Alexa Capital is a global corporate finance and M&A advisory firm specialising in energy technology, energy infrastructure and e-mobility. Its 22-person, FCA-regulated team is based in Mayfair, London, with a further office in New York. As a regulated adviser working within the investment community, the firm must keep its IT infrastructure aligned with regulatory standards and industry best practice.

Alexa Capital is a global corporate finance and M&A advisory firm specialising in energy technology, energy infrastructure and e-mobility. Its 22-person, FCA-regulated team is based in Mayfair, London, with a further office in New York, and the firm had grown frustrated with its incumbent IT partner.

Service levels were insufficient, particularly for the New York office, and the firm lacked strategic guidance on where its technology should go next. Alexa Capital felt its IT was misaligned both with the regulatory standards it must meet and with the expectations of the business.

That gap prompted the firm to look for a more fitting and effective IT partnership with experts who specialise in the corporate finance industry and can support a regulated firm's compliance requirements alongside day-to-day operations.

Alexa Capital selected Thrive on the strength of its record of success, depth of capabilities and pedigree within the investment community. Thrive's structure, service delivery model and ability to address challenges immediately stood out against the other vendors considered.

Thrive implemented Managed IT Services covering helpdesk, Microsoft 365, telephony and cloud; Managed EBMS Networking built on Fortinet and Meraki; and Managed Security comprising SOC and SIEM, endpoint detection and response (EDR) and cloud security. The engagement includes 24x7 monitoring, management and support plus technical advisory services, delivered through Thrive's POD approach of subject matter experts and its global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC and centralized services teams.

Beyond the initial deployment, Thrive agreed a short-term plan to address alternative cloud-based data storage, optimising the firm's internal filing system for greater efficiency and better use of the Microsoft 365 environment. Thrive continues to proactively support and guide Alexa Capital with further recommendations to strengthen its IT infrastructure and cyber security.

• Strict regulatory compliance ensured for the FCA-regulated firm
• Significantly improved operational efficiency
• Better strategic guidance and higher service levels, including for the New York office
• Overall better IT performance, backed by 24x7 monitoring, management and support
• Improved client experience and peace of mind about following industry best practices