for a fact that anybody here could call Nerdio and they would do a great job.”
As Novatech continues expanding its Azure footprint and bringing more clients onto a cloudfirst model, Nerdio Manager for MSP provides the automation, cost control, and resilience needed to scale without increasing complexity or risk.
Read the full customer story
See how Novatech reduced Azure Virtual Desktop costs by 80% with Nerdio
