Azure Governance & Security Foundations for Financial Services
Redesigning Azure governance architecture to support safe cloud growth. Management group structures, policy frameworks, and security controls were codified using Terraform to improve audit readiness and reduce manual intervention.
Financial Services
~3,000 employees
Azure Governance & Platform Architecture Partner
The Challenge
A global financial services organisation experienced rapid Azure expansion without established governance structures. The organisation faced inconsistent management groups, varying policy enforcement across environments, and uncodified security controls. As cloud adoption accelerated, operational risk and configuration drift became pressing concerns.
The organisation needed a structured governance model aligned to Microsoft best practice, one that could support secure growth without slowing delivery.
The Approach
RCS performed a governance maturity assessment and redesigned the platform control structure comprehensively. The engagement emphasised establishing clear hierarchy, enforceable policy frameworks, and repeatable deployment standards.
Key elements included:
- Design and implementation of a structured Azure Management Group hierarchy
- Codified Azure Policy definitions aligned to regulatory and security requirements
- Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform for policy and platform deployment
- Standardised RBAC models aligned to least-privilege principles
- Automated compliance validation and configuration monitoring
The Outcome
The organisation established a formalised governance foundation capable of supporting secure cloud growth with:
- Consistent policy enforcement across environments
- Reduced configuration drift through codified controls
- Improved audit readiness and compliance visibility
- Clear separation of duties through structured RBAC models
- Stronger alignment to Microsoft security benchmarks
Measurable Results
Structured management hierarchy implemented across Azure estate
Policy framework codified through Infrastructure-as-Code
Reduced manual security intervention
Improved governance transparency at executive level
