Why Fortune 500 Companies Choose EPC Group for Azure

Azure Consulting: Governance-First Cloud Migration & Architecture

EPC Group is a governance-first Azure consulting firm with 29 years of Microsoft experience and 6,500+ Azure deployments. We deliver landing zones, cloud migrations, Azure security, and Microsoft Fabric data platforms for Fortune 500 and regulated-industry clients. HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, and CMMC compliant from day one. Fixed-fee accelerators run 30–40% below Big 4 rates.

Key facts

• 29 years of Microsoft consulting. 11,000+ enterprise engagements completed.
• 6,500+ Azure deployments. Core Microsoft Solutions Partner designations.
• Compliance: HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP Moderate/High, CMMC Level 2/3, GDPR.
• Hourly rates: $150–$500. Fixed-fee accelerators starting at $25,000.
• Cost optimization audits typically find 30–50% in savings opportunities.
• Enterprise-scale landing zone deploys in 4–7 days vs. the industry norm of 6–12 weeks.

What we do

We design, migrate, and govern Azure environments for enterprises where audit defensibility matters as much as the technology. Our core service lines:

• Azure landing zones — Enterprise-scale design: management groups, hub-spoke networking, Azure Policy, Azure Monitor, and Microsoft Sentinel in a single automated run.
• Cloud migration — Assessment, wave planning, and execution for Azure VMs, App Services, Azure SQL, and Kubernetes.
• Azure security and compliance — Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Sentinel SIEM, Conditional Access, and DLP policies.
• Microsoft Fabric and data platform — Data lakehouses, Power BI, Synapse Analytics, and Purview data governance.
• Azure OpenAI and AI governance — GPT-4o, RAG architecture, NIST AI RMF, and EU AI Act readiness.
• FinOps and cost optimization — Reserved Instances, rightsizing, Spot Instances, and storage tiering.
• Azure DevOps and IaC — Bicep and Terraform pipelines with drift detection and policy-as-code.

HIPAA Compliance on Azure

Healthcare clients must meet seven specific requirements for HIPAA compliance on Azure. We address all seven from day one:

• Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Microsoft — signed before any PHI touches Azure.
• PHI encryption at rest and in transit — Azure Storage Service Encryption and TLS 1.2+.
• Azure Private Link — network isolation to prevent PHI from traversing the public internet.
• Entra ID with MFA — access control for all PHI-adjacent workloads.
• Audit logging — all access to PHI logged to Azure Monitor and Log Analytics.
• Regular risk assessments — quarterly with documented findings and remediation.
• Incident response plan — documented, tested, and stored in Azure DevOps.

Azure ExpressRoute Pricing (2026)

ExpressRoute gives enterprises a private, dedicated connection to Azure datacenters — no public internet traversal. Three pricing tiers in 2026:

• ExpressRoute Local — $0/month metered, plus bandwidth. For in-region Azure egress only.
• ExpressRoute Standard — $300/month for 1 Gbps, plus bandwidth. Cross-region access.
• ExpressRoute Premium — $300/month add-on. Global connectivity to all Azure regions and Microsoft 365 services.

Azure Landing Zone Architecture

The Enterprise-scale landing zone is EPC Group's standard starting point for every large Azure engagement. It solves five problems at once:

• Identity governance — who can access what, and under what conditions.
• Network topology — hub-spoke design with Azure Firewall and Private Link.
• Security baseline — Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and DLP policies on by default.
• Resource governance — Azure Policy assignments enforce tagging, locations, and SKUs.
• Operational management — Azure Monitor and Log Analytics wired in from deployment day one.

The full bootstrap used to take 6–12 weeks of architect time. With our Bicep/Terraform automation, it deploys in 4–7 days.

Azure Cost Optimization

EPC Group cost optimization audits identify 30–50% savings in most Azure environments. We target five areas:

• Rightsizing — Eliminate over-provisioned VMs running below 30% utilization.
• Reserved Instances — 1-year or 3-year commits deliver up to 72% savings vs. pay-as-you-go.
• Spot Instances — Use preemptible compute for batch workloads at 80%+ discount.
• Idle resource cleanup — Decommission orphaned disks, public IPs, and stopped VMs.
• Storage tiering — Move cold data to Archive Storage and cut storage costs by 80%+.

Consulting vs. Azure Cloud Services

Clients often ask about the difference. Here is the short answer:

• Azure consulting — Strategic guidance, architecture design, and governance frameworks. EPC Group provides this.
• Azure cloud services — The compute, storage, networking, and AI services Microsoft runs in its datacenters. Microsoft provides these.

EPC Group architects design and deploy cloud services on your behalf. We do not resell Azure compute — Microsoft bills you directly at market rates.

Frequently asked questions

What does Azure consulting cost?

Hourly rates range from $150 to $500 by specialization. Fixed-fee accelerators start at $25,000. Enterprise migrations typically run $50,000–$500,000+ depending on scope, user count, and compliance requirements.

How long does an Azure migration take?

Small migrations (under 1 TB, single site) take 4–6 weeks. Mid-size migrations (1–10 TB, multiple sites) take 8–12 weeks. Large enterprise migrations (10 TB+, 10,000+ users) take 12–16 weeks with phased rollout.

Which compliance frameworks do you support?

HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP Moderate/High, CMMC Level 2/3, GDPR, FERPA, and NIST AI RMF. Compliance is built into the landing zone from day one — not retrofitted after deployment.

What is an Azure landing zone?

An Azure landing zone is a pre-configured Azure environment with governance, networking, security, and identity controls in place before any workloads are deployed. It is the foundation that makes all future Azure work faster and audit-safe.

Do you offer FinOps and cost management?

Yes. Our FinOps audits typically find 30–50% in savings opportunities. We implement Reserved Instances, rightsizing, Spot Instances, idle resource cleanup, and storage tiering — then track savings with Azure Cost Management dashboards.

Are you a certified Microsoft Partner?

Yes. EPC Group holds core Microsoft Solutions Partner designations. We were the oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner in North America from 2003 to 2022.

Schedule an Azure architecture review

Talk to an Azure architect about your migration, security, or AI project. Call (888) 381-9725 or request a 30-minute discovery call.