Project Description

Gloucester City Homes (GCH) is an independent housing association dedicated to providing affordable housing and supporting thriving communities. The team approached Bridgeall to explore options for Azure Managed Hosting Services, with a focus on transitioning the management and support of their existing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which was previously handled by another provider. 

I personally have found Bridgeall’s support and services very well priced and targeted towards the customer rather than personal interest. This has helped to progress GCH’s technical infrastructure in a way that is scaled and suitable for our environment. The transition across to Bridgeall was seamless and Bridgeall’s staff were there for us at every turn. We look forward to working further with Bridgeall to continue our progressive infrastructure with the experts they have on hand. – Luke Connor, IT Operations Manager

About Gloucester City Homes

Gloucester City Homes (GCH) is an independent housing association with a strong legacy of over 15 years serving the City of Gloucester and surrounding areas. The organisation supports approximately 12,500 customers living in around 5,000 homes. As a social business, GCH is deeply committed to investing locally – supporting communities and ensuring that every individual has a home they can be proud of, where they can thrive and live healthy lives.  

Challenges facing Gloucester City Homes

As part of their ongoing digital transformation, Gloucester City Homes (GCH) turned to Bridgeall to evaluate options for Azure Managed Hosting Services. At the time, GCH’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environment was being managed by another provider under the Microsoft CSP Program. However, they were looking to gain greater operational control, enhanced flexibility, and improved service quality. 

Bridgeall was engaged to support this transition, providing expert guidance and a tailored solution to meet GCH’s strategic and technical requirements. 

GCH’s key requirements included: 

  • Virtual machine operations & management – Seamless provisioning, scaling, and real-time monitoring of virtual machines to support evolving workloads. 
  • Storage account management – Reliable backups, geo-replication, and access control for secure, scalable data storage. 
  • Network security group management – Advanced firewall policies and traffic controls to safeguard infrastructure across environments. 
  • Azure tenant & service management – Centralised visibility and control over subscriptions, resources, and Azure services to ensure performance and resilience. 
  • On-demand support – Expert assistance readily available whenever needed, with a flexible support model. 

To meet public sector procurement standards, the engagement was delivered under the G-Cloud 14 framework, ensuring compliance, transparency, and alignment with public service best practices. 

A shared responsibility model

While Bridgeall took ownership of the Azure hosting environment, GCH retained responsibility for several internal and application-specific functions, including: 

  • Data and application management 
  • User access control 
  • Disaster recovery planning 
  • Performance tuning and capacity planning 
  • Systems integration and change management 

This collaborative approach required clearly defined responsibilities and strong communication between all parties. This is a model Bridgeall supports through transparent processes and expert partnership.

To meet GCH’s specific needs, Bridgeall delivered a bespoke Azure Managed Hosting Service built on our proven Managed IT Services framework. The solution was designed to offer comprehensive, end-to-end support while aligning with GCH’s operational goals and strict public sector compliance standards. 

Our delivery approach included: 

Initial assessment & onboarding
We carried out a full audit of the existing Azure environment to ensure a secure, efficient handover. This assessment laid the foundation for a structured transition under Bridgeall’s management. 

Service implementation
Our team established a robust Azure infrastructure, implemented patching protocols for Windows OS, deployed advanced monitoring tools, and developed detailed system documentation for full transparency. 

Ongoing operations & support
Bridgeall now provides 24/7 proactive monitoring, billing oversight, and platform maintenance, covering virtual machines, storage accounts, network security, SQL databases, and tenant operations. 

Flexible engagement & continuous improvement
Regular service reviews, strategic planning sessions, and a dedicated account manager ensure the service evolves in line with GCH’s changing needs and long-term objectives. 

Throughout the engagement, GCH retained full ownership of their data, applications, and user access while benefiting from a secure, scalable, and expertly managed Azure environment. 

Results – Benefits to the client

As a result of our efforts the team were able to realise the following benefits:   

  • Full management of networking infrastructure – Following insights from our onboarding assessment, Bridgeall was entrusted with end-to-end management of GCH’s internal networking environment. 
  • Improved service visibility – Transparent billing and continuous monitoring provide complete clarity over Azure operations. 
  • Optimised infrastructure performance – Proactive system maintenance and patching have enhanced performance and stability. 
  • Stronger security posture – Consistent implementation of network policies and access controls has improved overall security. 
  • Agile & compliant service delivery – The managed service fully aligns with G-Cloud 13 public sector requirements, supporting compliance and operational agility. 
  • Future-ready IT platform – Bridgeall’s strategic input supports long-term planning, allowing GCH to scale services confidently as needs evolve. 

With Bridgeall as their Azure managed service partner, GCH can confidently rely on a stable, secure, and future-ready IT platform to support their mission of building successful communities. 

Our Managed Azure Services 

Bridgeall is a multiple Microsoft Solutions Partner with designations in Azure Infrastructure, Azure Data and AI and Azure Digital and App Innovation. Our team of Microsoft certified engineers are here to make sense of the wide range of services available from Azure and design you a path to modernize your IT infrastructure by moving to the cloud. 

We offer a full range of cloud consultancy, migration and support services to help your organisation move to the cloud. – http://bridgeall.com/azure/microsoft-azure-briefing/