Sir Blog-a-lot | Cloud Security

Maximising security in the Microsoft cloud.

Written by Laura | 26 September 2023

Why we take a different approach to IT support.

The Managed Service Provider model is well established, widely used and undoubtedly provides organisations with invaluable ongoing IT support, managing their entire infrastructure – typically for a fixed monthly cost.

 
We’re not here to knock that tried and trusted model, just take it a step further.

The minefield of Microsoft Cloud security

Securing any Microsoft Cloud environment should be at the top of the to-do list for any business, but we find from our experience with our clients that it’s not always possible to prioritise security – even though it keeps them up at night.

Often this is because their in-house team and external support simply don’t have the expertise, capacity, or inclination. Business as usual and firefighting suck up their time and are blockers to focusing on security. Which after all, is a highly specialist field, and a minefield at that.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. When we engage with a client, we frequently find that fundamental security protocols are not in place; such as having transparency of their current security posture, checking and improving their Microsoft Secure Score, a roadmap for improvement and having a disaster recovery plan, should the worst happen.

 

And when you consider the cost of a breach or ransomware attack, that keeps us up at night, too.

We’re not precious, but the service we provide is.

Azured is a Microsoft Security Consultancy, specialising in Microsoft 365 and Azure (the clue is in the name...). By sticking to what we do best, and only that, we’ve developed a business model that is flexible, adds value and dovetails seamlessly with our clients’ in-house team and outsource partners. 

It’s not our ambition to compete with incumbent MSPs or internal IT teams. They’re already doing a great job. Instead, we welcome the opportunity to work alongside them as an extension of your team, developing long-term, trusted partnerships. 

This allows you to take care of business as usual, and us to focus on what we’re good at (which is Microsoft Cloud security, just in case you missed that). It keeps us agile, client-focused and unencumbered by distractions and the inevitable frustrations of dealing with issues outside of your area of expertise.

Our clients, who come from a wildly varying range of sectors and business sizes, have told us these are the areas where we add specific value:

 

  When issues need to be escalated because their internal team or MSP are unable to resolve them quickly.
  Providing advice and guidance on their IT security and strategy.
  Up-skilling their internal team.
  Allowing their IT service company to focus on keeping the business running while utilising a security expert to ensure their environment is secure.
  Our understanding of industry best practise in security and leaning on decades of cloud security experience.