Central Platform for Cloud, Security, and Governance at Materna

Growing Complexity

Materna was undergoing extensive structural development of its IT environment. The evolving IT landscape was functionally capable, but increasingly complex. It encompassed multiple Microsoft tenants and hybrid infrastructures with thousands of virtual machines, each with varying governance and security models. Several strategic initiatives were running in parallel. Projects spanned cloud modernization architectures, to enhanced Security Operations, to winding down Microsoft Enterprise Agreements. Materna’s central challenge was aligning these workstreams in a coordinated, strategic way, grounded in common goals — without jeopardizing ongoing operations or the ability to innovate.

An integrated platform approach

Materna collaborated with SoftwareOne to choose an integrated platform approach that unites identity, security, governance, and operations on a shared strategic foundation.

A structured Entra ID Review formed a foundation for unified, group-wide identity and security governance. A comprehensive review of existing security configurations - including MFA, Conditional Access, and privileged roles - was assessed, harmonized, and aligned with best practices. On this basis, global, group-wide policies for identity and access management were established to promote transparency, reduce exceptions, and consistently uphold the principle of “Least Privilege.”

Building on this, the security architecture was consolidated and professionalized. Using Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel, an integrated security platform was developed to enable centralized visibility into security-relevant events. This architecture is complemented by a Managed Detection & Response model operated entirely by SoftwareOne. SoftwareOne assumes operational responsibility for security monitoring, alert triage, incident response, threat hunting, and the continuous optimization of detection logic.

In addition, SoftwareOne supports Materna in ongoing strategic development of its Azure platform. Through a flexible architecture and advisory model (Azure Expert on Demand), Materna can continuously access SoftwareOne’s senior cloud expertise. This sustainably supports architecture decisions, platform optimization, and ongoing transformation initiatives. SoftwareOne also supports Materna through the Microsoft Advisory Services (MAS) framework, addressing strategic questions in platform governance, investment planning, and the preparation of future licensing and contract models.

Periodically, a structured phishing simulation and awareness program helps test the system. Based on Microsoft Defender for Office 365, quarterly campaigns are run, user behavior is analyzed, and targeted awareness training is assigned automatically.