York County Community Action Corporation Modernizes VDI with Microsoft, DataON, and Nerdio

York County Community Action Corporation (YCCAC) is a nonprofit organization serving over 15,000 residents across 20 cities and towns in York County, Maine. With a mission to alleviate poverty and promote self-sufficiency, YCCAC provides services including a community health center, Head Start programs, WIC, Whole Family Coaching, and energy assistance. Its dedicated team of over 250 employees works tirelessly to support vulnerable populations in the region.

Rising costs, stalled performance: the need to rethink VDI

YCCAC’s IT infrastructure was built on SimpliVity with vSphere and forty Windows Server 2019 hosts for centralizing end-user computing. But looming license renewals, rising costs—accelerated by Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware—and concerns over vendor lock-in pushed YCCAC to rethink its strategy.

The solution was also falling short operationally:

• Onboarding new users was slow.
• Scaling resources was cumbersome.
• Security and patching consumed excessive IT time.
• Long-term vendor support was uncertain.

Regulatory and data locality requirements meant a fully cloud-based solution wasn’t an option. YCCAC needed a modern, on-premises VDI platform that could deliver better performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency—without compromising compliance.

A smarter VDI strategy with Microsoft and Azure Local

Dirigo Technology, YCCAC’s trusted Microsoft-focused MSP, led by Senior IT Consultant Mike Pratt, recognized the nonprofit’s needs and recommended Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) for Azure Local.

This hybrid setup keeps session hosts on-premises while enabling centralized management through Azure—offering improved performance, tighter data control, and lower costs compared to Horizon and SimpliVity.

“Because all of YCCAC’s applications needed to remain on-premises, Azure Local was the perfect fit,” said Mike Pratt, Senior IT Consultant at Dirigo Technologies. “The performance and simplicity have been excellent, and it gives YCCAC the control and compliance they require.”

Strengthening the solution with Nerdio and DataON

To unlock even greater efficiency, Pratt partnered with Nerdio to integrate Nerdio Manager for Enterprise with AVD for Azure Local. This provided dynamic VM scaling, streamlined operations, and simplified resource management.

“Nerdio Manager transformed what used to be a complex, time-consuming process into something simple and efficient,” said Terrence McCarthy of YCCAC. “Our MSP can support us more effectively, and our own team can focus on what matters most—serving the community.” 

Nerdio also introduced DataON, a trusted Azure Local infrastructure partner. DataON provided a three-node integrated solution for Azure Local and worked alongside Dirigo onsite to ensure a smooth rollout.

DataON made it possible for me to fully manage the environment with confidence,” added Pratt. “Their expertise and support have been invaluable throughout the project.”

A seamless migration and immediate results

Together, Dirigo, Nerdio, and DataON delivered a tightly integrated solution:

• Reduced VDI footprint from 40 RDS hosts down to just 15 AVD hosts.
• Migrated 237 users seamlessly with minimal disruption.
• Dramatically cut down IT management time—tasks that once required multiple tools could now be completed in just a few clicks.

Nerdio’s Customer Success Plus (CS+) program provided proactive guidance throughout, while DataON’s responsive support earned high praise.

“We wanted a true partner who would work alongside us,” said Pratt. “With DataON, the support has been outstanding—we know we made the right choice.”

Mission impact

With Microsoft, Nerdio, and DataON’s proven integration—backed by years of collaboration—YCCAC now operates a secure, scalable, and cost-effective VDI environment. Supported by Dirigo, they’re positioned to expand their Azure Local footprint, including migrating server workloads from VMware.

Most importantly, YCCAC’s IT team has reclaimed valuable time to focus on supporting staff and services that directly impact families in need.

“Technology is not the end goal for us—it’s a means to help people,” said McCarthy. “With this new platform, we know our IT is reliable, efficient, and sustainable. That allows us to put our energy where it belongs: supporting our community.”