How This EUC Team Slashed $200k in Azure Expenses

November 10, 2023

In the EUC space today, businesses continuously look for ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs. One significant trend is migrating from on-premises data centers to cloud-based solutions like Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). These transitions often involve other environmental changes, such as Operating System upgrades or changes to supporting business applications like Office.

However, with such a substantial shift comes a unique set of challenges. In this blog, we’ll look at one of our customers who successfully tackled these challenges with the help of Login Enterprise and saved close to $200,000 annually in the process.

Transitioning from On-Premises to the Cloud

A Fortune 500 securities firm moved from traditional on-premises data centers to a Microsoft Azure cloud environment, leveraging Citrix and Azure to support their EUC deployment. As part of the migration, the firm planned an upgrade from Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2019 and a migration from Microsoft Office 2019 to Microsoft 365.

Significant changes require deep testing and examination of performance and functionality before the migration starts. Multiple changes compounded the effort needed and left them without visibility of end-user experience or costs in the new environment.

As one of the project team said, “It’s like we are going to have to wait for the first bill to see what it will cost.” The initial transition presented several challenges, including slow login times and an inefficient use of virtual resources. In addition to resolving tactical challenges, Login Enterprise was brought in to deal with strategic issues: capacity, scaling, and cost. 

Deeper Performance Insights Fueled Smarter Decisions

First, initial testing and baselining showed numerous initial issues affecting user experiences, such as slow login times, storage performance for ProfileUnity containers, and application compatibility problems. Resolving these issues while continually re-running automated testing meant they could quantify progress between each change and compare experiences from on-premises to Azure Virtual Desktops.

Optimizing Resource Allocation

Using Login Enterprise’s capacity planning and performance monitoring features, they could automatically test numerous Azure virtual machine types, capturing performance and capacity information and allowing IT management to compare User Experience with cost per user across both their on-prem and cloud environment.  This testing also revealed that one virtual machine type had an equal level of user performance but would allow them to increase the users per host, resulting in a lower monthly cost per user. The lower cost per user primarily comes from the cost of that instance and a significant reduction in virtual servers required, from 416 to 312.

Calculating Cost Savings

Before using Login Enterprise, the design assumptions used in this project resulted in an estimated cost per user/month of $26.16.

After testing with Login Enterprise, identifying the acceptable performance level, and matching that with a different virtual machine configuration, the per-user/month cost decreased to $19.62.

With a 2,500-user environment, this optimization led to savings of nearly $200,000 per year. The financial relief allowed the customer to reinvest in other strategic initiatives.

Unlock Success in Times of Transformation

The successful case of our customer demonstrates the significant impact that Login Enterprise can have when navigating the complex landscape of migrating to the cloud, Azure Virtual Desktops, or even making significant changes on the OS or application side. Our customers improve user experience and achieve substantial cost savings by addressing issues early and optimizing resource allocation.

If you’re considering a similar transition to AVD or facing challenges in your cloud migration, consider how Login VSI’s solutions can make a difference in your journey. By partnering with us, you can streamline your transition, reduce costs, and, like our customers, save significant money while embracing the benefits of the cloud.

Ready to be the next success story we celebrate? Contact us today to learn more about how Login VSI can help you make the most of your cloud migration, just as we did for this satisfied customer.