The great VDI migration: Your path to a cloud-first workplace
Hybrid working is now the norm—but for many UK and Ireland organisations, supporting it securely and cost-effectively is getting harder. IT teams are under pressure to modernise legacy VDI and on-prem environments while managing tighter budgets, increasing cyber risk, and limited internal resources.
The reality? Most organisations can’t afford a full rip-and-replace. They need a practical way to evolve.
In this session, we’ll explore how IT teams are taking a phased, cloud-first approach to digital workspaces—using technologies like Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 to modernise at their own pace, without disrupting users or overloading operations.
Join experts from Nerdio as they share real-world strategies for balancing cost, control, and user experience in hybrid environments.
What you’ll learn:
Why many organisations are reassessing legacy VDI in today’s economic and security climate
Practical approaches to moving users to cloud desktops with minimal disruption
How to manage hybrid environments without increasing operational complexity
Ways to reduce IT overhead through automation and smarter cost management
How to build a sustainable operating model beyond the initial migration
Speaker Bios:
Scott Manchester
Scott Manchester is Chief Product and Technology Officer at Nerdio, the leader in transforming how organizations deploy, manage, and optimize Microsoft cloud desktop technologies. Prior to Nerdio, Scott was VP of Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop at Microsoft, where he spent 25 years leading the development of those products, amongst many others. He holds 25 patents in remoting, networking, and media technologies and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, as well as an Executive MBA from Washington State University’s Carson College of Business.
Yangzhi 'Z' Zhao
Yangzhi 'Z' Zhao is Senior Director, Enterprise Product at Nerdio, where he owns the strategy, roadmap, and delivery for Nerdio Manager for Enterprise — the platform that unifies, optimizes, and automates the management of AVD, Intune, and Windows 365. Z began his career in Citrix's consulting organization, working hands-on with hundreds of enterprises on their EUC deployments — experience that still drives how he builds product, grounded in real customer problems, not assumptions. Prior to joining Nerdio, he served as VP of Product at Dizzion where he led Dizzion to Visionary placement on the Gartner MQ for DaaS, and as Senior Director, Product Management for Frame, Nutanix's multi- and hybrid-cloud DaaS platform. With nearly 20 years in the industry, he's known for turning complex problems into clear solutions. An alumnus of the University of Michigan's School of Engineering, Z lives in the Metro Detroit Area with his wife and son.
Gavin Connolly
Gavin Connolly is the Director & CTO at Nerdio
Gavin has over a decade of experience in end-user computing. He loves helping customers with their technology strategy and digital transformation journey.