Project Overview
Secure cloud collaboration underpinned ETS’s (Expert Training Systems’) move from an ageing on-premises setup to Microsoft 365 with Transparity, migrating email and files and aligning the work with our Modern Workplace and Microsoft 365 consulting services.
The solution combined EMS E5 capabilities—Azure Information Protection, Cloud App Security, Endpoint Manager and Conditional Access—supported by Identity & Access Management, resulting in a faster, more secure and flexible environment for responsible, compliant handling of client data and remote access.
The Challenge
Providing such a sophisticated and comprehensive service offering requires an IT infrastructure that can meet the needs of its team and the demands of its clients. Occupying such a prominent position of trust means acting responsibly with client data, and although the existing system had served the organisation well, it was now out of date and lacked the versatility of modern solutions.
Due to the nature of their business, secure and compliant data handling was essential and improving reliability, flexibility and security across the organisation would be of significant benefit to the business. Addressing reliability and security would not only have the benefit of safeguarding client data but also provide the business with the means to make tasks more efficient.
ETS decided it was the perfect time to make improvements to their IT infrastructure, as well as better understand how data was being used throughout their organisation, notably where the use of mobile devices was involved. A growing security concern for businesses, few had any visibility of how the technology interacts with their network, and ETS wanted to ensure that they had comprehensive protections in place across all their endpoints, including mobile devices. However, it was important that their teams had the ability to become agile and access information from anywhere.
The Solution
After consulting with the team at ETS, Transparity proposed a migration of their email and file services across to Office 365, as well as an implementation of the complete range of Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) E5 platform. This would allow the business to completely decommission most of their on-premises architecture, and ETS would immediately benefit from improved functionality and security.
One of the key solutions implemented was Azure Information Protection, which automatically encrypts documents rather than relying on a manual process. This significantly boosts data security and eliminates human error from file protection procedures. Additionally, Microsoft’s Cloud App Security allows administrators to have visibility and control of cloud apps in use on the network, which prevents anyone from inside or outside the organisation from using apps without authorisation. This was enhanced by the deployment of Endpoint Manager to provide further control over devices and enhance security. For additional security, Transparity also enabled advanced Azure Active Directory features, such as Cloud Authentication to manage its users’ sign-ins with Conditional Access implemented to prevent unauthorised logins.
The Outcome
The end result was a faster, more secure and flexible IT solution for ETS that allowed the business to operate more efficiently and effectively. Moving systems to the Cloud meant that ETS is now able to provide its users with access to apps and documents on the go without putting the organisation’s network security at risk. This improved security and flexibility also allowed ETS the means to handle client data in a responsible and compliant way.
