What Are Managed Public Cloud Services?
Managed public cloud services are a model where a specialist provider manages, secures, and optimises your workloads on shared cloud platforms. Common examples are Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
A managed service patches servers, monitors performance, and reports on spend, so your staff stay on client work. Without a managed service, your own team carries that load on top of its day job. Some providers label the same model cloud managed services.
Managed public cloud services sit within MatrixCloud, our wider managed cloud services in Sydney, alongside private cloud, hybrid cloud, and backup.
What Do Managed Public Cloud Services Include?
Managed public cloud services include five functions:
- Migrating: Moves your existing infrastructure to the cloud in a planned sequence, or builds a new cloud environment from the ground up.
- Monitoring: Tracks workload health and performance for in-scope environments, with alerting and response hours set out in your service scope.
- Securing: Applies security controls to each environment to reduce the risk of unauthorised access and attack.
- Optimising: Removes idle resources and right-sizes servers, so spend follows use.
- Backing up: Schedules automated backups through our managed backup services, monitors restore readiness, and plans recovery, including disaster recovery as a service.
Where Do Public Cloud Platforms Host Data in Australia?
Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) both run data centre regions in Australia. We recommend a platform and region after reviewing your workloads, and agree the exact environments with you at the start.
Microsoft Azure
The Australia East region in New South Wales has three availability zones, as the Azure regions list shows (checked October 2026). An availability zone is a separate group of data centres within a region, with its own power, cooling, and networking.
Amazon Web Services
AWS runs two Australian regions, Sydney (ap-southeast-2) and Melbourne (ap-southeast-4). Each has three availability zones, as the AWS Regions documentation shows (checked October 2026).
We configure your Microsoft 365 and Azure tenancy to Australian regions wherever Microsoft offers that option.
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Managed Public Cloud Benefits and Drawbacks
Managed public cloud brings four benefits, and public cloud itself has three drawbacks to plan for.
Benefits of Managed Public Cloud
Four ways managed cloud can support your business.
Specialist Expertise
Experienced IT professionals manage your environment and keep pace with platform changes.
Core-Business Focus
One provider handles patching, monitoring, and reporting, so your partner or practice manager does not have to become the office's IT contact.
Scalable Capacity
Add or remove storage and computing power as demand changes. Scaling rules can automate capacity adjustments as your business requirements evolve.
Operating-Cost Model
Replace a large upfront capital expense (CapEx) on hardware with a monthly operating expense (OpEx), helping spread IT costs over time.
Drawbacks of Public Cloud
Three considerations to address before moving to the cloud.
Vendor Lock-In
Moving workloads that rely on platform-specific services to another provider can require re-engineering. The more specialised services you adopt, the higher the potential switching costs.
Shared-Responsibility Gaps
Your cloud provider, managed service partner, and internal team each have security responsibilities. Unclear ownership can leave critical gaps in protection and accountability.
Reduced Hardware Control
The provider controls the physical servers and virtualisation software. With standard virtual machines, operating systems and applications remain your responsibility, or ours under a managed service.
Make the Cloud Work for Your Business
Get expert guidance on managing your cloud environment, security responsibilities, and ongoing IT requirements.
Is Public Cloud Right for Your Business?
Public cloud is right for your business when your workloads change in size across the week or the year. Reporting seasons, new-client onboarding, and remote-work peaks are common examples. Steady, sensitive systems that need dedicated hardware suit private cloud. Hybrid cloud splits your workloads between the two models.
Our private cloud vs public cloud comparison sets out the trade-offs.
What Is the Shared Responsibility Model in Public Cloud?
Under a managed service, the shared responsibility model in public cloud splits security duties three ways. The provider secures the data centres and hardware. Our team secures the configuration your service scope covers, and you keep ownership of your data and access decisions.
| Who | Responsible for |
|---|---|
| Cloud provider (for example, Microsoft or AWS) | Data centres, physical hardware, virtualisation software, and the global network. |
| Our team | Operating system patching, configuration, identity and access settings, monitoring, and backup, as set out in your service scope. |
| You | Your data, the decisions on who needs access, and the choice of which workloads move. |
The split between you and the cloud provider moves with the service model. Microsoft’s guide to shared responsibility in the cloud shows you manage more in infrastructure as a service and less in software as a service. Under a managed service, our team takes on the parts of your share that your agreement assigns to us.
The AWS Shared Responsibility Model separates security of the cloud from security in the cloud. Our guide to cloud services vs SaaS managed services explains how the models differ.
How Do We Secure Public Cloud in Australia?
We secure public cloud in Australia with five controls: identity and access, encryption, patching, firewalls, and monitoring. This section also sets out the Australian laws and frameworks that apply to different organisations.
Public Cloud Security Controls
We help enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) and least-privilege access for the accounts in your service scope.
Where needed, we add encryption and network segmentation to limit the impact of an incident.
We coordinate patching and maintenance for the operating systems and applications in your service scope.
Network rules restrict traffic to the ports and addresses each workload needs.
Our 24/7/365 Security Operations Centre, staffed by Australian-based analysts, monitors the environments covered by your managed cyber security services agreement.
Australian Compliance Frameworks for Public Cloud
Four laws, standards, and frameworks shape public cloud security in Australia, and each applies to different organisations:
Australian Privacy Principle 11 on security of personal information requires reasonable steps, including technical and organisational measures. The steps protect personal information from misuse, interference, and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less are generally exempt. The Act still applies to some of them, such as health service providers and businesses with AML/CTF reporting obligations.
ASD’s Essential Eighta sets eight mitigation strategies. Maturity Level Two is mandatory for non-corporate Commonwealth entities, and ASD recommends the strategies to all other organisations. Our controls align with the Essential Eight where applicable.
APRA-regulated entities, including insurers, follow CPS 234 on information security and CPS 230 on operational risk. CPS 234 requires them to assess the information security capability of third parties that manage their information assets. CPS 230 requires them to manage the risks of relying on service providers.
Under the Infosec Registered Assessors Program, independent assessors test systems against ASD’s Information Security Manual. Azure and AWS both publish IRAP assessments of their in-scope services up to PROTECTED level. IRAP is an assessment, not a certification.
How Do We Optimise Public Cloud Costs?
We optimise public cloud costs with four practices: right-sizing, commitment discounts, budget alerts, and regular reviews.
Right-sizing
We match server size to measured use, so you stop paying for idle capacity.
Commitment discounts
Reserved instances and savings plans lower the hourly rate on steady workloads in return for a one-year or three-year commitment.
Budget alerts
Azure Cost Management and AWS Budgets can send an alert when actual or forecast spend crosses a set threshold.
Regular reviews
Structured business reviews keep your IT priorities aligned and help you avoid reactive technology spend.
How to Migrate to the Public Cloud
Our cloud migration services move you to the public cloud in three steps: a consultation, a requirements review, and a planned cutover.
Speak to a Cloud Consultant
Our IT consulting services team reviews your current environment and workloads. We then confirm whether public, private, or hybrid cloud suits you.
Complete a Requirements Review
We assess your infrastructure, compliance obligations, and growth plans. We agree the scope, drawing on the strategic assessment our Virtual CIO service uses.
Move to the public cloud
We plan and deliver the migration in stages. After a scheduled cutover, we run the environment.
Which Industries Use Our Managed Public Cloud Services?
We support four sectors with managed public cloud services: law firms, accounting and financial services firms, real estate agencies, and insurance companies. Each sector has its own systems, peak periods, and obligations.
Law Firms
Lawyers need secure access to confidential client files from the office, home, or court. In its Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024–25, ASD’s Australian Cyber Security Centre states: “Ransomware continues to be the most disruptive cybercrime threat in FY2024–25.” Tested backups and a recovery plan give a firm a way to restore client files after an attack.
See our managed IT services for law firms.
Real Estate Agencies
Many real estate agents use PropertyMe, Console Cloud, and REI Forms Live from the office, at open homes, and on inspections. These platforms already run in the cloud. Public cloud can host the files and office systems an agency still keeps on its own servers. See our managed IT services for real estate.
Insurance Companies
For insurance companies, public cloud adds capacity for claims peaks. We support their CPS 234 and CPS 230 duties for third-party arrangements. CPS 230 requires insurers to keep a register of material service providers and submit it to APRA each year.
Accounting and Financial Services Firms
Accounting and financial services firms get capacity that scales through tax season and year-end close, while we support Privacy Act and client confidentiality duties. Breach figures show why those duties matter. The OAIC received 1,205 data breach notifications in the 2025 calendar year, the highest since mandatory reporting began in 2018.
Ready to strengthen your IT infrastructure and take your business to the next level? Schedule a free consultation with Matrix Solutions today. Discover how our expert Managed IT Services can improve security, boost efficiency, and support your long-term growth. Let’s build a smarter, more reliable IT strategy together.
Testimonials of Our Happy Clients
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Why Sydney Businesses Choose Matrix Solutions for Public Cloud
Sydney businesses choosing a public cloud partner can judge Matrix Solutions on its experience, accountability, partnerships, and Sydney-based team.
- Matrix Solutions has managed IT environments for Australian businesses since 1996. We support NetDocuments, Worldox, and Actionstep for law firms, and secure access to the cloud platforms real estate agencies use daily.
- Our engagements run under our published Master Service Agreement, with service levels set out for each client. The agreement guarantees we have implemented data security measures such as backup. It also states plainly what we cannot guarantee, including the performance of third-party cloud providers.
- Matrix Solutions is a NetDocuments Platinum Partner and an Actionstep Certified Partner. Both are cloud platforms, so one team supports your document management, practice management, and public cloud environment.
- You work directly with our certified IT professionals in Sydney, not offshore help desks or rotating contractors. Your account team knows your environment because they built and manage it.
Public Cloud Support Across Sydney and Australia
Matrix Solutions delivers managed public cloud services across Australia from our Sydney head office. Our team supports businesses in these areas:
- New South Wales: Sydney, Northern Beaches, Norwest, and Wollongong.
- Queensland: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Townsville.
- Victoria: Melbourne.
- South Australia: Adelaide.
- Western Australia: Perth.
- Australian Capital Territory: Canberra.
- Tasmania: Hobart and statewide.
Explore our managed IT services in Sydney and our managed IT services across Australia, or book a consultation with our Sydney team today.
Frequently Asked Questions on Managed Public Cloud Services
Three drivers set the cost of managed public cloud services in Sydney: workload size, platform services, and support level. We quote after the requirements review. Your cloud platform charges for what your workloads use, and our fees follow the scope we agree with you.
Our Master Service Agreement renews automatically every three months. Either party can end it with at least 30 days’ written notice. Either party can also end it immediately on written notice in set cases. These include insolvency, or a material breach not remedied within seven days of notice.
When you leave, we return or delete all client data we hold. Our published Master Service Agreement sets out that duty, and the duty continues after the agreement ends. The agreement also confirms our data security measures and excludes guarantees on third-party cloud provider performance.
No, a managed service provider is not the same as a cloud reseller. A reseller sells platform licences and bills you for them. A managed service provider configures, monitors, secures, and supports the environment. Some providers do both, so check whether your agreement covers operating the environment or only licence billing.
Yes, we can set up Microsoft 365 and Azure together. We configure both on one Microsoft Entra ID tenant. Staff then use one work account for email and files, in the office or at home. Our outsourced IT services team provides one service desk for both platforms.
No, an Australian region does not guarantee data sovereignty. Data held in Australia remains subject to Australian law. As US companies, Microsoft and Amazon can be required under the CLOUD Act to disclose data they control, wherever it is stored. APP 8 on cross-border disclosure covers personal information disclosed to an overseas recipient.
The right choice depends on the software you run. Azure suits firms built on Microsoft software and accepts eligible Windows Server licences through Azure Hybrid Benefit. AWS suits applications already built on AWS services. Both platforms run Microsoft workloads, so we compare them against your software before you commit.
Three common workloads can move to public cloud: file servers, line-of-business applications, and databases. Vendor support and licence terms decide each case. We check both for every application in the requirements review, before any move to the cloud.
When Windows Server 2016 support ends in January 2027, Microsoft stops standard security updates. Four options exist: upgrade Windows Server, move the workload to a supported cloud service, buy Extended Security Updates, or retire the server. Extended Security Updates for on-premises servers need Software Assurance or a server subscription. We map your servers during the requirements review.
Talk to Our Sydney Public Cloud Team
Contact us on 1300 556 430 or fill out the form to book a free consultation. Tell us which workloads you run today, and we’ll recommend a platform and cloud model to suit them.
Ready to strengthen your IT environment?
Team Members
Our Award-Winning Team
Our team is award-winning: NetDocuments named us its 2023 APAC Implementation Partner of the Year. Every engagement is staffed directly by our certified IT professionals in Sydney.
Anthony Ridley-Smith
Managing Director
David Ren
IT Manager
Paul Clark
Senior Consultant
Hassan Gholipour
IT Project Manager
To learn more about the key people behind Matrix Solutions. Let’s connect you with our experts.