Infrastructure Review
A technical review of the environment you run, ending in a plan you can execute.
Senior engineers examine Azure, hybrid infrastructure, networking, identity, security, resilience, cost and operations. You receive a written position and a sequenced transformation plan, whoever ends up delivering it.
- Fixed scope, fixed fee
- Microsoft Partner
- AZ-104 and AZ-305 certified engineers
- Senior engineers only
- Brisbane-based, working across Australia
What we examine
- Azure and GCP: subscription and landing zone structure, policy, networking, workload placement, identity for workloads
- Hybrid and on-premises: virtualisation, storage, lifecycle and licence exposure, connectivity to cloud (ExpressRoute, VPN, DNS, routing)
- Identity: Entra ID, Conditional Access, privileged access, hybrid identity and legacy authentication
- Security controls: Defender coverage, Sentinel use, endpoint and Intune posture, network segmentation, vulnerability handling
- Resilience: backup design, restore evidence, DR assumptions and recovery order
- Cost: allocation, idle and over-sized resources, commitment coverage
- Operations: monitoring, alert quality, change process, patching, runbooks, automation and technical debt
What you receive
Current-state architecture with diagrams, and a ranked list of risks with the evidence behind each one. Every finding says what it affects, how likely it is to matter and what fixing it involves.
A sequenced transformation plan with dependencies, prerequisites and rollback thinking, so the first three moves are obvious. Findings are yours to use with any provider.
Security findings are mapped to the ACSC Essential Eight where it applies, so progress can be measured against a framework your auditors already know.
Where it is sound, the review says so. Some environments need three targeted fixes rather than a full program.
Who leads the review
Every review is led by a senior engineer with hands-on delivery experience across Azure landing zones and hub-and-spoke networks, VMware to Azure Local migrations, Citrix and RDS to Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft 365 compliance.
How it runs
- Scoping: we agree the domains, the questions you need answered and the timeline in writing.
- Discovery: read-only access wherever it is enough. We review configuration, architecture, telemetry and process, and interview the people who run it.
- Analysis: findings are tested against the real dependencies rather than a generic checklist.
- Readout: the plan is walked through with your leadership and technical team, and adjusted before it is finalised.
- Timing: four to six weeks from access to readout, depending on the domains in scope.
What we need from you
- Read-only access to the Azure subscriptions, Entra ID tenant and Microsoft 365 admin centres in scope
- An introduction to whoever runs identity, networking and backup
- A short session at the start on your priorities and constraints
- A slot at the end for the readout with your leadership and technical team
Review types
Most reviews combine several of these. We scope to the decision you are facing.
- Azure Architecture Assessment: Landing zone, hybrid paths, operability.
- Microsoft 365 Security Assessment: Identity, tenant posture, what is deferred.
- Infrastructure Health Assessment: What is fragile, what is fine, what waits.
- Cloud Cost / Architecture Review: Spend that follows design, not guesswork.
- Security Gap Assessment: Controls that matter for this estate, not a generic checklist.
- Technical Discovery Workshop: When the outcome is not yet defined enough to price.
- AI Opportunity Assessment: Where AI can go into production in your workflows, systems and data, and what to leave alone.
- Essential Eight Assessment: Maturity per strategy, tested against evidence, with an uplift plan.
- VMware Exit Readiness Assessment: Every workload placed, costed and dated against your renewal.
- Copilot and AI Data Readiness Assessment: Who can see what, before Copilot shows it to them.
- Tenant Migration Readiness Assessment: Day 1 and Day 100 planned before the deal dates arrive.
- Provider Transition Assessment: Take control of access and risk when changing IT provider.
- Cyber Risk Assessment: Risk across the whole environment, with a costed security roadmap.
- Infrastructure and Technology Roadmap: Three years planned around your renewals and budget cycles.
- Citrix or RDS Exit Assessment: Each user group placed and costed before the renewal.
- Microsoft 365 Licence Optimisation Review: The right licence mix for each group, with the security trade-offs.
What happens next
Your team can execute the plan, we can deliver it as Transformation Engineering, or we can take on the operation of the domains involved as Managed Engineering. Each is scoped separately, and the review works whichever you choose.
Questions buyers ask
How long does an Infrastructure Review take?
Four to six weeks from access to readout, depending on the domains in scope.
How much of our team's time does it need?
A kick-off of about 90 minutes, interviews with the people who run identity, networking and backup, and a readout at the end. Most of the work happens without your team.
How is it priced?
A fixed fee agreed after a scoping call, based on the domains in scope and the decisions the review needs to support.
Do we have to use North Ark for the work that follows?
No. The findings and plan are yours to use with your own team or any provider.
What if the environment is in good shape?
The review says so. Some environments need three targeted fixes rather than a full program, and that is a useful answer too.
How is it different from the focused assessments?
The Infrastructure Review covers the whole environment. Focused assessments, such as Essential Eight or VMware exit readiness, answer one question in depth. Many reviews combine several.
Start a conversation
Start with an accurate picture of the environment.
Tell us which decisions the review needs to support.
Talk to an Engineer