Secure Cloud Collaboration for Government entity

A deliberately cautious move to the cloud

VDL took its first significant step two years ago, onboarding 1,000 users to Microsoft Teams within twelve months. As a government entity handling sensitive citizen and administrative data, the pace was a decision, not a limitation.

The discussions that followed were about data governance, data classification and the Microsoft 365 tenant itself: what could move to the cloud, when it could move, and how VDL would show compliance with data protection rules. Without agreement on those points, onboarding slowed.

Valid questions that no one could answer

The internal debate was not obstruction. It raised real points about cloud collaboration and data governance, including which data was strategic for VDL and therefore had to stay on premises. The problem was that nobody could answer the questions with evidence.

• No view of the tenant VDL lacked a comprehensive view of its Microsoft 365 systems, so unauthorised team creation and security incidents could pass unnoticed.
• External collaboration on hold The tenant is restricted to internal personnel with guest access disabled, which keeps a whole class of work off the platform.
• No shared evidence base IT, security and the business were arguing from positions rather than from data about the estate.

Why Rencore came out in front

VDL identified three candidate tools and scored them against a requirements matrix. It found Rencore at the European SharePoint, Office 365 and Azure Conference, at the point the internal discussion was heating up.

• One tool, not several Other options needed multiple tools to reach the same result.
• Complete coverage of the requirements Rencore met the functionality VDL had specified, from data discovery through to user lifecycle management.
• An interface the team could actually use The product was straightforward to understand and navigate.

What Rencore changed

• A view of the whole environment VDL can monitor team creation, track user activity and keep oversight of its Microsoft 365 estate.
• Automated provisioning workflows User and team creation follow VDL's own policies, which cut manual work and made new workspaces consistent.
• User lifecycle management Active and inactive users are tracked, so the tenant stays clean and access stays with the people who should have it.

Expanding collaboration on a firmer footing

With control in place, VDL can approach the migration of on-premises content to SharePoint Online with more confidence, reopen the guest access question on the strength of a real governance framework, and evidence its compliance with data protection regulation rather than assert it.

A model other public bodies can follow

VDL turned the roadblocks in its cloud programme into steps forward by addressing what sat underneath them: visibility, compliance and user management. The result is better conversations between IT, security and the business, backed by evidence from the estate itself.