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Interactive brings Azure and Sentinel to IPD Group

Interactive deployed a single platform of public and private cloud, alongside cyber security, with a fully managed service.

Interactive has overhauled IPD Group’s legacy infrastructure to deploy new public and private clouds underpinned by Microsoft Azure. 

The Australian IT service provider was tapped to supply a single platform of public and private cloud, alongside cyber security, with a fully managed service for the publicly listed electrical product distributor. 

Having grown its headcount from 120 to 450 through acquisitions, IPD’s aging hardware systems were becoming over-burdened as they neared end-of-life and were plagued by time-consuming manual processes. 

“Our IT team was completely reactive and constantly putting out fires,” said Ben Allwood, chief information officer at IPD. “Not exactly ideal for a company who is trying to grow.” 

Interactive subsequently won a tender to provide a managed Azure and cyber security solution using Sentinel, with IPG Group requiring numerous areas of its IT infrastructure to be overhauled. 

IPD originally sought support for an on-premises solution. However, after Interactive reviewed IPD’s environment and highlighted security risks, the IT services provider suggested a cloud-based solution instead. 

In addition, Interactive is also providing 24/7 support from its Cyber Security Operations Centre, backed with Sentinel, while its public cloud team supports IPD’s Azure workloads. 

“Interactive’s approach to the risk assessment gave me a really simple two-page summary document in terms that the top-level executives could understand – basically breaking down cyber and business continuity problems and highlighting the way they’re associated with IT infrastructure. That document allowed me to sit down with our board and get buy in,” said Allwood.

Interactive recently pivoted APT Travel Group (ATG) from its legacy infrastructure onto Microsoft Azure's cloud platform, which was previously announced in May.

APT engaged Interactive to perform a full digital transformation process, looking at cloud migration, architecture and security.