Adoption of Microsoft Azure & M365 Windows PC for Drive Charity

Drive is a charity organisation that provides innovative support to people with learning disabilities in South Wales. They have a network of 60+ remote sites and two offices with over 700 staff, where they deliver various services and activities to their clients.??

Drive wanted to improve their IT and #cybersecurity posture, as their on-site server workload was reaching its end of life, and they faced challenges with data management, software integration, and network security.?

CSG is a leading IT provider that specialises in cloud solutions, network management, and security services, and were tasked by Drive 's leadership team to help them migrate their data and line of business software to #MicrosoftAzure, a cloud platform that offers scalability, reliability, and security.??

Challenges?

Drive Ltd faced several challenges with their IT and security infrastructure, such as:?

• Their on-site server workloads were reaching their end of life and posed a risk of data loss, downtime, and security breaches?
• Concerns around disaster recovery??
• Difficulty integrating third-party software providers with unique requirements for the hosting platform?
• Network security needed review and bringing up to best practice standards?
• Ageing networking infrastructure that needed attention?

The Solution?

CSG worked closely with Drive to understand their pain points and key objectives, and proposed a comprehensive solution that addressed their IT and security needs. The solution included:?

• Decommission of the on-site server workloads and migration to Microsoft Azure, a cloud platform that offers scalability, reliability, and security. The CSG team provided a full assessment of the current environment which led to a tailored delivery of services unique to Drive’s needs and requirements?
• Modernising the #Azure technology in use to introduce more modern methods of working??
• Deployment of a new Cisco security network to provide a unified threat management solution that offers advanced security features, such as intrusion prevention, content filtering, malware protection, and VPN??
• Introduction of CSG’s proactive network monitoring and management platform to help with elevated network mapping, monitoring, alerting and troubleshooting?
• To complement the core infrastructure refresh, CSG introduced Aruba network switches to replace the legacy switches, as well as refreshing the UPS to provide power resilience and surge protection?

Results?

By adopting Microsoft Azure and M365, and partnering with CSG, Drive Ltd achieved significant benefits, such as:?

• Improved IT and security posture, with a modern and secure cloud platform that meets their data and software needs, and a robust and reliable network that supports their operations and services?
• Reduced IT costs and complexity, with a simplified and streamlined IT infrastructure that eliminates the need for on-site servers and maintenance, and a cloud-based management and monitoring system that reduces the overhead and resources required for IT administration and support?
• Enhanced user experience and productivity, with a fast and flexible cloud environment that allows users to access their data and applications from anywhere and any device, and a stable and secure network that minimises disruptions and downtime?
• Increased business agility and innovation, with a scalable and adaptable cloud platform that enables them to respond to changing needs and demands, and to leverage new technologies and opportunities?

Drive's Feedback:??

Drive is committed to upholding the highest standards in IT practices, and our partnership with CSG has been instrumental in fulfilling this requirement. We are thoroughly impressed with the level of service provided by CSG.??

Notably, CSG was a beacon of support during a critical period when our former IT provider was undergoing a takeover, resulting in suspended or limited IT resources for our projects. CSG swiftly stepped in to execute our urgent IT projects ensuring we retained our Cyber Essentials Plus certification.?

Since partnering with CSG, we have modernised outdated systems by transitioning to fully cloud hosted and have significantly enhanced our security measures across the board.?

CSG helped Drive Ltd with their IT, Digital and Cyber Security transformation, and provided them with a cloud solution that suits their specific needs and objectives. CSG also continues to support Drive with IT support and strategy, to ensure that they get the most out of their IT investment.?

If you are a charity organisation looking for IT and security solutions, get in touch with the CSG team today for a FREE IT audit to learn how we can support your charity.?