Cybersecurity & Compliance with Virtual Desktops

Problem:
A regional financial services firm with multiple branch offices struggled to keep its IT environment both secure and compliant. Their staff, including brokers, analysts, and administrative teams, were increasingly working remotely or on the road. The firm’s traditional desktop setup made it difficult to enforce consistent security policies, and laptops were often the weak link when it came to data protection.

On top of this, strict regulations such as GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) and PCI-DSS required the firm to demonstrate secure handling of sensitive customer financial data, encrypted communications, and detailed audit trails. They were also concerned about the rising number of ransomware attacks targeting financial institutions, and their outdated backup system left them exposed to costly downtime in the event of a breach.

Solution:
NovaCore Systems designed and deployed a NovaCore Connect Virtual Desktop Infrastructure to centralize and secure all end-user computing. Instead of relying on local desktops or laptops, brokers and staff accessed a secure, cloud-hosted virtual desktop environment with role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication, and end-to-end encryption.

To strengthen compliance, we layered advanced cybersecurity monitoring, including intrusion detection, real-time threat intelligence, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies to ensure that sensitive client information could not be transferred, copied, or leaked outside of approved channels. Automated compliance logging provided the IT and compliance teams with detailed records for audits, making regulatory reporting simpler and faster.

For resilience, we implemented a disaster recovery and backup system that continuously replicated critical data to secure cloud storage. This ensured rapid recovery in case of ransomware, accidental deletion, or hardware failure — reducing downtime risk from days to minutes.

Outcome:

  • The firm achieved full compliance with GLBA and PCI-DSS requirements, passing audits without findings.

  • Centralized desktops gave IT teams complete control, eliminating inconsistencies and improving patch management.

  • The risk of ransomware and phishing attacks was drastically reduced, thanks to multi-layered security and centralized monitoring.

  • Brokers experienced faster access to trading and analysis applications, improving productivity while traveling or working remotely.

  • With guaranteed 99.9% uptime for critical applications, client confidence grew, helping the firm build stronger relationships.