Centre Technologies, an MSP serving more than 800 clients across various industries, needed to strike a balance between scaling up and managing Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) efficiently without compromising service quality.
Centre had previously relied on Citrix for virtual desktops, but the costs and complexity were becoming unsustainable. “Citrix is complicated and requires specialized skills to maintain,” explained Todd Smith, Chief Technology Officer at Centre. “Licensing costs kept rising, with frequent changes and annual license commitments. It became a burden.”
Smith recalled the early days of customers using AVD, “We had clients using virtual desktops, but managing them was a nightmare. Azure doesn’t have many multi-tenant-friendly tools, especially for MSPs. Visibility, provisioning, cost control—it was all a struggle.”
Discovering the Nerdio advantage
Centre discovered Nerdio Manager for MSP at a conference, and it came highly recommended by Sherweb, Centre’s distributor. “Nerdio was the ‘easy button’ we’d been looking for,” said Jason Bridgeman, Senior Technical Consultant at Centre. “We saw a demo, and it was instantly clear how much easier AVD would be to manage.”
With Nerdio, Centre Technologies was able to move away from Citrix and embrace a more flexible, cost-effective solution that worked seamlessly with AVD. Nerdio also offered a pay-as-you-go model that aligned perfectly with Centre’s need for agility.
Immediate impact of automation and cost savings
Nerdio Manager’s automation recouped thousands in recurring revenue for Centre by quickly deploying remote monitoring agents. “Nerdio lets us automate AVD maintenance and deployment,” Smith shared. “It handles everything—patches, apps, power-downs—without manual intervention.”
Dropping Citrix and automating AVD led to an estimated $500,000 in annual savings. Auto-Scaling alone saved 55% on Azure costs, and Nerdio Manager’s efficient automation eliminated the need for at least two additional full-time employees.
Unleashing growth
Centre’s clients also reaped the rewards of Nerdio Manager’s features. Its cost-saving functionalities allowed Centre to offer more competitive pricing to customers while keeping margins healthy. “We have two client packages,” Bridgeman explained. “For clients on per-user pricing, our Azure savings improve margins. For clients who pay their own Azure bills, we save them money and build stronger relationships.”
The switch to Nerdio also resulted in fewer client issues, “Clients using Nerdio versus Citrix have way fewer problems,” said Smith. “We’ve lost clients before due to Citrix issues. With Nerdio, that’s no longer a concern.”
Looking ahead with Nerdio
Centre Technologies is excited about leveraging Nerdio Manager’s advanced features to further customize solutions and break into new markets. “We’re particularly excited about the upcoming Console Connect feature,” Bridgeman shared. “It could reduce our internal tool costs even more.”
At the end of the day, it’s more than just cost savings for Centre. “Nerdio lets us say ‘yes’ to clients more often, solve their problems faster, and help them grow,” Smith said. “If a solution cuts costs for us and our clients, it’s a no-brainer.”
Ready to see how Nerdio can help your business simplify management and reduce costs? Book a demo today!
