Watkin Jones Enhances Efficiency with Microsoft 365 Tenant Migration

Watkin Jones (opens in a new tab) are a leading UK developer of homes for rent with a particular focus on the affordable, co-living, build to rent and student accommodation sectors. Established in 1791, they draw on more than 200 years of experience to create stunning developments that meet the needs of modern living.

In 2010 Watkin Jones established Fresh Student Living (opens in a new tab), and by the end of 2015 the group had delivered over 28,000 beds across 88 sites in the UK.

The challenge

Watkin Jones faced challenges working with their subsidiary company ‘Fresh’. This was caused by each having their own Microsoft Tenants, which led to inefficiencies and communication issues as a result.

Moving Fresh onto the same Tenant as Watkin Jones would be a complex project requiring technical expertise, support and the ability to scale resource accordingly.

Watkin Jones and their subsidiary ‘Fresh’ being on different tenants, as well as their Azure environments being split, caused the following issues:

The results

The service that Valto have provided for Watkin Jones has improved their way of working across their organisation. They can securely use Watkin Jones’ Microsoft 365 and Azure Infrastructure, and this has made their overall architecture more elegant. Valto’s future plans with the client include a review of their Azure Architecture to ensure they have the right sizing and security in place as well as a whole-tenant security review.