💡 Click here to read our latest blog! 💡

    Care Control on Microsoft Azure

    / Uncategorized / By

    Why we have chosen Microsoft Azure

    Care Control will soon operate on Microsoft Azure, one of the world’s most trusted cloud platforms – also relied on by the NHS and UK government.

    Why have we chosen Microsoft Azure?

    Our upcoming migration to Azure provides a secure, scalable, and high-performance foundation for care providers, ensuring the systems you depend on are available whenever you need them.

    Your Care Control experience is about to get even better. With Microsoft Azure powering our platform, you’ll notice faster performance, greater reliability, and enhanced protection built in. Keep reading to find out exactly what this means for you and your team.

    ✅ So what are the key benefits?

    • Exceptional reliability: Hosted in UK South Azure data centres, Care Control will run on resilient infrastructure with 24/7 availability and automated scaling.

    • Performance on demand: Azure automatically adjusts computing power to keep performance smooth – from a single home to a multi-site provider.

    • Proven compliance: Azure meets the highest UK standards – GDPR, NHS DSP Toolkit, ISO 27001, and Cyber Essentials Plus.

    • Automated and consistent: Our entire environment is deployed via Bicep Infrastructure-as-Code templates and GitHub Actions, ensuring repeatable, secure, and transparent deployments.

    • Future-ready: With cloud-native services and automation at its core, Azure enables faster delivery of new Care Control features and integrations.

    📌 What this means for you

    Moving to Azure means you’ll benefit directly from faster, safer, and more reliable access to your systems – every day.

    You’ll experience:

    • Faster performance:
      Our core platform runs on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) – the same high-performance container platform used across the NHS. This means faster screen loads, report generation, and smoother performance under heavy use.

    • Higher availability:
      Workloads are distributed across resilient Azure Virtual Machines and compute clusters, ensuring continuous uptime and data availability.

    • Always-protected access:
      Every external connection passes through an Azure Application Gateway with Web Application Firewall (WAF).
      This WAF automatically blocks malicious traffic using OWASP-managed rule sets, protecting against common attack types like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and remote code execution.

    • Data privacy built in:
      Services such as Azure Key Vault, Azure Storage, and our SQL VMs are accessed via Private Endpoints only – meaning no public exposure of sensitive data.

    • Seamless updates and maintenance:
      Helm-based deployments and automated pipelines mean updates are delivered quietly in the background, without affecting day-to-day use.

    • Enhanced visibility:
      Tools like Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Managed Grafana allow our support teams to spot and resolve potential issues before they impact users.

    🖥️ Keeping data safe and compliant

    In the health and social care sector, protecting patient and resident data is non-negotiable.

    Our Azure environment has been architected around privacy, resilience, and compliance – meeting the standards that matter most to providers and regulators.

    Area Implementation Impact
    Data protection All data encrypted at rest and in transit (TLS 1.2+ / AES-256). Prevents unauthorised access or interception.
    Identity & access Managed Identities and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). Removes passwords and enforces least-privilege access.
    Network security Segmented VNets and NSGs with private endpoints for all services. Isolates and protects internal traffic.
    Web application firewall (WAF) Azure Application Gateway runs WAF_v2 with managed OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS). Rules automatically updated by Microsoft to block common web attacks (e.g. XSS, SQL injection). Protects the platform from evolving threats, reducing risk before they reach the app layer.
    Secrets management Azure Key Vault secures credentials, certificates, and API keys with purge protection. Ensures secrets are encrypted and recoverable.
    Monitoring & auditing Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Grafana, and Loki provide complete visibility of platform activity. Enables proactive detection and regulatory audit support.
    Compliance frameworks Architecture aligned with GDPR, NHS DSP Toolkit, ISO 27001, and Cyber Essentials Plus. Demonstrates Care Control’s ongoing compliance commitment.

    👉 Why it matters

    • Your data stays within UK-based Azure data centres, protected under NHS-aligned security controls.

    • The Web Application Firewall continuously shields the system from online attacks — automatically updated with Microsoft’s latest security intelligence.

    • Every administrative action and access event is logged, creating full transparency and accountability.

    • Redundant systems and backups ensure continuity even in the rare event of failure.

    👩‍💻 The technology behind the platform

    Here’s how Azure’s core services power the next generation of Care Control:

    • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS):
      Runs our APIs, portals, and apps in a scalable, containerised environment with zero downtime updates.

    • Azure Application Gateway with WAF_v2:
      Provides secure HTTPS entry, TLS termination, and advanced threat protection using OWASP rule sets automatically managed by Microsoft.

    • Azure Virtual Machines (SQL Server):
      Host our database layer across multiple VMs for high availability and disaster recovery readiness.

    • Azure Key Vault:
      Stores encryption keys, SSL certificates, and connection secrets – integrated directly with our applications using Managed Identity.

    • Azure Storage:
      Handles secure data backups, file storage, and logs with enforced HTTPS and encryption.

    • Azure Bastion:
      Enables secure management access to servers without any public RDP or SSH exposure.

    • Managed Grafana, Loki & Log Analytics:
      Provide unified monitoring and alerting, helping us maintain consistent service quality and uptime.

    Together, these services create a secure, self-healing environment built specifically for the demands of digital care delivery.

    💡 Benefits for the Health and Social Care Sector

    For Care Providers and IT Teams

    • Reliable, UK-based hosting on Azure with automatic scaling and threat protection.

    • Built-in WAF security layer actively blocking online threats.

    • Strong encryption and access control supporting compliance with NHS DSP Toolkit and GDPR.

    • Faster and more stable platform performance across all environments.

    For Care Staff

    • Quicker access to care records and reporting tools, even at peak times.

    • Fewer service interruptions thanks to Azure’s redundancy and monitoring.

    • Confidence that patient and resident data is securely handled and always available.

    For Residents and Families

    • Greater peace of mind knowing sensitive data is protected by enterprise-grade security.

    • Continuous reliability of digital care systems used by care teams every day.

    🔮 Looking ahead

    Our Azure foundation is more than a technical upgrade – it’s the launchpad for innovation in health and social care technology.

    It enables Care Control to:

    • Deliver new features and integrations faster.

    • Maintain continuous security posture improvement.

    • Scale instantly as customer needs grow.

    • Keep patient and care data safe – always.