Client Profile
The client is a leading global technology brand focused on sustainable digital transformation with a mission to create positive social impact.
Challenges
The client’s existing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) posed operational challenges. High Citrix licensing fees significantly impacted IT budgets, and the current infrastructure lacked the elasticity required to scale.
In addition, the client faced several technical and operational complexities:
- High dependency on expensive third-party VDI licenses
- A strong preference for on-premises control due to internal policies
- Domain segregation challenges, where the existing on-premises (on-prem) domain could not be directly synchronized with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), are an essential requirement for Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)
- Delays in server hardware delivery created the risk of service interruption as legacy license expiration dates approached
Anunta’s Solution
Anunta developed a scalable AVD architecture that prioritizes future scalability and service continuity.
- Deployed a two-node Azure Local (an on-premises cloud solution from Microsoft) cluster for user acceptance testing (UAT), allowing early validation of performance, and user experience
- Built a six-node Azure Local production cluster on-premises using Lenovo servers, sized and configured to Azure Local best practices (Azure Local is Microsoft’s on-premises solution for running Azure services locally)
- Implemented Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) on top of the Azure Local environment, including master image creation, session host provisioning, and user-specific virtual machine (VM) allocation
- Collaborated with client technical teams to configure a new Azure AD domain, ensuring identity federation for seamless AVD access
- Enabled a temporary Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environment on the Azure public cloud during hardware delays, ensuring uninterrupted access as legacy licenses approached expiration
Following production readiness of Azure Local, Anunta completed AVD configuration and orchestrated phased workload migration from Azure to the on-premises environment.
Key Benefits
- Reduced VDI licensing costs by moving away from Citrix.
- Greater control and compliance through an on-premises Azure Local deployment.
- Seamless user experience, validated through UAT before production rollout.
- Ensured uninterrupted operations with cloud AVD resilience.
- Future-ready, scalable architecture for new environments and projects.
- Architected and optimized 16 on-prem server clusters powering AVD for 1,000+ users across multiple business verticals; delivering scalable, high-performance digital workspaces at enterprise scale.
