Consultancy services
Security Consultancy
Microsoft security expertise, applied to your environment
Most organisations have Microsoft security licences. Few have the expertise to configure them correctly. We bridge that gap. Our security consultants work across the full Microsoft security stack, from identity and access management to threat detection and data protection, translating complex capabilities into concrete improvements to your security posture.
Key domains:
- Identity & Zero Trust (Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, PIM, Access Packages, Global Secure Access)
- Microsoft Defender XDR (Endpoint, Identity, Office, Cloud)
- Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM/SOAR, log analytics, playbooks, custom detections)
- Data Security & Compliance (Microsoft Purview: data labeling, DLP, retention, audit readiness)
If you have one of these questions, we can help you:
• “We need to be compliant but do not know where to start.”
• “We have Defender and Entra licences but they are barely configured.”
• “We had an incident and need to understand our exposure.”
• “Our auditors are asking questions we cannot answer.”
• “We want Zero Trust but do not know what that means in practice.”
• “We are moving to cloud-based access and need to replace our VPN.”
Our Security Consultancy Offering
Identity & Zero Trust (Microsoft Entra ID)
Identity is the new perimeter.
We design and implement robust identity architectures that enforce the right access at the right time, without adding friction for users.
Capabilities
- Conditional Access policy design (risk-based, location-aware, device compliance)
- Privileged Identity Management (PIM) and Just-in-Time admin access
- Access Packages and entitlement management
- Zero Trust architecture design and roadmap
Global Secure Access
Global Secure Access is Microsoft’s Security Service Edge solution, built into Microsoft Entra. It replaces traditional VPNs and perimeter-based network security with identity-aware, policy-enforced access to any resource, from any location, on any device.
Where conventional approaches grant network access and hope for the best, Global Secure Access enforces who is connecting, from what device, in what context, before any traffic is allowed through. It operates across three traffic profiles:
• Microsoft 365 traffic. Direct, optimised access to Microsoft 365 services with Conditional Access enforcement, without hairpinning through a VPN or on-premises proxy.
• Internet Access. Secure web gateway for all internet-bound traffic. Web content filtering, threat protection, and policy enforcement applied consistently to every user, in every location.
• Private Access. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for internal applications and resources. Replaces VPN with per-application access controls, enforced at the identity layer.
Microsoft Defender XDR
A unified view of your threat landscape across endpoints, identities, email, and cloud apps. We implement and tune the Defender stack so you get signal, not noise.
Capabilities
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE): deployment, baseline hardening, alert tuning
- Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI): lateral movement detection, identity threat coverage
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (MDO): email protection, anti-phishing, Safe Links
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud (MDC): cloud workload protection and posture management
Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM/SOAR)
Sentinel is only as good as what you connect to it and what you do with the output. We design logging architectures, build custom detections, and automate response workflows.
Capabilities
- Log Analytics workspace design and data connector configuration
- Custom detection rules and analytics queries
- Automated response playbooks (Logic Apps / SOAR)
- Sentinel onboarding and optimisation projects
Data Security & Compliance - Microsoft Purview
Understanding what data you hold, where it lives, and how it is protected is increasingly a regulatory requirement. We implement Purview in a way that is practical, proportionate, and audit-ready.
Capabilities
- Data classification and sensitivity labelling
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy design and implementation
- Retention policies and legal hold configuration
- Audit readiness and compliance reporting
Our workshops and assessment
Security Assessment
A structured review of your current Microsoft security configuration, covering identity, endpoints, email, and cloud.
Output: a prioritised findings report with concrete remediation steps.
Compliance Gap Analysis
Map your current state against your specific regulatory requirements.
Output: a clear gap overview with a recommended action plan.
Global Secure Access Assessment
A focused review of your current network access architecture and a design for the GSA implementation. Suitable as a standalone engagement or as part of a broader Zero Trust project.
Project-based implementation
Scoped, fixed-deliverable projects for specific outcomes, like for example Conditional Access rollout, Sentinel onboarding, Purview labelling deployment, GSA migration.
Threat Protection Workshop
Identify current, ongoing security threats in your cloud environment and understand how to accelerate your security journey using the latest tools.
In this workshop, we will review your security goals and objectives, identify real threats and discover vulnerabilities in your environment. We will map identified threats and vulnerabilities to specific solution recommendations, and develop joint plans and next steps.
Data Security Workshop
This workshop will help you identify data security risks in your organization and understand how to control and mitigate them.
We will surface the data security risks within your organization, map the identified risks to tools and services that can help mitigate and control the risks, and share our findings and recommendations during a one-day workshop.
Modern SecOps Workshop
Assess your organization’s current environment and goals. In this workshop, we will use Microsoft Sentinel to discover threats across email, identity, and data and show you how Microsoft 365 and Azure security products can help mitigate and protect against those threats.
You’ll walk away with a clear set of next steps and information to build a business case for a production deployment of Microsoft Sentinel and/or the Unified SecOps Platform.
Why Choose The Collective
We are a Microsoft-specialist practice. Every consultant on a security engagement has hands-on experience with the tools they are recommending. We do not layer a framework on top of your environment and call it a plan. We work in your tenant, with your data, and we deliver configurations that actually work.