Accelerating Innovation: CMS Division’s Swift Migration to Azure Virtual Desktop

Company

Trimble Inc. is an American software, hardware, and services technology company. Trimble also does hardware development of global navigation satellite system receivers, scanners, total stations, laser rangefinders, unmanned aerial vehicles, inertial navigation systems and software processing tools.

Location

Westminster, CO

Industry

Industrial Machinery/Components

Services

BY THE NUMBERS

2,303

Number of servers migrated.

40,000

Number of user accounts handled.

About

Trimble’s CMS division was on the NetApp platform nearing its end of life and presenting significant operational risks for both customers and internal teams. Confronted with a tight deadline and the urgent need for a replacement platform, the CMS Division partnered with Atmosera, a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP), to implement Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) as the new solution.

Through a combination of innovative automation, strategic planning, and collaborative teamwork, the migration was completed within three months, ensuring uninterrupted service for over 40,000 users. This initiative not only addressed the immediate challenges but also established a scalable and resilient infrastructure to support future growth and innovation.

Challenge

The CMS division faced an urgent and complex challenge: the NetApp platform, which underpinned critical support functions for Vista, PCC, and VFC products, was approaching its end of life. This development posed a significant risk, impacting all internal employees and 100% of the division’s customers who relied on the platform for seamless operations.

The challenge was further exacerbated by the absence of a direct replacement platform and an extremely short timeline. The NetApp team’s support was set to end within less than a year, leaving minimal room for error. This time crunch demanded a robust yet agile solution that could meet immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term operational stability. Failure to act promptly risked major disruptions in customer experience, operational efficiency, and overall service delivery.

Solution

Faced with these high stakes, the CMS division sprang into action, leveraging partnerships and innovative solutions to address the challenge. A collaborative approach was essential. They engaged Atmosera, an Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP), to spearhead the transition to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).

Atmosera and the CMS team formulated a comprehensive strategy to automate the migration process and ensure a seamless transition. Key initiatives included:

Automation Development: Automation was at the heart of the migration strategy. The teams developed infrastructure-as-code solutions from scratch using PowerShell. In a late-stage pivot, the automation was rewritten from Terraform to PowerShell to align better with project goals.
Tool Selection: To replace NetApp functionality, the team conducted thorough evaluations eventually selecting NinjaOne as the new support tool after proof-of-concept trials.
Hybrid Architecture: The CMS division’s COPS team designed and implemented a robust hybrid architecture to support AVD and Cascade during the transition.
Training and Enablement: With over 100 employees to train across multiple time zones, the training program was a herculean effort. Led by Glo Sahay, the program delivered structured training sessions, including recorded materials for broader accessibility, and targeted specialized training for teams with specific functions.

The migration officially began and customer migrations kicked off just 64 days after Atmosera was onboarded. Despite technical snags and the enormous scope of work, the teams maintained momentum, adhering to an aggressive timeline without compromising quality.

Outcome

The migration effort proved to be a resounding success, demonstrating the power of collaboration, innovation, and unwavering dedication. Key outcomes included:

Operational Success: The entire customer base was successfully transitioned to the new AVD platform within three months. This rapid turnaround mitigated risks associated with the end-of-life of NetApp and ensured continuity of service.
Enhanced Scalability and Automation: By incorporating Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) the migration process gained scalability, enabling up to six simultaneous deployments per pipeline. The automation tools also significantly reduced manual effort and minimized the potential for errors.
Extensive Training: Over 100 employees across 10+ teams were trained to handle the new systems, equipping them with the skills needed for migration and ongoing support.
Impact by the Numbers:
- 564 project hours and 2,407 migration hours invested in three months.
- 2,303 terminal servers migrated and over 40,000 user accounts were handled.
- 108 nightly migrations completed across global teams working around the clock.
- 40,000+ support cases resolved during the migration process.

Key Contributions

The success of the migration was made possible by outstanding teamwork and individual contributions. Notable highlights include:

Custom Automation: Engineers created tools to streamline processes, including automation for legacy environments and improvements to profile share optimization.
Leadership and Coordination: Brian Barnes, as PMO, managed communication with customers, created migration waves, and ensured all stakeholders were informed and aligned.
Nightly Migrations: The Global COPS team, supported by North American engineers, executed nightly migrations with precision and consistency.
QA and Support: Quality assurance teams rigorously tested migration processes, ensuring minimal disruption for customers.

Future Improvements

Building on the migration’s success, the CMS division identified key areas for ongoing enhancements:

Increased Deployment Capacity: Scaling VMSS to allow for even greater simultaneous deployments.
Enhanced Logic for Profile Shares: Refining FSLogix profile SMB shares to dynamically adjust based on the number of employee profiles.
Pipeline-Based Deployments: Transitioning from post-deployment application installations to pipeline-based software deployments for improved efficiency.
New Product Integration: Adding deployments for products currently in the proof-of-concept stage.

This exemplifies the CMS division’s ability to overcome significant challenges through innovative problem-solving, effective collaboration, and a relentless commitment to excellence. By navigating an accelerated timeline and complex technical demands, the division not only ensured operational continuity but also laid the foundation for a more scalable and resilient future.