Secure-by-Design Azure Platform for Tier-1 Financial Institution
How RCS delivered a secure Azure platform for a Tier-1 UK financial institution, with DevSecOps practices and automated policy enforcement from day one.
Financial Services (Tier-1)
1,500–2,000 employees
DevSecOps Delivery Lead
The Challenge
A Tier-1 financial institution needed a greenfield Azure platform built under strict regulatory and risk constraints. The organisation required that security, compliance, and operational governance needed to be embedded from day one. Retrofitting controls post-deployment was unacceptable in this highly regulated environment.
The institution sought a secure foundation enabling product and engineering teams to move quickly without increasing risk exposure.
The Approach
RCS designed and delivered a fully automated Azure platform aligned to the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and Azure security best practices.
Key elements included:
- Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform for repeatable, auditable deployments
- Shift-left DevSecOps approach embedding security controls early in the lifecycle
- Integration of SIEM and cloud-native security tooling for continuous monitoring
- Codified policy enforcement to prevent configuration drift
- Role-based access controls aligned to least-privilege principles
Security controls were designed directly into the platform architecture rather than layered on afterward.
The Outcome
The institution launched a secure, governed Azure platform delivering:
- Security embedded into every deployment
- Reduced configuration drift through automation
- Improved audit readiness and operational visibility
- Faster delivery cycles without compromising regulatory posture
The result was a scalable Azure foundation supporting long-term growth under strict compliance requirements.
