SXiQ delivered a transformation solution, addressing key gaps and deficiencies, within a tight timeframe and budget

“The SXiQ team once again rose to the challenge of delivering a complex Cloud Transformation program of work in record time to give our organisation the foundation to effectively triple our business over the next 3 years”.

Phil Gray, CIO, Angus Knight Group

Business challenge

Angus Knight Group (AKG) is on an aggressive growth path, with organic and inorganic growth through acquisitions. However, their IT Platform was not capable of supporting and enabling the business’ expected growth in an efficient and compliant manner.

Their existing platform was in a legacy datacentre on ageing infrastructure and would require significant investment to support the business growth and to maintain ongoing Federal Government compliance standards and government data security requirements.

To achieve their business objectives, AKG was looking for a transformation partner who could:

• Remediate their Azure environment and traditional infrastructure to ensure compliance with government data security requirements;
• Migrate three recently acquired businesses into the corporate entity and re-design the organisation’s identity & security to allow these businesses to easily interact with each other; and
• Develop and implement processes to easily integrate any future acquired businesses into the existing IT landscape.

 Why SXiQ:

SXiQ was selected based on our:

• proven M&A IT integration expertise;
• technical leadership in providing a detailed and practical strategy on how applications, data and users would be migrated within the tight timeframes;
• deep experience across DC, Cloud, Edge environments in complex projects; and
• deep focus on Modernisation and Automation (not just lift/shift).

Angus Knight Group was confident in our capabilities, expertise and delivery standards based on a proven track record of equally complex, time-pressured projects.

 Solution

SXiQ delivered a transformation solution, addressing key gaps and deficiencies, within a tight timeframe and budget. The project included:

• Transforming the business to a cloud first Azure environment.
• Implementation of a Microsoft CAF-aligned landing-zone
• Migration of all mission-critical applications, databases and associated data from legacy DC into Azure
• Re-architect and Remediation of Azure AD, with enabling improved identity management
• Implementation of cost-optimisation tooling and practices to drive improved cloud efficiency
• M365 Merger Design and consolidation of multiple tenancies, including multiple SharePoint sites, Teams sites, and O365 group sites
• Re-alignment to Azure best practice and performance and cost optimisation processes.
• Delivery of a security posture uplift and monitoring solution to support the organisation’s mandatory compliance requirement. This included implementation of modernised security policies, the design of a secure hub and spoke virtual network, installation of virtual firewall devices and activities to support their operational exit from a redundant datacentre

 Business outcomes

SXiQ ensured AKG’s infrastructure environment is now best practice and aligned to Microsoft Architecture Framework, highly scalable, and delivering a significantly improved security posture for the business. It will enable the business to grow far more simply, and to integrate acquired businesses into their landscape with greater ease.

The transformation project has created a scalable technology foundation to support the expected growth of the business into the future. Additionally, the implementation of cost optimisation has seen substantial operational cost savings realised through the application of right sizing, and right timing of Azure workloads in the environment.

Business outcomes:

• $100,000 p.a. cost saving related to user licensing and Azure cost optimisation.
• Simplified Backup and Disaster Recovery
• Simplified Security Monitoring
• Simplified Compliance Management
• The O365 migration project migrated 200+ mailboxes and OneDrive
• Migrated 100+ SharePoint sites, Microsoft Teams sites, O365 Group sites and classic sites.

 Key success metrics

The Azure and security remediation project delivered:

• Design and implementation of secure hub and spoke virtual network
• Deployment of virtual firewalls
• Migration of many Azure workloads to new VNET
• Disk encryption applied to all servers
• Remediation of various security related issues and application of supporting policies
• Decommissioning of eligible existing infrastructure in redundant datacentre
• Creation of hardened server templates for server 2016 and 2019

 Client testimonial

“The SXiQ Team once again rose to the challenge of delivering a complex Cloud Transformation program of work in record time to give us the foundation to effectively triple their business over the next 3 years” Phil Gray, CIO, Angus Knight Group