Cloud should give you control, not more complexity.
For a leading Sydney-based digital agency with a reputation for long-term client partnerships and standout creative delivery, agility and reliability are non-negotiable. Their platform supports a dynamic mix of content, data, and customer interactions – demanding fast performance and complete control over how infrastructure is managed and scaled.
Despite being a team of fewer than 50, the agency supports a diverse portfolio of clients across sectors – from fast-moving consumer brands to high-profile digital campaigns – making reliability, speed and control critical to their success.
The agency’s internal team had been managing a CentOS-based environment and open-source databases hosted in a virtualised cloud solution. But as usage grew, the platform had become harder to maintain. Security updates were infrequent, and the team was stretched managing infrastructure instead of focusing on innovation.
“They wanted to reduce complexity, improve their security posture and ultimately spend more time building value for their customers,” says Daniel Su, cloud solutions engineer at Macquarie Cloud Services. “Azure gave them the flexibility to do all of that – but they needed the right structure and support to make the move.”
Building a future-ready platform.
The customer’s environment included a mix of Linux virtual machines and open-source databases powering core services.
Macquarie Cloud Services worked with the internal team to migrate those workloads to Azure using a rehost model. This
helped to minimise change while opening the door to greater control and automation.
“The team had the technical skills – they just needed a platform that worked with them, not against them,” says Daniel. “We focused on delivering a clean, secure foundation they could manage with confidence.”
The new environment included key Azure-native features to simplify operations. Certificates are now managed centrally and security updates are applied more regularly. And with Azure Front Door supporting global delivery and routing, the team has more headroom to focus on the business logic that matters most.
The Technical Solution.
Rehost migration of Linux workloads, including CentOS virtual machines and open-source databases, into Azure.
Creation of a secure Azure landing zone tailored to the customer’s internal governance and automation preferences.
Integration with Azure Front Door to support secure delivery, global routing and central certificate management.
Ongoing support and guidance through Macquarie Cloud Services’ Azure Managed Services, including performance monitoring, patching and roadmap planning .
Results: A strategic platform with room to grow.
The migration has given the agency a more streamlined, resilient platform that feels like an extension of how their team already works. With Azure-native services in place, they’ve been able to release updates more often, respond faster to changes,and stay on top of security without the usual overhead.
“They’ve got the right foundation to keep moving quickly and confidently,” says Daniel. “It’s a platform that supports what they’re doing now, with room to grow.”
This environment now underpins a specific part of the agency’s offering: delivering digital services for clients with tighter timelines and budgets. It’s built to be efficient and repeatable, helping the team scale delivery without scaling complexity.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s taken pressure off the internal team, freeing them up to focus on the work that delivers the most value for their clients.
“That’s the real win,” says Daniel. “They’re not buried in maintenance – they’re driving outcomes for their clients.”
Looking to the future.
With this environment now proven in production, the agency is exploring opportunities to bring additional workloads into Azure – extending the same operational efficiency and platform consistency across more of their business.
As client needs change, so too will the platform behind the scenes. With Macquarie Cloud Services alongside them, the agency is well positioned to keep scaling smart, without adding complexity.