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North Ark

Virtual desktops

Virtual desktops that log in fast, run the apps people need and cost what you planned.

Slow logins, broken profiles and a Citrix renewal nobody budgeted for are common reasons to rethink virtual desktops. We design and roll out Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365, move you off Citrix or RDS, and tune the platform for performance and cost.

Start with a Citrix or RDS exit assessment
Row of desks with thin-client computers beside office windows.

What we deliver

  • Azure Virtual Desktop: host pools, multi-session Windows 11, RemoteApp and scaling plans
  • Windows 365 Cloud PCs where a fixed-cost, per-user desktop suits better
  • Citrix and Remote Desktop Services exits, cohort by cohort
  • Images built through a pipeline, with applications packaged and updated centrally
  • FSLogix profile containers on storage sized for login storms
  • Identity, Conditional Access and Intune management for virtual desktops
  • Cost and performance tuning: autoscaling, reserved capacity and right-sized hosts
A migration shown as waves. Workloads move from the legacy estate on the left through a pilot wave and waves two to four to the target platform on the right, with dependencies drawn between waves.

Choosing the platform

Azure Virtual Desktop suits shared, multi-session desktops and published apps with variable demand. Windows 365 suits users who need a personal desktop at a predictable monthly cost. Some estates keep Citrix for specific published apps. We compare them against your user cohorts and applications.

How it runs

  1. Assess: user cohorts, applications, profiles, printing, GPU and bandwidth needs.
  2. Design: the platform, host sizing, profile storage, images and management.
  3. Pilot: the hardest cohort first, such as finance with macro-heavy spreadsheets, so problems appear early.
  4. Migrate: cohorts moved in waves, with the old platform retired as each completes.
  5. Tune: logins, performance and cost measured and adjusted after go-live.

Experience behind it

Before North Ark, our founder's work included Citrix and RDS to Azure Virtual Desktop migrations and Azure hub-and-spoke networking. Every design is built as code, so images, host pools and scaling are repeatable.

Questions buyers ask

Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365?

Azure Virtual Desktop is usually cheaper for shared desktops and published apps. Windows 365 is simpler for personal desktops with predictable cost. The two can run side by side for different cohorts.

Can we move off Citrix before our renewal?

Often, with enough lead time. A Citrix or RDS exit assessment sets a plan against your renewal date.

Why are our virtual desktop logins slow?

Profile storage, image contents and scaling settings are the usual causes. We measure logins and fix the cause rather than adding hosts.

Can you run the platform after rollout?

Yes. Virtual desktops can move into Managed infrastructure, with images, updates and scaling maintained.

What about printing and peripherals?

They are part of the assessment. Printing, scanners and specialist devices are tested in the pilot before anyone moves.

Related

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Get desktops people are happy to log in to.

Tell us what you run today and what is driving the change.

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