Learn how some optimization and consolidation saved this client over 73% per month in AVD operational costs.
I was reviewing one of our client’s Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments and I noticed something interesting:
Six different host pools… all serving the same role with the same image but with different configurations.
They had been built ad-hoc over time, which led to wasted idle capacity and rising costs. For example, each host pool had its own unique Azure File Share hosting FSLogix profiles. This totaled more than 8 TB of used profile data! However, after analysis I found out most of the data wasn't even in use anymore.
It was clear what needed to be done: optimize the environment and cut operational costs without hurting the user experience.
Here’s what I did:
- Consolidated the six host pools into one streamlined pool
- Set up a single Azure NetApp share to reduce profile storage costs and improve IOPS performance
- Implemented pre-staging to handle morning logins of hundreds of users simultaneously
- Fine-tuned auto-scaling so resources matched user demand across different shifts
- Created an automated schedule to run Windows Updates on the master image, then deploy that to the new host pool. This keeps the host pool up to date with all the latest security fixes.
The result:
A 73% reduction in monthly operational costs for the environment! This also greatly simplified back-end management, standardized configurations and improved security.
The takeaway? This goes to show that you should regularly re-evaluate your environment's configuration and architecture, especially if it is in the cloud charging by the hour.