District Council Azure and Virtual Desktop Adoption

The Power of Modernisation: How INTEGY set a district council on the path of Cloud Adoption

In an ever-evolving technological landscape, keeping up with the latest advancements is crucial for any organisation. This couldn’t be more accurate for a forward thinking District Council in Devon, who sought to harness the capabilities of Microsoft Azure. As they ventured into this journey, they teamed up with INTEGY, a UK based Microsoft partner specialising in IT modernisation. The partnership embarked on an ambitious project to rapidly implement an Azure Landing Zone in parallel with a Azure Virtual Desktop, aimed at ushering the council into a new era of operational excellence.


The Mission


Choosing the right technology and the perfect partner for its implementation can be a daunting task. Recognising the endless possibilities that Microsoft Azure brings, the Council made a conscious choice to adopt this leading cloud platform. The mission was clear: To pilot a transition from the existing on-premises VMware Horizon platform to Azure Virtual Desktop, ushering in a slew of benefits.


Partnering with INTEGY was a strategic move. As a trusted Microsoft partner with the coveted Azure Virtual Desktop specialisation, INTEGY possesses a rich history of spearheading IT modernisation projects with precision. The council’s vision was not just about a cloud transition; they wanted to explore the potential of Azure Virtual Desktop as a formidable replacement to their existing virtual desktop infrastructure. Such a move promised vast cost-saving benefits, significant carbon footprint reductions, improved resiliency, and unmatched flexibility.



The Outcome


The Landing Zone


Every great journey starts with a solid foundation. To establish the council's cloud foundation, INTEGY collaborated closely with the internal IT team, putting in place a multi-subscription Azure Landing Zone. But what exactly is an Azure Landing Zone?


In essence, a Landing Zone is a set of guidelines, best practices, and resources that assist organisations in setting up an environment for the deployment of services and workloads in Azure (Microsoft's public cloud). It's like laying the groundwork for constructing a building. INTEGY took this blueprint and fine-tuned it, accommodating bespoke customer requirements. They meticulously provisioned site-to-cloud connectivity, routing, recovery services, and update management services. Moreover, essential configurations, including firewall rules, were provided as 'configuration as code,' enabling the internal team to adopt and maintain a modern way of working, seamlessly.


The Pilot


With the Landing Zone in place, the next phase was the deployment of the Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environment. Sticking true to their ethos of delivering perfection, INTEGY ensured this deployment aligned with Microsoft's best practices. But the journey didn’t end there. The environment was custom-tailored to integrate key applications and establish a robust integration with on-premises systems via the newly set up Landing Zone.


INTEGY's commitment to excellence was evident throughout the pilot phase. They actively supported the council, addressing troubleshooting issues, responding to queries, and ensuring the system was up and running flawlessly. Furthermore, INTEGY played a pivotal role in empowering the council's internal team, upskilling them to ensure a smooth and self-sufficient operational future.


In conclusion, the partnership between the council and INTEGY stands as an exemplar example of rapid cloud adoption. Through strategic planning, implementation, and continuous support, the council is now well-equipped to harness the full potential of Microsoft Azure, setting a benchmark for other organisations to follow.


Call us today on 01392 796525 or Email us at ask@integy.co.uk

December 16, 2024
At INTEGY, we’re passionate about enabling organisations to embrace the future of work, especially when innovation and agility are at the heart of their mission. Recently, we had the privilege of supporting a client whose business serves as a launchpad for startups, providing the technology and equipment needed to kickstart their journey.  The Challenge: Outdated IT for a Growing Organisation Our client’s IT infrastructure was a traditional setup, with user accounts and devices tightly bound to Active Directory. This configuration required devices to maintain network connectivity to on-premises servers, creating operational limitations. With the facility expanding to three separate locations, this approach no longer supported their need for flexibility, scalability, and efficiency. Startups thrive on speed and adaptability, and their IT systems needed to reflect those principles. The reliance on traditional IT was slowing them down, creating unnecessary overhead, and limiting their ability to provide the seamless experience their customers expected. The Solution: A Cloud-Native Transformation We transformed their IT environment into a modern, cloud-native setup: Entra ID for Identity Management Every device is now joined to Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), shifting identity management to the cloud. This eliminates the need for on-premises servers, offering secure access from anywhere. Intune for Device Management Devices are now managed through Microsoft Intune, enabling streamlined policy enforcement, application deployment, and security updates, all delivered from the cloud. Enhanced Security with Zero Trust Principles We implemented a Zero Trust security model, ensuring that devices and users are authenticated and compliant before accessing resources. Defender for Endpoint provides enhanced threat protection and visibility across their environment. Simplified User Experience By decoupling devices from on-premises dependencies, we empowered their users to work from any location with a secure, seamless experience. Scalability and Agility With their new cloud-native IT framework, our client is no longer constrained by physical infrastructure. They can now scale operations effortlessly as they open new locations and onboard new startups. The Results: Flexibility, Efficiency, and Growth The move to a cloud-native configuration has been a game-changer for our client. They’ve gained: Operational Efficiency : IT management is simpler and faster, reducing administrative overhead. Improved User Experience : Users now enjoy consistent and reliable access to systems, regardless of location. Scalability : Expansion to new sites no longer requires complex IT overhauls. Security : Advanced cloud security tools ensure their data and devices remain protected. By embracing modern IT, our client is better positioned to serve their customers and focus on what matters most: empowering innovation for startups. Helping You Move Forward If your organisation is grappling with the limitations of traditional IT and looking to make the leap to a cloud-native future, we’re here to help. Let’s transform your IT and unlock your potential.
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