After evaluating the market, in October 2021, Angle Finance reached out to Microsoft partner LAB3 to provide the capability and capacity uplift that it needed.
“We hadn’t done anything with them in the past, but I knew what they were capable of,” says JQ . “I picked up the phone and with a short memo of understanding they jumped straight in to help us. That’s the kind of a partnership I was looking for, and it’s taken off from there.”
Reaping the business benefits from rapid deployments
Leveraging Microsoft services such as Azure, Azure DevOps, Azure Modular Data Centre, Microsoft 365 E5 and Microsoft Sentinel, LAB3 has helped Angle Finance rapidly deploy several solutions focused on improving cloud agility, data governance and security.
These include an IRAP-assessed security information and event management solution known as LAB3 Security Insight that with automation, deploys (and then manages) Microsoft Sentinel in weeks. The solution has been integrated into the company’s hybrid infrastructure, including its on-premises and software-as-a-service systems, for end-to-end coverage.
Angle Finance has also deployed a managed security operations centre (SOC) that maintains data sovereignty and control sovereignty. This is made possible with the automated lifecycle management provided by LAB3 Security Insight.
“The SOC was the first big-ticket item that we put in, and it’s still maturing today,” says JQ. “We now get a whole lot more visibility and real analytics that helps us stay safe and secure.”
These security solutions have helped Angle Finance improve visibility, maturity, and control. It is constantly evolving but was recently acknowledged at Board level as a significant uplift and great business outcome.
The company has also automated its Azure Landing Zone with LAB3‘s CAF aligned Bedrock solution to enhance cloud scalability, data governance and security against modern threats.
“One of our business requirements was to deploy a portal for the specific [asset] vendor market that we support, and Bedrock was very effective as a solution accelerator,” says JQ. “It enabled us to build and deploy that portal in less than 3 months, which was a great outcome for our customers and a living example of our trait, that ‘if it’s good enough, get it out there’.”
In addition to supporting scale, the partnership has also played a key role in keeping costs down, according to Haviland.
“We’ve managed to maintain a relatively stable cost base over the past 18 months, despite handling a fivefold increase in business volume,” he says.
