Predictable Cloud in Unpredictable Times: Azure Disaster Recovery for a Senior Care Organization
How a New York senior care organization restored disaster recovery with an Azure secondary data center and prepaid billing that came in under budget.
Overview
When a critical event eliminated their secondary data center, a leading New York senior care organization faced two urgent challenges: restoring disaster recovery capabilities and finding a cloud consumption model that aligned with strict internal financial controls.
Traditional cloud billing structures required open-ended consumption-based spending that did not fit the organization’s procurement and accounting requirements. Working closely with the client, Derive Technologies designed both the technical solution and a flexible billing model that provided complete budget predictability.
The result was a fully operational Microsoft Azure-based secondary data center, rapid infrastructure scalability, simplified management, and a cloud adoption framework that satisfied both IT leadership and finance stakeholders.
Entity Overview
.svg)
Client
A leading New York senior care organization
Industry
Healthcare (senior care)
Service Provider
Derive Technologies
Core Challenge
Loss of the secondary data center, plus cloud billing that did not fit internal financial controls
Primary Solution
Azure-based secondary data center with a prepaid cloud consumption model
The Challenge
For more than a decade, the organization relied on a dual data center strategy to support critical business and clinical operations. Following the loss of its secondary environment, leadership needed a modern disaster recovery platform that could be deployed quickly, scale efficiently, and meet stringent financial governance requirements.
Microsoft Azure was the clear technical choice, but standard cloud consumption billing presented a challenge. The organization’s finance team required predictable, pre-approved expenditures rather than variable monthly cloud invoices.
Without a solution that addressed both the technical and financial requirements, the project could not move forward.
The Solution
Derive Technologies developed a comprehensive approach that addressed both challenges simultaneously. From a technology perspective, Derive designed and implemented a right-sized Azure environment to function as a fully operational secondary data center.
Secondary identity infrastructure
Secondary Active Directory and ADFS infrastructure.
Connectivity and failover
Site-to-site VPN connectivity across all locations, with Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB).
Ongoing operations
Managed patching, maintenance, and infrastructure support, plus rapid provisioning of new virtual machines on demand.
Prepaid cloud consumption model
To address financial governance requirements, Derive created a prepaid cloud consumption model through Microsoft’s CSP program. Rather than relying on open-ended usage billing, the client purchases cloud services through pre-approved consumption blocks that align with existing budgeting and procurement processes. This structure provided the flexibility of cloud computing while maintaining complete spending visibility and control.
Disaster Recovery Restored, Under Budget
- Established a fully functional Azure-based secondary data center
- Restored disaster recovery readiness across multiple care locations
- Reduced infrastructure provisioning times from weeks to hours
- Implemented a predictable prepaid cloud consumption model
- Achieved first-year cloud spending below projected budget
- Created a scalable foundation for future cloud initiatives
Following deployment, the organization regained a resilient disaster recovery environment capable of supporting operations across all locations. Key benefits included faster infrastructure deployment and expansion, improved disaster recovery readiness, greater operational flexibility, simplified cloud budgeting and forecasting, and reduced administrative burden on finance and procurement teams.
Most notably, actual first-year Azure consumption came in below projected estimates, validating the effectiveness of the model and providing confidence for future cloud initiatives.
From Disaster Recovery to Cloud Strategy
What began as a disaster recovery project has since evolved into a broader cloud strategy, with the organization evaluating Azure as a destination for additional production workloads.
Why Derive
Many providers could have implemented the Azure infrastructure. Derive differentiated itself by solving both the technical challenge and the business challenge.
By combining deep Microsoft expertise with flexible procurement and billing capabilities, Derive delivered a solution that aligned technology objectives with organizational realities, allowing the client to modernize confidently without compromising financial controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did a senior care organization restore disaster recovery after losing its secondary data center?
Derive Technologies built a right-sized Microsoft Azure environment to serve as a fully operational secondary data center, with secondary Active Directory and ADFS, site-to-site VPN across all locations, and Global Server Load Balancing.
How can an organization use Azure without unpredictable monthly bills?
Derive set up a prepaid cloud consumption model through Microsoft’s CSP program. The client buys cloud services in pre-approved consumption blocks that match its existing budgeting and procurement process, and first-year spending came in below projections.
How long did infrastructure provisioning take after the move to Azure?
Provisioning times dropped from weeks to hours, and new virtual machines can be provisioned on demand.
If your organization is facing cloud adoption challenges related to budgeting, procurement, governance, or infrastructure modernization, contact Derive Technologies to learn how we can help.
TRUSTED BY
We’re proud to partner with some of the most respected names in the industry, delivering innovative IT solutions that drive lasting success.
From streamlined IT operations to enhanced security, these success stories reflect the trust businesses place in Derive Technologies — and the results we deliver every day.
Let’s build your IT success plan
Ready to optimize, secure, and future-proof your technology? Our experts will assess your current IT environment, identify opportunities for improvement, and create a tailored roadmap to help your business thrive.