After Florence Bank implemented COCC’s iWorkstation and IGEL, it significantly enhanced the security of its virtual desktop infrastructure and streamlined operations for improved agility and IT operational efficiency. The community bank has achieved significant cost savings of between $100,000 and $150,000 by extending the hardware refresh cycles. This was accomplished by repurposing aging hardware and utilizing solutions offered by IGEL ecosystem partners, such as PrinterLogic and ControlUp.

In the future, the bank plans to further enhance security and compliance and is considering VDI offloading to improve performance and user experience for communication tools. This is part of a broader strategy to unify its operating system environments.

Business Challenge

In March 2020, Florence Bank was transitioning from a traditional on-premises office infrastructure to a more advanced virtual environment leveraging VMware Horizon with the help of a trusted partner, COCC.

“This transition came about as a result of the challenges associated with managing a conventional workstation environment, including the need to continually update and maintain hardware and software,” said David Limero, First Vice President, Director of Information Technology & Operations at Florence Bank. “We were heavily reliant on aging desktop hardware and faced the looming challenge of finding cost-effective ways to replace this hardware while supporting the transition to virtualized desktop infrastructure. This, coupled with a significant operating system upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, to eventually Windows 11 in 2025, necessitated a move towards a more scalable and agile virtualized environment. COCC recommended its iWorkstation offering featuring IGEL, and we quickly began implementing the solution.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the bank had to adjust its deployment timeline to accommodate the sudden increase in remote employees. “Before the pandemic, we maintained a modest remote workforce consisting of approximately 12 to 15 individuals,” said Limero. “During COVID, we simply turned up the thermostat to increase the number of remote users. The timing of our iWorkstation and IGEL launch with COCC was serendipitous, given the unprecedented challenges to rapidly deploy a remote work environment for 110 end-users.”

With COCC’s iWorkstation and IGEL in place, Florence Bank was able to fully pivot to a remote work environment within 36 hours of being informed of the work-from-home mandates. “COCC and IGEL helped us maintain business continuity,” added Limero.

The IGEL Solution

Florence Bank’s decision to adopt the COCC’s iWorkstation and IGEL has enabled the community bank to quickly modernize its IT infrastructure. The community bank has also reaped many long-term benefits that extend well beyond its front-end operations and into its back office.

“In totality, the IGEL ecosystem has been a slam dunk for Florence Bank,” said Limero. “It represents a significant advancement for our organization that has improved IT efficiency, enhanced security, and helped us to control spending.”

Limero added, “The implementation of COCC’s iWorkstation has not only been advantageous for our retail branches, seamlessly scaling and streamlining operations while creating uniformity in how we manage them, but it has significantly simplified the process of rolling out upgrades, making these events far less stressful for the IT team.

The Outcome

Since deploying COCC’s iWorkstation offering and IGEL OS within its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment, Florence Bank has streamlined its IT operations and improved the security of its endpoints.

IGEL’s Preventative Security Model, for example, provides a secure, manageable, and scalable platform, enabling a stronger Zero Trust framework and streamlined endpoint management. “With our workforce going remote, the combination of IGEL Cloud Gateway and UMS, allowed for rapid patching and issue resolution from anywhere,” said Limero. “IGEL OS 12 also reduces the attack surface by only utilizing and installing required applications. This, coupled with the use of complementary technologies such as multi-factor authentication and the integration of the Opswat Agent with VMware Horizon on IGEL OS, has enabled us to maintain the operational integrity of our endpoints.”

He added, “Recognizing the diversity in our team’s technical comfort and preferences, we provide bank-issued devices for those who prefer not to manage personal antivirus software and system updates. For enthusiasts committed to using their own devices, Opswat’s technology has seamlessly integrated into our iWorkstation environment.”

 Furthermore, by integrating offline compliance checks into the VMware Horizon during the VPN sign-in process and requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA), Florence Bank has improved the security of its virtual desktop infrastructure in response to the growing demand for remote work.

Extended hardware refresh cycles and key partnerships help reduce costs

The combination of the COCC iWorkstation and IGEL OS has also allowed Florence Bank to repurpose its aging hardware, in many cases extending its hardware refresh cycles by an additional five years, saving upwards of $100,000 to $150,000 in the process and enabling the community bank to take a phased approach when upgrading its desktop infrastructure. “IGEL’s alliances with leading endpoint hardware manufacturers, including HP, Lenovo and LG, will make it easier for us to replace our aging desktop hardware once it reaches end of life,” added Limero.

 The cost savings associated with extending its hardware refresh cycle, aren’t the only ones Florence Bank has benefited from. “The partnerships that COCC and IGEL have with PrinterLogic, which streamlines print fleet management, and ControlUp, which swiftly resolves issues and prevents problems while optimizing digital employee experience management, for example, have helped us further reduce costs and increase the agility of our IT operations,” said Limero.

Future plans include increasing security and optimizing the user experience

Looking ahead, Florence Bank is exploring the potential of offering VDI offloading to enhance the performance and user experience of communications tools like Zoom and Teams within its VMware environment. “This initiative is part of our broader strategy to unify operating system environments and migrate away from provisional solutions like iPads and secondary laptops for Zoom meetings. This will better position us for future technological advancements and the operational efficiencies they bring,” said Limero.