Azure monitoring with Cloud Competence Center

At Berenschot, the cloud environment grew rapidly. At the same time, it became increasingly difficult to properly reduce costs in Azure and the secure score did not provide a realistic picture of the risks. To gain more control and to sustainably secure knowledge about Azure within the organization, Berenschot hired Bizure as a partner for modern service management and the setup of a cloud competence center.

Challenge & result

1. More ownership in the development process

The management of the IT environment was organized in a fragmented way. That's why “playgrounds” were set up: safe development environments where teams can work independently on their data products using DevOps methods. At the same time, the “You build it, you run it” principle was introduced, where teams themselves are responsible for developing and managing their applications and environments. This increases ownership and quality.

2. Insight into Azure usage and costs

There was too little insight into the actual consumption in Azure. By setting up monitoring and alerting smartly, it became clear where costs arise, which applications had to be set up in a scalable way and how consumption is developing. This transparency makes it possible not only to control costs, but also to tax them in a targeted manner to the right departments.

3. A stable and secure platform as a foundation

In order to sustainably strengthen software development, there was a need for a stable, secure basis and better organized service management. That is why we focused on modern service management, with clear processes and responsibilities regarding incidents, changes and security. The secure score — an important measure of cloud security — was actively monitored and increased. This is how a platform was created that is not only safe and scalable, but also easy to manage.

Value unlocked

1. Secure score of 60%, with a clear route to 86%
2. Insight into Azure costs, broken down by department and solution
3. Cost efficiency. Paying for what's really necessary
4. XLA score 6.5/7, with concrete improvement actions and visible results
5. Increasing knowledge internally. More grip and less dependency

The approach

Azure Health & Security scan:

The collaboration started with a thorough analysis of the Azure environment. This showed that the existing secure score, an impressive one hundred percent, did not fully reflect reality. Together, we determined what the current score was, in order to be able to make improvements in a targeted manner and step by step.

Concrete improvement plan:

Based on the analysis, our Trusted Advisor drew up a concrete improvement plan. After that, the Bizure team started proactive monitoring on five key issues: security, costs, quality, resilience and no hassle.

Insight into cost structure:

Together, we have made the cost structure clear. Who uses what, and where can it be smarter? Berenschot now only pays for what is really necessary. With tailored advice on cost optimization and smart architecture choices, the environment is not only more efficient, but also future-proof. Prevent the so-called “Azure bill shock” by early signaling using cost anomaly alerts. These reports quickly reveal abnormal consumption behavior. In combination with budget monitoring and anomaly detection, a FinOps approach has been set up for Azure. As a result, the costs are not only manageable, but also more predictable and transparent for everyone involved.

Assurance of Azure knowledge:

In the meantime, we worked to strengthen the internal knowledge. The IT manager was introduced to Microsoft Customer Communities for Azure and Copilot, among others, as an additional source of inspiration and insight.

The 'No-Hassle' card

In the beginning, Berenschot was concerned about vendor lock-in. That's why we used the No Hassle-card at Bizure. If the collaboration does not deliver what you expect, we will make an improvement plan together. Can't you see a difference after two months? Then you can stop the collaboration immediately, without consequences. We have now been working with Berenschot for over a year and we know how to find each other for more and more projects. Together, we look ahead with confidence.

Next steps

The collaboration continues. Step by step, we are working towards an even stronger, safer and smarter cloud platform. Reports have now been customized and knowledge is actively secured within the team. The XLA score is also rising, partly thanks to the continuous feedback loop. In addition, we will continue to work together on cost control and predictability. The FinOps approach evolves with the organization, with increasingly sophisticated insights into consumption, budget and forecasting. This way, Berenschot keeps a grip on costs, without surprises afterwards.

Practical insight and strategic advice in one package

We combined our modern service management services with our Trusted Advisory Service to provide Berenschot with a “cloud competence center”.

In addition, Berenschot switched to Bizure as a CSP partner for Azure consumption and Microsoft licenses. With a smart bonus: 1% of the monthly consumption goes directly to the Berenschot Innovation Fund. A game that Berenschot can use for innovative projects at Bizure or TeamValue. This automatically creates room for improvement and innovation, without sacrificing the existing IT budget.

1. 5x9 Azure monitoring + XLA
2. Trusted Advisory Service
3. CSP + 1% innovation budget