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CASE STUDY

How a Fortune 50 Bank Unified Application Delivery Without a Rip‑and‑Replace

At-a-glance

One of the world’s largest banks modernized application delivery without ripping out ConfigMgr, Intune, or VDI. With Application Workspace as a lightweight overlay, they unified every app and launch path in a single catalog and delivered installs in minutes via an agent, not slow cloud sync. Smart Icons routed users to the right local, web, or virtual experience automatically. Packaging shifted from wrappers to a visual workflow; a curated Setup Store kept apps evergreen while preserving enterprise customizations. DTAP rings and approvals provided control at scale. After Autopilot, users restored their persona and core apps in ~30 minutes, keeping work moving. The team adopted an agent-only image—test once, promote everywhere across laptops and Cloud PCs, returning time to engineering and cutting tickets.

Customer Snapshot

Industry: Global financial services enterprise

Scale: Tens of thousands of endpoints, thousands of applications, multi‑region workforce

Estate: Windows and macOS devices; VDI/Cloud PCs (Citrix/AVD); Entra ID

Governance priorities: Security/compliance, faster time‑to‑software, curated evergreen catalog, M&A/multi‑tenant readiness, better reporting/license insights

Starting Point & Triggers

Engineering teams were maintaining a home‑grown app portal plus fragmented delivery paths (ConfigMgr, Intune, VDI). They wanted one modern front end for every app and delivery method, with automation underneath. Later, executive leadership set a mandate to “modernize how apps are delivered company‑wide,” giving the project top‑down momentum.

Key Challenges

  • Slow/uneven delivery with native tools: Cloud sync delays, inconsistent success rates
  • Manual third‑party packaging/patching effort: Backlogs; repetitive rebuilds
  • Tool sprawl + weak reporting: Split across SCCM/Intune/third parties
  • Clunky UX → tickets; hybrid/VDI complexity: Multiple portals; off‑network/VDI edge cases

Success Criteria

  • Single cross‑platform application catalog across Windows/macOS/VDI
  • Persona restore post‑Autopilot to get users productive in ~30 minutes
  • DTAP/ringed rollouts
  • Evergreen catalog that retains customizations
  • M&A/multi‑tenant readiness
  • Better reporting and license insights

Why Application Workspace

Agent‑driven delivery, unified packaging, and context‑aware self‑service speed and standardize installs—while keeping Intune/ConfigMgr, AVD, Citrix, and Jamf in place. The team wanted faster, more reliable, identity‑ and context‑aware delivery without inheriting native limitations; the Application Workspace agent delivered that control and predictability.

Architecture Fit: Extend, not Replace

Application Workspace connects to Autopilot/Entra and bridges ConfigMgr/Intune, Microsoft Store, and VDI. It exposes a single catalog and workflow for admins and users. This allowed the team to modernize without a big‑bang swap‑out.

Note: Application Workspace can run SaaS, on‑prem, or hybrid; it supports SSO via Entra/LDAP.

POC Highlights

  • Graphical user interface (GUI) packaging vs. wrapper scripts sped up first deployments; complex pre-/postactions modeled without PowerShell
  • More predictable installs via agent (minutes, not hours, to sync), measured client‑side
  • Better UX via rich catalog, approvals, reviews; embedded where users already are
  • Smart Icons route local/web/virtual based on device/network/identity— fewer “wrong path” errors (e.g., off‑VPN)

Scale + Evergreen

They combined Application Workspace’s curated Setup Store (thousands of Windows/macOS titles) with custom packages. Automatic updates preserved enterprise customizations, eliminating repetitive rebuilds. DTAP/rings made promotion routine at scale

Outcomes & Proof

  • Reduced time‑to‑software with installs measuring in minutes instead of cloud cycles
  • Fewer “please install X” tickets as app self‑service became trusted and fast
  • Higher patch velocity + consistency via evergreen catalogs and ringed releases
  • Time back to engineering by eliminating repetitive packaging/scripts; GUI‑driven updates retained customizations

Outcomes & Proof

Shrink the image, move the logic. The team moved to an agent‑only image. Application Workspace then delivered apps and settings just‑in‑time after boot. Test once, promote everywhere (laptop, Cloud PC, VDI) without repackaging. Trigger‑based updates kept work flowing continuously and predictably without depending on maintenance windows.

How They De‑risked

  • “Why another tool?” → Side‑by‑side ROI/time‑savings proof during POC; show what the agent replaces and reduces (wrappers/portals/tickets)
  • Security/pen‑test → Engage security early; share architecture/data flows and pen‑test artifacts; support on‑prem if required
  • Agent sprawl → Demonstrate small footprint and consolidation; map overlap to existing tools
  • Transition friction → Use stubs, DTAP/rings, and embed the catalog where users already work (Software Center/Teams/portal)
This is going to be a revolution for our thick desktops and VDI.
Senior EUC engineer, global financial services enterprise

ROI

  • Packaging hours saved: common app updates shift from hours to minutes with GUI actions
  • Install predictability: agent‑driven delivery avoids long cloud sync/24‑hour retries; installations complete in minutes
  • Ticket reduction: trusted self‑service + Smart Icons cut “wrong installer/off‑VPN” errors

If you’re consolidating tools or moving to Intune/VDI, run an Application Workspace overlay pilot. Stand up Application Workspace alongside what you own, prove delivery speed, and map time saved. Available via Azure Marketplace (MACC‑eligible) for streamlined procurement.