In the heart of England, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council serves a population of 130,000 with a lean staff of 600. For this small public sector organization, every pound saved is a pound that can be reinvested to improve services for its residents. When the council’s IT team members faced mounting challenges in managing its Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environment, they knew they needed an innovative solution that could help them cut costs while maintaining operational efficiency.
Richard Billings, Infrastructure Support Officer at Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, vividly remembered the pain points that led them to seek a better way. “When I first joined, I was presented with the AVD infrastructure and told, ‘This is the way we update the images; here’s the document to follow.’ I looked at it and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, we are going to lose so much time doing image updates, I can already feel the pain.’”
The council’s IT team was updating images weekly—sometimes even more frequently—to keep up with patches and application updates for its 600 users. The manual process was not only time-consuming but also fraught with potential for error. “Having to go through that document and trying not to miss a beat, or it could all go wrong, was quite an arduous process,” Billings recalled.
Automation unleashes IT potential
The council discovered Nerdio Manager for Enterprise through a recommendation from one of its third-party support providers. After a trial period that immediately demonstrated significant cost savings, they implemented the solution. The impact was transformative.
“We’re saving so much time now that we don’t even think about it as a task,” Billings quipped. What used to take half a day of meticulous work now happens mostly automatically. Nerdio Manager’s built-in scripts for common applications, such as Microsoft Teams and Office, allowed the team to significantly reduce the time spent on manual updates and deployment.
But the benefits extended far beyond time savings. Nerdio Manager’s intelligent automation capabilities revolutionized how the council managed its AVD environment. The system’s dynamic server management became a game-changer, automatically turning off idle servers, fine-tuning disk usage, and adjusting scaling based on real-time needs.
Streamlining operations with a focus on efficiency
Nerdio’s proactive approach to storage scaling also impressed the team. The solution recently introduced a feature to automatically scale Azure storage based on usage, addressing the common challenge of growing FSLogix profiles. “We just kind of stumbled into it today,” Billings shared. “It’s something we’re going to look at more closely, actually, because that would be quite useful.”
Moreover, Nerdio enhanced the team’s ability to troubleshoot issues. When faced with challenges like the recent “black screen” bug, Nerdio Manager allowed the team to quickly remedy problems, put servers into maintenance mode, and spin up new servers on the fly to support users trying to stay productive. This level of agility and responsiveness has been crucial in maintaining high-quality service for the council’s users.
Fiscal responsibility and better public services
For a public sector organization such as Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, demonstrating fiscal responsibility is paramount. Nerdio has delivered on this front as well. “If we got rid of Nerdio, it would cost us more to do the same thing that we’re doing now!” Billings stated emphatically.
The council estimates savings of more than a couple of thousand pounds per month across its servers providing virtual desktop infrastructure. But the impact goes beyond just the bottom line. By freeing up IT resources, Nerdio has allowed the council to focus on more strategic initiatives. “It’s not just about cost cutting,” Billings explained. “It’s about smart, efficient operations that allow us to reinvest in our growth and public services.” The council’s journey with Nerdio has been marked by smooth implementation and ongoing support. Billings praised the Nerdio team’s knowledge, “You could tell by their expertise that there would be no major issues.”
For a council that needs to remain lean while delivering reliable services, Nerdio has proven to be an invaluable partner. Looking forward, the council is excited by Nerdio’s ability to anticipate needs as they already have with automatic Azure storage scaling. “They’re obviously doing their homework,” Billings remarked.
Nuneaton & Bedworth’s success with Nerdio sends a clear message to other councils and public sector organizations: With the right tools, you can optimize IT operations, protect your budget, and better serve your community.
Ready to learn more about how Nerdio can help your organization reduce costs, save time, and efficiently utilize resources? Book a demo today!
