Moving to Azure Virtual Desktop: what a successful migration really involves

For many organisations, the decision to review their virtual desktop platform doesn’t start with enthusiasm for a fresh direction; it starts with pressure.

Rising Citrix licensing costs, increasing platform complexity, upcoming infrastructure refreshes, or a wider move towards Microsoft 365 and Azure often prompt a simple but significant question: is our current approach still fit for purpose? Or is it time to consider Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)?

AVD has become a serious option for organisations looking to modernise desktop delivery, but migrating to it is not a trivial exercise. Done well, it can simplify architectures and align desktop services with a broader cloud strategy. Done poorly, it risks disruption to users and erosion of confidence in cloud adoption more broadly.

Why organisations are considering AVD

AVD is Microsoft’s cloud-native virtual desktop and application platform, built directly into Azure and tightly integrated with Microsoft 365.

For those already standardised on Microsoft technologies, that integration matters. Identity, security, networking and management models are consistent, and AVD fits naturally into a cloud-first approach rather than sitting as a parallel, specialist platform.

This alignment, combined with more flexible consumption models and reduced infrastructure dependency, is why AVD is becoming such an attractive alternative to legacy VDI platforms like Citrix.

Migration - more redesign, less lift-and-shift

One of the most common misconceptions about moving from Citrix to AVD is that it’s largely a technical ‘like-for-like’ swap. Best recalibrate your thinking on that one!  In reality, AVD migrations work best when they are treated as redesign exercises, not simple platform replacements.

The typical Citrix environment often reflects years of accumulated design decisions, workarounds, optimisations, even the odd left-field tweak. Attempting to replicate these directly in AVD usually introduces unnecessary complexity and cost.

A successful migration starts with understanding:

• how users actually work today

• which applications are truly critical

• what performance characteristics matter most

• where historic complexity can be deliberately removed.

What ‘good’ looks like from a migration perspective

Well-executed AVD migrations tend to follow a clear and structured path:

Well-executed AVD migrations tend to follow a clear and structured path:

1. Discovery and assessment

This goes beyond inventory. It includes establishing use cases, analysing application dependencies, user personas, profile behaviour, performance expectations and business constraints.

2. Architecture aligned to Azure best practice

This includes decisions around networking, identity, image strategy, FSLogix configuration, security controls and scaling models, designed for Azure, not inherited from legacy VDI assumptions.

3. Early application validation

Validating key applications (incl. add ins) early reduces risk and avoids nasty surprises late in the programme.

4. Phased migration

Most organisations benefit from migrating in controlled phases, allowing learning, tuning and confidence-building rather than big-bang cutovers.

5. Automation and standardisation

Tooling such as Nerdio is often used to standardise deployments, simplify image management and accelerate repeatable migrations while maintaining consistency.

Common pitfalls and ‘gotchas’

Even well-planned migrations can have the odd challenging moment if certain areas are underestimated:

• User profiles and FSLogix design: subtle misconfigurations can have a disproportionate impact on performance and user experience

• Network and identity assumptions, especially in hybrid environments

• Over-provisioning resources, often driven by designing for peak demand without appropriate scaling models

• Application edge cases, particularly legacy or line-of-business software

None of these are unusual, but each can add friction if not addressed early.

Why experience matters

Migrating a core platform like Citrix is as much a change management exercise as a technical one. Users expect continuity. The business expects minimal disruption. IT teams need confidence that risks are understood and controlled.

This is where working with a partner who has done this before makes all the difference.

As an Azure specialist and Microsoft partner, Shaping Cloud helps organisations assess whether AVD is the right strategic fit, designs migration architectures aligned to Azure and Microsoft 365, and delivers structured, low-risk transitions from legacy platforms like Citrix.

Having seen it and done it many times, clients can lean into our approach that combines deep Azure expertise with proven tools and delivery patterns. They trust us to anticipate common pitfalls, reduce uncertainty, and keep programmes grounded in real-world outcomes rather than theoretical designs.

Delivering a foundation for the future

Moving to AVD is a significant decision. It touches users, applications, security and cost models. But for those already aligned to Microsoft technologies, it represents a logical step towards a simpler, more integrated future desktop platform.

When approached with clarity, structure and experience, an AVD migration doesn’t just wave off Citrix but welcomes in the foundation for what comes next.