EQ is adding Microsoft Azure ("Azure") to its cloud hosting strategy. We have previously communicated we are closing our on-premises datacentres and transferring the data to the public cloud services which now includes, Azure and Amazon Web Services ("AWS"). UK Migrations will continue through the balance of 2026.
Adding a new cloud-based data hosting solution will:
Azure and AWS are both industry leading cloud platforms.
Our partnership with Microsoft is a key component of EQ's long-term technology strategy. Azure offers enterprise-grade capabilities in security, compliance, data protection, and global scalability.
Microsoft is also at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation, with Azure serving as the foundation for advanced AI, analytics, and machine-learning technologies. This provides EQ with a responsible and secure foundation to adopt advanced capabilities that can enhance our products and services over time, while maintaining the trust and security our customers expect.
All data will remain within the original countries of origin and will not be allowed to move outside those jurisdictions. Azure's geo-local hosting capabilities and strict controls ensure compliance with data-residency requirements.
Some business processing will take place in India using secure sessions connected to systems hosted in the data's country of origin. These secure sessions prevent the download, persistence and printing of any data to the operator's location.
UK – ongoing through 2026
US – continuing through 2026 and concluding in 2027
Applications are being moved in carefully planned migration groups to minimize any client disruption. To date we have migrated about half of the server's population with almost no disruption. Exact migration event dates will be confirmed as the project progresses.
EQ applies the same security controls across all environments – on-premises and cloud. The term 'Public Cloud' refers only to the underlying infrastructure model; the environments EQ operates in are dedicated to our organisation and are designed to meet the highest standards of information security.
AWS and Azure have the highest level of operational certifications available, and EQ will continue to apply:
i.encryption of all data in transit and at rest
ii.rigorous access control
iii.constant monitoring for security and operational events
All EQ systems operate within a security framework certified to ISO27001:2022. We are also benchmarking our cloud environments against the Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) to provide additional assurance.
Clients who currently receive SOC 1 or SOC2 reports, and/or penetration testing reports will continue to receive these, updated as needed to reflect cloud hosting. The EQ Group ISO27001:2022 certification remains available to clients as required.
EQ will maintain, at minimum, the same data archival and recovery capabilities – including Recovery Point and Recovery Time Objectives (RPO/RTO) as specified for the existing services provided to you. Both AWS and Azure environments provide additional capabilities that EQ will use to progressively enhance service resiliency over time.
Following our risk assessments, EQ is satisfied that Azure and AWS meet applicable Data Protection Laws.
No performance degradation will occur as part of this migration, but instead it will result in an overall improvement due to advancements in environmental capabilities.
Any planned maintenance windows will also be communicated well in advance.
Once migrations are complete, EQ will be able to utilise exciting new capabilities to enhance our services, in line with our security and compliance obligations.
Some clients may need to update the IP addresses they whitelist for EQ services (e.g. for SFTP file transfers using IP-based controls). EQ will advise affected clients of any required changes in advance.
If your organisation does not use IP-based controls, no action is needed.
All physical infrastructure that is no longer needed after our move to the Cloud will be securely removed by an approved specialist, under EQ's supervision. Before this happens, any remaining client data will be fully cleared from those systems. If any storage devices still contain data, they will be destroyed securely onsite.