Managing the allocation of government funding requires reliable systems and clear visibility over how funds move across an organisation. For one New Zealand government agency, the development of a new in-house application provided an opportunity to improve how this information was managed, while also considering the cloud infrastructure needed to support it.

The agency recognised it needed infrastructure to securely host the application, connect with systems across its existing on-premises and AWS environments, and establish the standards needed to support their technology agility.

The project therefore became an opportunity to establish a secure, well-architected Azure capability that could support the immediate application while giving the agency a consistent approach for future services and workloads.

“Azure Integration Services is well-recognised for its performance strength, security and reliability especially for organisations in the public sector where these factors are non-negotiable” James Clarke, Cloud & Platform Engineering Practice Lead.

Establishing the new application provided an opportunity to put the right Azure architecture and standards in place from the outset, creating an approach that could extend beyond the immediate workload.

With deep expertise across Azure cloud architecture, networking and platform engineering, Adaptiv’s Cloud & Platform Engineering team was engaged to help define and deliver this capability. The team’s experience working across cloud environments was particularly important given the agency’s existing technology landscape spanned Azure, AWS and on-premises infrastructure.

Working closely with the agency’s technical teams, Adaptiv translated application, networking and operational requirements into an architecture aligned with Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework and adapted to the agency’s own environment.

“We recognised, very early, the need to establish standards that could remain relevant as the agency’s Azure footprint grew, which was always on the horizon,” Matthew Jones, CPE Engineer.

Adaptiv worked across the relevant teams to develop an agreed naming convention for Azure resources, considering both Microsoft’s recommended practices and the agency’s internal requirements.

This gave the agency a consistent approach that could be carried forward as additional services and workloads are introduced to Azure.

Security was a central consideration throughout the design. For a government agency working with public funding and information across multiple technology environments, maintaining appropriate control over how systems communicate and where traffic can travel was critical.

Adaptiv worked collaboratively with the agency to assess different networking options across security, operational and cost considerations. Recommendations were grounded in secure cloud practices, while remaining flexible enough to reflect the agency’s requirements and operating model.

The established architecture therefore prioritised private connectivity, with controls designed to restrict unnecessary public internet traffic and securely connect the services required by the application, while supporting additional Azure workloads over time.

Delivering the cloud capability required coordination across several technical teams and providers, with different parties responsible for the application and the infrastructure supporting it.

Adaptiv’s role covered the underlying Azure platform, database, container environment, web ingress and required connectivity. This placed the Cloud & Platform Engineering team at the centre of several technical dependencies and required close collaboration with the application’s front-end and back-end development teams.

As requirements developed, Adaptiv provided continuity across the engagement, helping coordinate technical decisions, clarify dependencies and maintain progress across the different teams involved.

“Trust became a big part of the engagement. We were able to take ownership of the technical coordination, work through decisions with the different teams and give the agency’s project managers confidence that the platform side was being taken care of.” Matthew Jones, CPE Engineer.

This flexibility allowed the team to accommodate evolving requirements while maintaining a consistent architectural direction and keeping security, maintainability and the agency’s longer-term Azure needs in view.

Successful delivery also meant ensuring the agency was equipped to operate what had been built.

Adaptiv developed comprehensive documentation covering the Azure architecture, configuration and ongoing operation, supported by dedicated training workshops with the agency’s technical team. A final capstone session provided an opportunity to work through remaining questions and consolidate the team’s understanding of the new capability.

“The goal was to leave the team empowered to manage the environment themselves. By the end of the engagement, they had the documentation, practical knowledge and confidence to operate it without relying on us.” Matthew Jones, CPE Engineer.

The agency now has a secure Azure capability supporting its new application, connectivity with its wider technology landscape, and agreed standards that can guide how Azure is used as its cloud footprint develops.

For Adaptiv, the engagement demonstrates the importance of combining technical cloud expertise when operating within complex government environments, where data sovereignty and governance requirements can introduce additional complexity across both cloud and on-premises infrastructure.

Ultimately, the project demonstrated the value of , supported by a trusted partner, delivering a solution that met the agency’s requirements.