Modernising the Enterprise Desktop: Moving from Citrix to Azure Virtual Desktop

Virtual desktop infrastructure has evolved dramatically over the last decade. Many organisations running Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops are now reaching a crossroads, whether to continue maintaining complex on-premise or hosted infrastructure, or to embrace a cloud-native alternative for their desktop service delivered to their end users.

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) represents a significant step forward. It delivers the same centralised management, secure remote access and multi-session capabilities that Citrix offers, but with native Azure integration, simplified management, and a flexible pay-as-you-go model.

At HybrIT, we’ve helped clients plan and execute this transition using Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF), ensuring that technical, operational and governance requirements are addressed from the outset.

Why move from Citrix to Azure Virtual Desktop

For IT leaders, AVD provides a unified platform for managing desktops, applications and security through the Azure portal. It eliminates much of the complexity associated with maintaining on-premise delivery controllers, database servers and licensing components.

AVD leverages Azure Resource Manager (ARM) for deployment and management, integrates directly with Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and Microsoft Intune, and takes advantage of native tools like FSLogix for profile management. This creates a secure, performant and cost-efficient workspace that aligns with modern endpoint strategies and hybrid working models.

HybrIT’s technical approach using the Cloud Adoption Framework

HybrIT’s methodology follows the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework to ensure structure and repeatability.

• Strategy – Define the business and technical drivers for migration: cost reduction, scalability, remote access, lifecycle modernisation or security improvement.

• Plan – Assess the existing Citrix architecture, including user density, app publishing, licensing and infrastructure dependencies. Develop the financial and operational model for Azure.

• Ready – Build an Azure landing zone incorporating governance, security and networking principles that support virtual desktop workloads.

• Adopt – Deploy AVD host pools, session hosts, application groups and FSLogix containers. Migrate workloads and users with minimal downtime.

• Govern and Manage – Establish monitoring, scaling, update and backup strategies while maintaining cost and compliance controls.

This experience methodology ensures that every migration is both technically sound and aligned to business outcomes.

HybrIT aligns business, people and technology strategies to help organisations achieve their goals, providing practical and efficient guidance that delivers rapid results with control and stability.

Top 10 things to consider when planning your move from Citrix to Azure Virtual Desktop

When moving from Citrix to AVD, technical planning is critical. HybrIT helps organisations address the following key considerations:

1. Identity and authentication – Plan the integration of Entra ID, conditional access and MFA for secure sign-ins.

2. Networking and connectivity – Design hybrid network paths with ExpressRoute or VPN, optimised routing to session hosts and proper DNS configuration.

3. Storage architecture – Implement Azure Files or Azure NetApp Files for FSLogix profile containers and shared data with the right performance tier.

4. Host pool design – Choose between personal or pooled session hosts based on user personas and workload intensity.

5. Image management – Develop a golden image strategy using Azure Image Builder or third-party tooling, incorporating patch management and automation.

6. Application delivery – Reassess application publishing, leveraging MSIX app attach where suitable and reviewing legacy app dependencies.

7. Security posture – Apply Zero Trust principles, network security groups, Defender for Cloud, and continuous compliance monitoring.

8. Cost optimisation – Use Azure’s autoscaling and power management to align compute costs with user demand.

9. Monitoring and diagnostics – Integrate AVD Insights, Log Analytics and Azure Monitor for proactive alerting, performance baselining and capacity planning.

10. User experience and change management – Conduct pilot testing, collect performance telemetry and manage communication to ensure a smooth user transition.

Each of these elements requires detailed design and validation. HybrIT provides both the technical expertise and project governance to ensure that every layer, from identity to endpoint performance, is covered.

How HybrIT supports your migration

HybrIT combines extensive expertise in hybrid infrastructure, end-user computing and cloud adoption to help organisations modernise their IT environments with confidence. Our experienced architects and engineers design, build and optimise solutions that bridge on-premise and cloud technologies, ensuring secure, scalable and efficient operations. We deliver tailored strategies aligned to business goals, enabling clients to embrace innovation, improve user experience and achieve greater agility across their digital workplace and wider IT landscape. Our architects and engineers can deliver:

• End-to-end migration from Citrix to AVD using Microsoft CAF

• Landing zone deployment and governance frameworks

• Automation for provisioning, scaling and updates

• Integration with Microsoft Intune, Entra ID and Defender for Cloud

• Managed service wrap for ongoing optimisation and support

By aligning migration with your broader IT roadmap, HybrIT helps ensure AVD becomes a strategic platform for future innovation, supporting hybrid working, AI workloads and sustainability goals through efficient cloud resource usage.

Moving forward with confidence

Transitioning from Citrix to Azure Virtual Desktop is not just a technical exercise. It’s an opportunity to modernise the digital workspace, simplify management and enhance security.

HybrIT’s Cloud Adoption Services are designed to make that transition structured, secure and outcome-driven. Whether you need a full migration plan, a technical proof of concept, or post-migration management, we can help you deliver a future-ready desktop environment built on Azure.

📩 Contact HybrIT Services – hello@hybrit.co.uk