Customer Success: Florence Bank Wins with IGEL and COCC in Transition to VDI

Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Florence, Mass., Florence Bank has always prioritized community and customer service. As the needs of its workplace evolved, the bank realized it needed to modernize its end-user computing infrastructure. With the help of IGEL partner COCC, an industry-leading fintech provider, Florence Bank transitioned to a more efficient virtual workspace environment using VMware Horizon.

When explaining the situation at Florence Bank, David Limero, First Vice President, Director of Information Technology & Operations, said, “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.”

Scoring big with security and IT operational efficiency

Since deploying COCC’s iWorkstation offering and IGEL OS within its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment, Florence Bank has improved the security of its endpoints while streamlining IT operations. IGEL’s Preventative Security Model™, for example, provides a secure, manageable, and scalable platform, enabling a stronger Zero Trust framework and simplified endpoint management.

“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,” said Limero.

Making a “slam dunk” with the IGEL ecosystem

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.”

Read the case study to learn how the combination of the COCC iWorkstation and IGEL OS enabled Florence Bank to repurpose its aging hardware, secure its endpoints and simplify IT operations, while saving upwards of $100,000 to $150,000 in the process.