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.