Microsoft Defender for Endpoints deployment aligned with Dynamics 365 security

Lukoil Azerbaijan engaged Awara IT to upgrade endpoint protection and standardize corporate communications across its Azerbaijan operations. The project replaced a legacy antivirus estate with Microsoft Defender for Endpoints, implemented Microsoft Intune for centralized device management, and migrated telephony traffic to a Microsoft Teams Phone System using Audiocodes SBCs. Implementation also covered testing, commissioning and staff training to ensure operational readiness.

The result is a unified, Microsoft 365-based security and communications platform that reduces administrative overhead, improves detection and response times, and creates a secure foundation for future cloud investments — including Dynamics 365 workloads. Awara IT led the technical design and rollout, focusing on measurable operational improvements and compliance with local energy-sector requirements.

Müşteri / Sektör / Ülke

Lukoil Azerbaijan is a national subsidiary operating in oil and gas exploration, production and marketing in Azerbaijan. As a regional energy company with distributed operations and a sizable employee base, the organisation required enterprise-grade security and resilient corporate communications across field offices and headquarters.

İş zorluğu

Lukoil Azerbaijan operated a mixed endpoint-security landscape that included Kaspersky antivirus alongside pockets of Microsoft Defender controls. This fragmentation made it difficult to enforce consistent policies, rapidly deploy remediations, and perform centralized investigations. The company also needed better telemetry and detection capabilities suitable for an energy-sector environment where uptime and rapid incident response are critical.

On the communications side, multiple telephony trunks and legacy PBX integrations increased cost and complexity. There was a clear requirement to standardize on a single platform to lower operational burden and support remote and office workers with secure, managed voice services. The IT team sought a migration path that minimized user disruption while improving security posture and operational efficiencies.

Neden Dynamics 365 seçildi

Awara IT recommended a Microsoft-first approach because Lukoil Azerbaijan already had Microsoft 365 licenses and was using Teams and some Defender capabilities. Consolidating endpoint protection, device management and telephony within the Microsoft ecosystem reduced integration risk, accelerated rollout and ensured consistent identity and access controls via Azure AD and M365 Security E5 features. This alignment also simplifies securing any future Dynamics 365 deployments, since user identity, device posture and data protection policies are managed consistently across the stack.

Selection criteria prioritized native integrations (Defender + Intune + Teams), enterprise-grade EDR and automated remediation, and the ability to centralize monitoring and reporting. Awara IT’s experience implementing Microsoft security and communications projects in regulated industries made the firm the implementation partner of choice.

Uygulanan modüller

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (EDR and advanced threat protection)
• Microsoft Intune (MDM/MAM and device configuration profiles)
• Microsoft 365 Security E5 features (Threat & Vulnerability Management, Advanced Hunting)
• Microsoft Teams Phone System with Audiocodes SBC
• Azure AD Conditional Access and identity protection
• Security reporting and alerting dashboards (Microsoft Defender Security Center)

Entegrasyonlar

• Migration from Kaspersky to Microsoft Defender for Endpoints (agent rollout and decommissioning)
• Intune integration for centralized security policy deployment and autopilot provisioning
• Azure AD integration for Conditional Access and single identity governance
• Audiocodes Session Border Controllers integrated with Teams Phone System and existing PSTN trunks
• Defender alerts connected to centralized security console for triage (native Defender console and SIEM-ready export)

Yerelleştirme ve uyumluluk

The solution was implemented with attention to Azerbaijani operational and corporate governance requirements. All user-facing documentation and training were delivered in English and Azerbaijani to ensure adoption across local teams. Data flows and logging were reviewed against the company’s internal policies for critical infrastructure; where required, retention settings and access controls were adjusted to meet internal audit expectations.

No changes required storing telemetry outside approved boundaries; Awara IT configured role-based access, logging and retention consistent with industry best practices and the client’s compliance constraints for the energy sector.

İş değeri

By consolidating endpoint protection and device management on Microsoft technologies, Lukoil Azerbaijan reduced operational complexity and improved visibility across its estate. Faster detection and automated response reduced dwell time for threats and lowered the manual effort required to investigate incidents. Centralized policy deployment via Intune shortened provisioning lead times and reduced configuration drift.

Standardizing telephony on Teams with Audiocodes SBCs simplified voice operations, lowered the number of vendor integrations, and improved user experience for remote and office-based staff. Together, these outcomes created a more secure, manageable foundation for future cloud projects — including any Dynamics 365 implementations that require consistent identity and device posture controls.