Naran McClung (Macquarie Cloud)
Cancer care provider Icon Group has tapped Macquarie Cloud Services to migrate its IT environment onto Microsoft Azure’s cloud platform.
Macquarie, which is owned by Macquarie Telecom Group, handled Icon’s migration to an Azure environment and provided ongoing architecture, network, security, and consumption reviews during the project.
It also provided support in developing Icon’s internal technical talent in the cloud space.
According to Icon’s head of IT infrastructure, Mark Holmes, the company’s expansion into Singapore, China, Hong Kong and New Zealand necessitated the move to the cloud environment.
“We knew we wanted to be on Azure, not only to ensure disaster recovery and service availability across multiple geographical locations but to navigate the heavily regulated pharmacy industry,” he said. “We needed a partner with expertise, one who had strong experience in delivering a large-scale project.”
Macquarie, which also provides telecommunications and networking to Icon, is now hosting the platform from its co-location facility in Sydney.
The migration flowed over two timelines. The first followed the launch of’ the cloud platform onto Azure, which comes under the purview of the TGA and requires specific access for auditing purposes. The second track needed to operate on a tight, two-month deadline, as it contained workloads supporting pharmacy dispensing which were subject to external regulatory changes.
With the platform set up and staff training completed, Holmes said he was confident in carrying out and delegating tasks to remote employees.
“As a healthcare company, our top priority is the safety of our patients, their data and the quality of our clinical team’s processes, Macquarie has improved the security and efficiency of our IT infrastructure and cloud-based systems to ensure we continue to provide the best possible care,” he said.
Macquarie’s head of Azure Naran McClung said the project needed to be completed on time to ensure the highest levels of compliance in a “heavily regulated industry”.
“Finding a true technology partner in Macquarie has allowed Icon Group to build a cloud infrastructure that will serve their ongoing international expansion. This partnership delivers the confidence to work closely with Icon’s leadership, supporting their plans to grow the business both in terms of reach and services offered,” he added.
