MDA Training
- <100
- Microsoft 365
- Professional Services
MDA Training have been a leading provider of tailored training services to a myriad of individuals and industries for over 30 years, offering the design and delivery of in-person, virtual and hybrid learning solutions. The company specialises in helping graduates, employees and leaders in a variety of industries, including banking, asset management, insurance, professional services and manufacturing. Since their launch in 1988 the team at MDA Training have been continuously expanding, with 7 locations within five countries to date.
The challenge
MDA Training approached Transparity as they were looking for solutions in supporting a scalable and mobile workforce. Having worked with Transparity previously and following a recommendation from Microsoft, MDA Training knew that engaging with Transparity as their dedicated IT Partner would be their best option.
The project would involve a migration from the traditional Windows Server-based file shares into SharePoint Online. Upon completion, this would remove one of the final dependents of Windows Server AD and offered an opportunity to remove traditional Active Directory and any further Azure service infrastructure. This would then allow the company the chance to move to a modern device management solution perfectly designed to support a remote workforce.
MDA Training approached the Microsoft Gold Partner to review and remove any remaining Azure resources by migrating all devices to Azure Active Directory; a multi-tenant, Cloud-based identity and access management service.
The solution
Transparity recommended two solutions within the Microsoft 365 platform that would remove the need for Azure hosted infrastructure, and thus reduce costs for the business; Azure AD and Microsoft Endpoint Manager. Azure AD was an ideal solution to improve security and accessibility for users, enabling the organisation to work as effectively and cohesively as possible. Endpoint Manager is perfectly designed to help with scalability – especially when considering a remote workforce – and implementing it enabled MDA Training to have new devices set up and existing ones flexibly managed without having to manually add user information or applications to each.
Additionally, the use of Microsoft Endpoint Manager would allow the organisation to improve data security now that their staff found themselves working from home. Microsoft Endpoint Manager helps ensure that any device enrolled and accessing MDA Training data adheres to the security requirements set out by the organisation. This allowed the company to have a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy, which allowed staff to use their own supported devices whilst keeping company files and data secure.
The outcome
By enrolling all devices to Azure AD and Endpoint Manager, MDA Training now have assurance that their data is kept secure without stifling their users’ productivity. Additionally, having the ability to centrally view the health of devices and ensure that all devices are compliant with the organisations security policies has been of great benefit to the organisation whilst working remotely. They now have a solution aligned to their growth plans, and that can easily setup devices automatically without the need for MDA Training staff to manage this aspect.
Finally, removing the hosted domain in Azure and subsequently decommissioning the Azure infrastructure has reduced recurring costs for the business, resulting in an efficient and streamlined foundation on which MDA Training can continue to grow.
“MDA Training have partnered with Transparity for a few years now. They have provided a great level of day-to-day support for our users. On the bigger migration projects we have undertaken with them – the latest being migration to Azure AD and Endpoint Management – the teams involved were first rate. From the Project Manager to the Engineer and the ongoing Account Management, they gave us complete confidence throughout.”
David Shuttleworth, Director at MDA Training