Azure Cost Optimization and Security Hardening for a leading Media and Entertainment industry

iLink partnered with a leading SaaS provider to address escalating Azure costs and operational challenges stemming from insufficient governance and an ineffective backup strategy. Through a comprehensive Azure cost optimization and security hardening initiative, iLink identified critical inefficiencies, implemented targeted cost-saving measures, strengthened the client’s security posture, and delivered clear recommendations for governance and backup optimization.

Industry

Marketing Services

Company size

201-500 Employees

Headquarters

Missouri, United States  

Client Overview

Our client is a leading SaaS provider specializing in solutions for the media and entertainment industry, delivering mission-critical solutions to clients worldwide. Renowned for its innovative software platforms, they empower global media organizations to efficiently manage their operations, resources, and workflows.

Challenges

● Escalating Azure Costs: Unmanaged, untagged, and underutilized resources drove up cloud expenses.
● Weak Security Posture:Gaps in security left critical workloads exposed.
● Lack of Governance:Absence of centralized cost control and planning mechanisms.
● Inefficient Backup & DR:No Azure Site Recovery (ASR) for critical workloads, risking business continuity.
● Unoptimized SQL Environments:Use of Developer/Express SQL editions in production-like scenarios impacted performance and compliance.

Solution

● Comprehensive Assessment: Identified inefficiencies in cost management, security, and governance.
● Azure Cost Optimization:Deployed Azure Cost Management and Policy to implement resource tagging and governance for full cost transparency.
● Resource Rationalization: Identified and decommissioned unused resources, significantly reducing unnecessary spending.
● Enhanced Disaster Recovery: Proposed and planned Azure Site Recovery (ASR) implementation for critical applications, replacing legacy backup-based DR.
● SQL Optimization: Recommended upgrades from Developer/Express to enterprise-grade SQL editions for improved performance and compliance.
● Security Hardening: Leveraged Microsoft Defender for Cloud to strengthen client’s overall security posture.