New York Life opts for Windows 365 to support AI-powered digital experience

With 180 years of resilience behind it, New York Life Insurance Company understands that staying competitive means continuously evolving. As workforces become more distributed and digital experiences more critical, the Fortune 100 mutual life insurer needed a modern desktop strategy that could scale and adapt. With a nationwide hybrid workforce and a portfolio spanning the company’s Foundational and Strategic Businesses, New York Life faced a critical turning point as it sought to reimagine its on-premises Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). The company was also seeking more flexibility in how and where work gets done, while keeping systems secure and scalable. New York Life needed a desktop solution that could support its diverse personas—including employees, the company’s field force of 12,000 agents and advisors, consultants, managed service providers, and global affiliates—without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Tailoring Cloud PCs to every persona

To replace its existing VDI and simplify IT delivery at scale, New York Life turned to a cloud-first solution that avoided the complexity of traditional virtualization. The company selected Windows 365 to deliver Cloud PCs consistently and securely for more than 7,000 users, including knowledge workers, contractors, and call center agents. This approach also supports secure and fast access for third-party collaborators by limiting data exposure and delivering virtual endpoints quickly. Manoj Doshi, Head of End User Compute at New York Life, and his team adopted a persona-driven model, tailoring desktop configurations to match each role's unique security, performance, and application needs. “With Windows 365, the biggest impact was how little training we needed,” he notes. “Most people moved from physical devices without missing a step. The experience was seamless.”

To support this flexible desktop strategy, New York Life relies on Microsoft Intune to manage both physical and cloud-based devices. “Intune is the core of everything we do,” says Doshi. “From an administration perspective, we don’t have to have multiple teams. It’s a single team managing that.” The centralized management model simplifies provisioning and strengthens security across every user type.

Security was a top concern throughout the implementation. “Windows 365 met the criteria for providing secure, seamless access and allowed us to become more proactive rather than reactive,” says Reshma Budhwani, Chief Technology Security Officer at New York Life. Because the company operates in a highly regulated industry, protecting sensitive customer data and meeting strict access controls were non-negotiable. Windows 365 helped enforce those standards through consistent, company-wide policies. “It helped us implement strong conditional access policies and endpoint protection consistently, no matter where our people are working,” Budhwani adds. This reduced the risk of data loss or unauthorized access across remote and third-party endpoints. New York Life balances strong security with high performance, so the business can move quickly without compromise.

Accelerating value with a leaner IT footprint

The rollout reduced provisioning from weeks to minutes and improved day-one readiness across 7,000 users. With deployment complete, New York Life reports measurable gains in efficiency, responsiveness, and business continuity. “We’ve cut provisioning time dramatically,” says Hemal Patel, CIO of Strategic Businesses. “What used to take weeks now takes minutes. That kind of speed really matters during high-volume periods like open enrollment and onboarding.” The rollout took about four months, making day-one productivity a reality. The experience is consistent worldwide, whether employees work in the US, Asia-Pacific, or anywhere else.

With Windows 365 and Intune, a smaller IT team can handle more endpoints without compromising security or compliance. “We’re managing more with fewer resources because the Windows 365 environment is consistent and secure by design,” says Patel. Built-in security features support compliance and helped the team phase out legacy systems. High availability and disaster recovery keep employees connected, while a consistent Windows experience across devices minimizes disruption and maintains productivity.

“With Windows 365, colleagues start their first day with a fully ready and optimized endpoint,” says Kevin Glynn, Chief Technology Officer at New York Life. “That kind of consistency and care in the digital experience reflects how we operate as a company. Being able to deliver that through the Microsoft ecosystem is a big part of what gives us a competitive advantage.”

Deepening its investment in modern work, New York Life recently completed a Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout to 13,000 employees. “Copilot is helping people get out of blank-page mode,” Glynn says. “It’s changing how people start their workday and how they think about tackling tasks.” Patel sees Copilot as part of a broader Microsoft toolkit that includes Microsoft Teams. “These tools are helping us build a digitally fluent, AI-ready workforce,” he says. “That foundation sets us up to stay competitive.”

With Copilot’s productivity gains on the horizon and a secure, scalable desktop infrastructure already in place, New York Life is positioning itself not just to keep pace with change, but to lead it. Grounded in legacy and fueled by innovation, the company’s dedication to its people and mission creates an environment where careers can thrive long term. “Windows 365 has given us the modern desktop foundation we need to build for the future,” concludes Patel.

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