Managing a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that supports the academic and operational needs of one of New Zealand’s leading universities, is no small feat. With more than 30,000 users including students and staff, and spanning a variety of performance and access needs, the University of Otago’s virtual environment is an integral part of how the school operates each day.
However, the university had been relying on a legacy system that had become cumbersome and expensive to maintain. The call was made to upgrade the system, and to add a little pressure, it was August 2024 and the new system had to be up and running by the end of 2024.
The university needed a partner who could move quickly, offer hands-on support and understand their systems inside and out. So, they turned to Inde Technology.
Transitioning to a modernised solution
The University of Otago had reached the limits of its decade-old VDI platform. Designed at a time when user demands and infrastructure expectations were vastly different, the system had become costly to maintain and increasingly difficult to scale up. Rising licensing fees and administrative overheads only added to the pressure.
“We turned to Inde because they already knew our environment and had provided us with technical support in the past,” says Michael Light, Senior Manager, Core Digital Infrastructure at the University of Otago.
“We trusted their capabilities, appreciated their local presence and knew they could move quickly, which was essential given our timeline.”
What followed was a tightly integrated collaboration. Inde embedded its specialists within Otago’s IT team from day one, working side-by-side through initial infrastructure setup and deployment scenarios. This approach ensured Otago’s team gained hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the solution.
Photo: www.otago.ac.nz
“Having Inde onsite from the outset was incredibly valuable. When issues arose, we were able to troubleshoot them together in real time. We weren’t just observing, we were learning as we went. It genuinely felt like Inde was taking us on the journey with them, which has given us the confidence and capability to manage the system independently moving forward,” says Mathew Anderson, Senior Engineer, University of Otago.
At Inde’s recommendation, the university decided to combine a Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop with Nerdio, which enabled intelligent host scaling and simplified management. Intune was also integrated for application deployment, and, when combined, the different systems allowed the university to centralise and really simplify its desktop and app delivery.
"Nerdio added the clever functionality we needed, and using our existing Intune application packages meant we didn’t need to duplicate significant packaging work," said Anderson.
Seeing immediate benefits
The transition to AVD quickly delivered tangible results, particularly in how staff and students accessed their applications and how the IT team managed the environment.
Instead of automatically launching a full virtual desktop – even for basic tasks – users can now access only the software they need. This shift removed unnecessary steps and allowed students, the vast majority of whom use their own laptops, to get up and running faster.
"Before, students logging into a desktop computer would automatically launch a full virtual desktop, even if unnecessary," said Anderson.
"Students bring their own devices these days, and don’t need the full suite of software products, just the one that is critical to the task they’re doing. AVD allows them to get what they need quickly and easily."
The streamlined infrastructure has transformed how Otago manages its desktop environment. With fewer moving parts, reduced dependency on legacy systems, and automation introduced through Nerdio and Intune, the IT team now spends less time troubleshooting and more time optimising services for end users.
Application updates and rollouts are also more efficient and scaling the environment to meet seasonal demand, like summer school or the return of students, is now faster and more predictable.
"Instead of logging into one desktop to reach another, users are now interacting with a simpler, smarter environment. That’s made a big difference for both staff and students – less friction, fewer steps, and a much better experience overall," said Anderson.
Photo: www.otago.ac.nz
Future-proofing Otago’s IT capabilities
With the initial deployment of Azure Virtual Desktop complete, the University of Otago is now in a position to explore new use cases. As the environment continues to stabilise and staff grow more familiar with it, opportunities are emerging to streamline teaching delivery, particularly by supporting a broader bring-your-own-device (BYOD) approach.
"Just as our environment evolved to address various use cases, I expect our Azure Virtual Desktop environment will similarly expand. It's a first step, but this project has positioned us well to leverage new opportunities. Over time, I expect we’ll use it to solve a range of problems, beyond what we initially intended and we’re keeping a close eye on this as it evolves,” said Light.
One opportunity the university is exploring is combining AVD with Azure Local to support GPU-intensive workloads, such as ArcGIS.
“Running these from the cloud can cost thousands per month, whereas we may be able to use our existing on-prem infrastructure to reduce costs,” said Anderson. “If we can manage virtual machines on-prem via Azure Local, that would give us the best of both worlds.”
The University of Otago’s partnership with Inde on its AVD migration marked a significant step forward in streamlining its IT environment, reducing costs, and providing the team with greater flexibility to scale and adapt as their needs change.
"The collaboration and flexible approach Inde brought to this project was crucial," says Anderson. "They helped us move forward confidently, providing a model for future projects where flexibility, collaboration, and local expertise are key."
About Nerdio
Nerdio empowers IT Professionals to deploy, manage, and auto-scale Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). Created to address the technical and security requirements of enterprise customers, Nerdio Manager for Enterprise is ideal for IT Professionals looking to deploy and manage large AVD environments and can be connected to an existing AVD setup or used to stand up a new AVD deployment. Nerdio Manager is an all-PaaS Azure application that runs in a customer’s own Azure subscription, making it one of the most secure and compliant solutions on the market.