Managed Security Operations for Microsoft Environments

Evocate provides managed security operations for Australian organisations that need continuous threat monitoring, incident response, and security posture management without building an internal security operations centre. Our security engineers operate the Microsoft Defender suite, Microsoft Purview, and complementary security tooling to detect, investigate, and respond to threats targeting your environment.

We do not resell a generic SIEM with dashboards nobody reads. Our security operations are built on the Microsoft security stack that is already included in your Microsoft 365 licensing. We tune detection rules to your environment, investigate alerts with context about your business, and respond to confirmed threats with containment actions rather than forwarding tickets to your already busy IT team.

Security Operations Australia

Microsoft Defender operations

Microsoft Defender Operations

Daily operation of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, Defender for Office 365, and Defender for Cloud Apps. We tune detection policies, investigate alerts, perform threat hunting, and take containment actions when confirmed threats are identified. Your Defender deployment moves from generating noise to providing genuine protection.
Security incident response

Security Incident Response

Structured incident response following defined playbooks for common attack scenarios including business email compromise, ransomware precursors, identity attacks, and data exfiltration attempts. We contain threats, investigate scope, remediate affected systems, and produce post incident reports with recommendations to prevent recurrence.
Vulnerability management

Vulnerability Management

Continuous vulnerability scanning, prioritisation, and remediation tracking using Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management. We identify exposed assets, prioritise based on exploitability and business impact, coordinate remediation with your operations team, and track progress until vulnerabilities are resolved.
Essential Eight compliance

Essential Eight Maturity

Ongoing maintenance and uplift of your Essential Eight maturity across all eight strategies. We configure, monitor, and report on application control, patch applications, configure Microsoft Office macros, user application hardening, restrict administrative privileges, patch operating systems, multi factor authentication, and regular backups.
Information protection

Information Protection and DLP

Microsoft Purview operations including sensitivity label management, data loss prevention policy tuning, insider risk monitoring, and compliance reporting. We maintain your information protection controls so sensitive data stays where it belongs and policy violations are detected and addressed.

Why Outsource Security Operations?

Security threats operate around the clock. Building an internal security operations centre requires specialist talent that is expensive and difficult to recruit in Australia, plus 24/7 staffing to provide continuous coverage. Outsourcing to a specialist allows you to get genuine security operations at a fraction of the cost of building your own SOC.

Continuous threat monitoring

Alerts are generated 24 hours a day. Without active monitoring and response, threats dwell in your environment for weeks or months before discovery. Our team investigates alerts as they occur, not when someone checks a dashboard on Monday morning.

Specialist talent without recruitment

Certified security engineers with incident response experience are among the hardest roles to fill in Australia. Our managed service gives you access to a security team without competing in the recruitment market for scarce talent.

Microsoft native security stack

Most organisations already pay for Microsoft Defender and Purview through their Microsoft 365 E5 or E3 licensing. We operationalise the security tools you already own rather than selling you additional products.

Compliance and reporting

Regular security posture reporting demonstrates controls effectiveness to boards, auditors, and regulators. Essential Eight maturity assessments, Defender Secure Score tracking, and incident metrics in a format your stakeholders understand.

Security Operations Capabilities Evocate Delivers

Practical delivery areas with the architecture, governance, and adoption detail needed for production Microsoft environments.

1

Threat Detection and Response

Continuous monitoring of your environment with investigation and response to confirmed threats.

  • Microsoft Defender alert triage and investigation
  • Threat hunting across endpoint, identity, email, and cloud app telemetry
  • Automated response actions for confirmed malicious activity
  • Business email compromise detection and containment
  • Ransomware precursor identification and response
  • Advanced persistent threat detection using Microsoft Sentinel analytics
2

Vulnerability Management

Continuous identification, prioritisation, and tracking of security vulnerabilities across your environment.

  • Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management scanning and reporting
  • Risk based prioritisation using exploitability and asset criticality
  • Remediation coordination with infrastructure and application teams
  • Exception management for accepted risks with documented justification
  • Monthly vulnerability posture reporting
  • Zero day vulnerability assessment and emergency patching coordination
3

Identity Security

Protection of your identity layer through monitoring, policy management, and incident response for identity attacks.

  • Defender for Identity monitoring and alert investigation
  • Conditional access policy maintenance and gap analysis
  • Privileged identity management operations
  • Compromised credential detection and response
  • Identity attack path analysis and remediation
  • Authentication method security (MFA enforcement, passwordless rollout support)
4

Information Protection

Microsoft Purview operations that prevent data loss and protect sensitive information across your Microsoft 365 environment.

  • Sensitivity label deployment and management
  • Data loss prevention policy configuration and tuning
  • DLP incident investigation and response
  • Insider risk indicator monitoring
  • Compliance reporting for regulatory requirements
  • Information barrier and ethical wall management
5

Essential Eight Operations

Ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and uplift of your Essential Eight maturity level across all eight mitigation strategies.

  • Application control policy management (Microsoft Defender Application Control, AppLocker)
  • Application patching compliance monitoring and enforcement
  • Microsoft Office macro security configuration
  • User application hardening (browser, PDF, Office settings)
  • Administrative privilege restriction and review
  • Operating system patching compliance
  • Multi factor authentication enforcement and gap reporting
  • Backup verification and recovery testing

Business Benefits and ROI

Outcomes designed around measurable business value, stronger governance, and lower operational friction.

Faster threat response

Mean time to respond measured in minutes rather than days. Active monitoring and investigation means threats are contained before they spread across your environment.

Reduced breach risk

Continuous vulnerability management, identity monitoring, and threat detection significantly reduce the likelihood of a successful breach. Prevention costs less than recovery.

Security talent without recruitment

Access certified security engineers and incident responders for less than the cost of one senior security analyst. No recruitment, no retention risk, no training investment.

Compliance confidence

Regular reporting on Essential Eight maturity, Defender Secure Score, vulnerability posture, and incident metrics gives boards and auditors evidence that controls are working.

Operationalise existing investment

Most organisations already pay for Microsoft Defender and Purview. We make those tools work properly rather than adding more products to an already complex security stack.

Industries We Serve

Government

Security operations for government agencies with PSPF aligned processes, Essential Eight maturity reporting, IRAP considerations, and security cleared engineers for PROTECTED environments.

Healthcare & Aged Care

Security operations for healthcare providers with patient data protection, Privacy Act compliance, My Health Record security requirements, and medical device network monitoring.

Utilities & Energy

Security operations for utilities with IT/OT boundary monitoring, critical infrastructure obligations under the SOCI Act, and industrial control system awareness.

Professional Services

Security operations for professional services firms with client confidentiality requirements, information barriers, matter segregation, and external collaboration governance.

Transport & Logistics

Security operations for logistics companies with distributed attack surfaces, endpoint protection for mobile workforces, and supply chain security considerations.

NDIS & Community Services

Security operations for NDIS providers with participant data protection, limited internal security capability, and compliance requirements under the Privacy Act and NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Defence

Security operations for defence organisations with security cleared analysts, ITAR awareness, classified environment monitoring, and Defence Industry Security Program alignment.

Mining & Resources

Security operations for mining companies with remote site challenges, operational technology awareness, corporate espionage risk, and multi site environment monitoring.

Evocate’s EVOLVE Methodology

A structured delivery rhythm that keeps discovery, validation, launch, and continuous improvement connected.

1

Engage

Understand your current security posture, threat landscape, compliance requirements, and security operations gaps through assessment and stakeholder workshops.

2

Validate

Audit your Microsoft Defender configuration, review detection coverage, assess Essential Eight maturity, and identify gaps between current state and target posture.

3

Optimise

Tune detection rules, configure response playbooks, establish escalation processes, and define reporting cadence aligned to your risk appetite and compliance needs.

4

Launch

Activate managed monitoring with a parallel period where our team operates alongside any existing security function. Confirm alert flow, response processes, and communication channels.

5

Verify

Measure detection coverage, response times, false positive rates, and security posture improvement against baselines established during the Validate phase.

6

Evolve

Continuous improvement through threat intelligence updates, detection rule refinement, posture uplift initiatives, and alignment with evolving threat landscape and compliance requirements.

Integration with the Microsoft 365 Ecosystem

Clean integration points across Microsoft 365, Power Platform, security, automation, and employee experience.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Endpoint detection and response providing telemetry from every managed device. Alert investigation, threat hunting, and automated containment actions across your device fleet.

Microsoft Defender for Identity

Active Directory and Entra ID threat detection identifying credential theft, lateral movement, and privilege escalation attacks targeting your identity infrastructure.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Email security monitoring including phishing detection, business email compromise, malicious attachments, and safe links analysis for your messaging environment.

Microsoft Purview

Information protection, data loss prevention, and insider risk management ensuring sensitive data stays protected and policy violations are detected.

Microsoft Sentinel

Cloud native SIEM for advanced analytics, custom detection rules, and automated response orchestration across your entire Microsoft security stack.

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Continuous vulnerability assessment with risk based prioritisation, remediation tracking, and secure configuration baselines for your managed devices.

Microsoft Intune

Device compliance integration ensuring only healthy, patched, managed devices access your corporate resources through conditional access enforcement.

Delivery that fits your business

Microsoft Partner

Practical guidance across Microsoft 365, Azure, SharePoint, Teams, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, security, and governance.

Certified Consultants

Senior specialists who can move from strategy into delivery, adoption, migration, support, and continuous improvement.

Australian Business

Local consulting for Australian organisations, backed by national experience and a delivery record across the country.

Why Evocate

Experience

Delivering Microsoft consulting outcomes since 2009.

Clients

Trusted by 186 clients across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Delivery

622 completed projects and 1,068 total engagements.

Trusted by 186 organisations across Australia

Government Defence Utilities Healthcare Aged Care NDIS Mining Financial Services Professional Services
Basslink
Linx Cargo Care
Melbourne Airport
Mazda
Rinnai
Linfox
Penske
Sigma Healthcare
DJPR
EPA Victoria
Hostplus
University of South Australia
MACG
AIDA
Vinnies
VMCH
EACH
Cohealth
MyHealth
Asteria
Elbit Systems
Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work Microsoft CSP Tier 1 Partner
See all our clients

One conversation. The whole Microsoft platform.

Tell us what you are working on and we will map the right next step, whether that is consulting, licensing, managed services, or all three.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We operate the Microsoft security stack including Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, Defender for Office 365, Defender for Cloud Apps, Microsoft Purview (DLP, sensitivity labels, insider risk), Microsoft Sentinel, and Defender Vulnerability Management. These tools are included in Microsoft 365 E5 licensing or available as add ons to E3.
E5 provides the most complete security coverage and is recommended for organisations serious about security operations. However, we can operate with E3 plus security add on licensing or Microsoft 365 Business Premium for smaller organisations. We assess your current licensing during onboarding and recommend the most cost effective combination for your security requirements.
Critical security alerts (confirmed active threats, business email compromise, ransomware indicators) receive immediate investigation and response, typically within 15 minutes during business hours and 30 minutes after hours. High severity alerts are investigated within one hour. Medium and low severity alerts follow standard SLA timelines appropriate to their risk level.
Confirmed security incidents trigger our incident response process. We contain the threat (isolate devices, disable accounts, block indicators of compromise), investigate scope and impact, remediate affected systems, and produce a post incident report with root cause analysis and recommendations. Communication to your stakeholders follows agreed escalation procedures throughout.
Yes. Essential Eight maturity uplift and ongoing maintenance is a core part of our security operations. We configure and monitor all eight mitigation strategies, report maturity levels against the Australian Cyber Security Centre framework, and proactively uplift controls toward your target maturity level. Monthly reporting shows progress and gaps.
In most cases we work with the Microsoft security tools already included in your licensing rather than introducing new products. If you have existing third party security tools, we assess whether they add value beyond what the Microsoft stack provides or whether consolidation would improve coverage and reduce cost.
Monthly security reports cover alert volumes and categories, incident summary, mean time to investigate and respond, vulnerability posture trends, Essential Eight maturity status, Defender Secure Score progression, and recommendations. Quarterly reviews with your leadership discuss threat landscape, posture improvement initiatives, and security roadmap.
Yes. Many clients operate a shared model where Evocate handles daily alert triage, investigation, and first response while the internal security team focuses on strategy, architecture, and policy. We define clear escalation paths and handoff points during onboarding so both teams operate without confusion or duplication.
Our security team holds Microsoft Security Operations Analyst, Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator, Microsoft Information Protection Administrator, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certifications. Engineers with Essential Eight expertise maintain current knowledge of the ACSC Maturity Model and ISM controls.
False positives are a reality in security operations. We tune detection rules progressively based on your environment to reduce false positive rates over time. Every confirmed false positive results in a tuning action (exclusion, threshold adjustment, or rule modification) documented in our tuning log. We target false positive rates below 20 percent within three months of operation.