Genpact Migrates to Amazon Workspaces to Power Remote Workers with Secure Access and Flexibility

Genpact believes the cloud is a cornerstone of digital transformation. The global professional services firm has implemented more than 500 cloud-based, data-driven solutions on behalf of its approximately 800 clients across the globe. Genpact is also on its own transformation journey to Amazon Web Services (AWS), with about 85 percent of workloads and applications migrated to AWS as of early 2023. 

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a key component of Genpact’s business operations as well as its service offering to clients. Previously, the company was running its virtual machines using a mix of VDI software deployed on premises and in the cloud. However, as Genpact expanded its operations, particularly in Europe and the US, the number of users requiring secure VDI access grew, leading to increased VDI costs. Due to licensing commitments imposed by its former VDI vendors and inefficiency caused by idle capacity, Genpact sought a consolidated, cloud-based VDI solution with technical support for fast implementation.

In 2021, Genpact began transitioning from its hybrid VDI infrastructure to Amazon WorkSpaces and Amazon AppStream. Most of the company’s data already resided on AWS, which made it easy to manage and secure VDI data from the AWS console. “We found that other VDI solutions weren’t as mature as AWS,” explains Gaurav Demiwal, global engineering lead at Genpact. “AWS offered the perfect combination of technical maturity and transparent costing, and we’re happy with the proactive support we’ve been receiving.”

Genpact relies on AWS Professional Services to accelerate new project deployment and subscribes to AWS Enterprise Support to provide proactive assistance. AWS Enterprise Support optimizes infrastructure and cost, and provides regular updates and technical trainings, such as immersion days and workshops, to improve Genpact’s ability to manage Amazon WorkSpaces and Amazon AppStream.

As of early 2023, the company has implemented Amazon WorkSpaces for 6,000 users, and it aims to increase the number of users to 8,000 by Q3 2023. The ability to securely access data stored on AWS rather than vulnerable endpoint devices is vital for Genpact, as its employees often work from clients’ offices or from home.

The ease of provisioning virtual desktops was a major advantage during the early phases of implementation, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Genpact’s clients often request a desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) infrastructure with dedicated Amazon WorkSpaces for their own teams. Gaurav estimates that VDI onboarding is about 50 percent faster with Amazon WorkSpaces compared to an on-premises or hybrid approach, in which technicians had to physically visit the data center. “Once we’ve created the desktop image on AWS, we can have 30 virtual machines ready for onboarding within 30 minutes,” he says. 

With Amazon AppStream, Genpact has simplified application delivery and virtual desktops. Clients and internal users can access isolated applications like email servers within their virtual private network, without costly licenses or dedicated virtual machines. Furthermore, users can securely access their software applications from anywhere using their preferred browser. The platform supports a variety of operating systems and hardware, ensuring universal application access and eliminating the need for Genpact to manage Windows patching or updates.