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Case study
Life sciences case study

Global life sciences company saves $12M with IT rebuild

Cognizant engineered a secure, scalable IT environment for a global life sciences leader—overcoming legacy gaps, tight timelines and global complexity to deliver $12M in savings and enable rapid growth.

At a glance

Industry
Life sciences

Location
Global

Challenge
Build a secure, scalable IT estate from scratch—across 90 countries and 19,000 employees—without access to legacy systems or documentation.

Success Highlights

  • Global IT estate built across 90 countries in 12 months
  • $12M in operational savings
  • 100% SLA and infrastructure availability achieved from Day 1

Product and services

  • Data Center Services
  • Cloud Support Services
  • Managed Network Services (LAN, WAN, Voice, Conferencing, Remote Access, Network Security)
  • End-User Computing Services
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Support Service
  • Service Desk Services
  • Field Support Services
  • Collaboration Services
  • ServiceNow Support
  • Tools Support
  • Cross-Functional Services
  • Hardware and Software Asset Management Services
  • Application Support & Maintenance

The challenge

In June 2023, a leading life sciences company announced its spin-off from its parent organization, requiring full operational independence by December 2024. The task was to build a modern IT estate from scratch—across 90 countries and 19,000 employees—with no access to legacy systems or documentation.

The opportunities this transition presented to our client were significant, but so were the risks. Delays in provisioning, data center interconnects and infrastructure setup would lead to contractual penalties and business disruption. The company turned to Cognizant to lead this transformation, building on a trusted partnership and our proven ability to deliver complex change at scale.

Our approach

Cognizant engineered a full-scale IT transformation for the client—designing, building and deploying a secure and scalable digital foundation from the ground up. With no access to legacy systems and a tight 12-month timeline, we led the end-to-end setup of the client’s IT organization, enabling operational independence and future-ready capabilities across 90 countries.

From the start, we recognized the scale and complexity of the engagement. Delays in provisioning key infrastructure, outdated systems, limited documentation and tight executive timelines demanded a focused and adaptive approach.

To meet these challenges, Cognizant mobilized a global delivery team and executed a 12-month roadmap across 12 interdependent workstreams. We began with a rapid discovery and assessment phase to identify infrastructure gaps, application dependencies and business-critical priorities. Our team collaborated closely with client leadership to define a hybrid-cloud strategy, establish governance frameworks and align on change management protocols.

We didn’t just build the new IT estate—we enabled the client to run it. Cognizant provisioned and modernized infrastructure, migrated 400+ applications across 41 global sites and implemented enterprise tools like Zscaler and Intune while training internal teams to manage and scale the environment post-cutover. Our approach balanced speed with precision, ensuring zero disruption and full compliance from day one.

A man and woman looking at board with sticky notes

Business outcomes

Cognizant enabled full IT independence in just 12 months—delivering $12M in operational savings, 1.2x sales growth and a scalable digital foundation. The transformation improved performance, reduced costs and positioned the client for global expansion and long-term innovation.

  • $12M in operational savings: Achieved through on-time TSA exit, infrastructure consolidation and license rationalization.
  • 1.2x sales growth within six months: Enabled by improved application performance and faster go-to-market capabilities.
  • 100% SLA and infrastructure availability from day one: Delivered through a resilient hybrid-cloud foundation and proactive managed services.
  • 90% gen AI-enabled workforce: Empowered by automation and digital workplace tools, accelerating productivity and innovation.
a man and women sitting on a sofa with a laptop

Cognizant’s strategic partnership enabled full IT independence in just 12 months—overcoming foundational gaps and delivering measurable business value. The transformation laid the groundwork for innovation, agility and global expansion, with future phases already underway.

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