This blog post discusses the growing adoption of Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) for modern distributed end-user computing, detailing the challenges of migration and management, and positioning ControlUp as a solution to optimize the AVD journey from planning through ongoing operations.
AVD is a flexible, consumption-based cloud VDI platform chosen by organizations for delivering hosted Windows desktops and applications to diverse workforces and specialized workloads.
Key challenges in AVD migration and management include ensuring a good user experience, controlling costs from idle resources, and effectively handling a distributed, elastic workforce.
ControlUp, leveraging its DaaS IQ feature, provides comprehensive tools for AVD environment optimization, offering real-time visibility, automated management, security patching, cost control through auto-scaling, and a direct link between infrastructure health and employee experience.
Work no longer happens in one place. Distributed teams, remote and hybrid schedules, and bring-your-own-PC policies are now the norm, and end-user computing has to keep up. For many organizations, that means Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), a cloud VDI platform that delivers hosted desktops and apps with the flexibility and control IT teams need.
Microsoft’s retirement of AVD (classic) on September 30, 2026 and the steady move of Citrix and other legacy VDI customers to Azure have made AVD a mainstream destination. Getting there, and running it well once you arrive, is where the real work begins.
The Challenges of Modern End-User Computing
Migrating from on-premises VDI to AVD brings a familiar set of challenges:
- A distributed workforce. Employees connect from home offices, branch locations, and the field, on a mix of managed and unmanaged devices.
- Compliance and IP protection. Industry standards and government regulations still apply when desktops move to the cloud.
- An elastic workforce. Seasonal workers, contractors, and partners need access that scales up and down quickly.
- Specialized workloads. Line-of-business apps, customer service tools, development environments, and design workstations all have different performance needs.
Why Organizations Choose Azure Virtual Desktop
AVD supports Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server in multi-session or personal configurations, with full control over configuration and management, including remote app streaming. Its consumption-based model means you pay for what you use, which can be a real advantage over fixed on-premises infrastructure.
That advantage only holds if you size, scale, and maintain the environment well. Idle host pools still cost money, and a poor user experience still costs productivity.
Questions to Answer Before You Migrate to AVD
A smooth transition starts with understanding what you have today:
- How long do logons take in your current environment?
- Which applications do employees use, and how do they actually work?
- How heavily is your VDI used, and which devices connect to it?
- What will AVD cost, and which machine sizes fit your workloads?
- Which applications consume the most resources, and how do employees feel about their workspace today?
The goal is to give employees an experience that is better than what they had on-premises, and to keep it that way after the move.
Easy Migration to AVD with ControlUp
Every phase of an AVD journey has its own risks. Here is how ControlUp helps at each one.
Before the Migration
Fix problems in your current environment first, or you will carry them with you.
- Find employee experience issues such as slow logons, poorly performing apps, and frequent app crashes.
- Compare machine metrics to actual usage so that AVD machine sizes reflect real demand and not guesswork.
- Build a baseline of user experience that you can measure AVD against after the move.
During the Migration
ControlUp for VDI gives you real-time visibility as users start landing on AVD.
- Spot experience issues early, before they turn into help desk tickets.
- Watch Azure-hosted machines and the devices and locations connecting to them.
- Gather employee sentiment with surveys, so you hear about problems from users directly and not through support queues.
With ControlUp DaaS IQ, you can connect an Azure subscription and have your existing AVD environment (host pools, session hosts, and images) discovered automatically, so you can manage it from one place.
After the Migration
Once users are on AVD, the focus shifts to running it efficiently.
Keep AVD Secure and Current
Patching images takes time that senior administrators would rather spend elsewhere. DaaS IQ lets you create, patch, and version golden images and push updates to host pools, with a change log of what changed. ControlUp adds real-time detection and remediation of vulnerabilities across your environment.
Reduce Day-to-Day Complexity
AVD takes expertise to configure, troubleshoot, and maintain, and admins often switch between the Azure Portal, Intune, and custom scripts to get routine work done. DaaS IQ brings host pool and session host management into one control plane, with start, stop, restart, delete, drain mode, bulk actions, and session management. ControlUp for VDI adds end-to-end visibility, actionable insights, and automated troubleshooting.
Control Costs
AVD cost overruns usually come from capacity that runs when nobody needs it. DaaS IQ Autoscale scales host pools up and down on schedules and real-time demand, with burst mode for just-in-time capacity, peak and off-peak profiles, and support for multiple tenants and subscriptions. ControlUp also helps you reduce session timers, log off idle users, and manage deallocated VMs.
→ Read more: Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) Cost Optimization with ControlUp
Infrastructure Management Connected to the Employee Experience
Most AVD management tools see the infrastructure but not the employee. DaaS IQ is natively tied to ControlUp’s Digital Employee Experience platform, so the scaling, imaging, and host actions you take connect back to real user experience data. You can see whether a change actually made things better for the people using AVD.
That connection is what turns AVD management from a cost exercise into an employee experience strategy.
Get Started Migrating to AVD Today
Whether you are planning a move to AVD or optimizing an environment you already run, ControlUp can help you see more, fix issues faster, and spend less on idle capacity.
Schedule a demo today to see ControlUp in action.
Learn more:
