City of Cape Town modernizes contractor access and strengthens security with Windows 365

The City of Cape Town previously used a legacy, on-premises VDI solution to provide contractors with access to critical systems and applications. The setup often caused delays, user complaints, and restricted access.

Partnering with Microsoft, First Technology, and BUI, the city replaced its legacy VDI with Windows 365 to improve access and efficiency.

With Windows 365, the city reduced user onboarding time, cut infrastructure costs and maintenance efforts, significantly improved the user experience, and strengthened security.

The City of Cape Town serves over 8 million residents across 2,500 square kilometers. With more than 230 councilors and 30,000 employees, the City delivers a full range of municipal services from water and electricity to clinics, roads, housing, and public spaces.

Reassessing infrastructure to support access

Contractors are a vital part of this delivery model. To support them, the City previously relied on a legacy, on-premises virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to provide access to essential systems and applications. However, as the number of contractors grew, the system began to show signs of strain. “The user experience wasn’t great, and the interface wasn’t very intuitive,” explains Danie Kotze, Head of Front-End Services. “Even simple tasks like logging in took a long time, leading to frustration and complaints.”

To modernize its infrastructure and support future growth, the City of Cape Town partnered with Microsoft, First Technology, and BUI to implement Windows 365. The cloud-based solution offered seamless integration, improved flexibility, and a familiar Windows experience for contractors. “We knew Microsoft would give us better integration, more flexibility, and long-term value. Security was also a big priority and Microsoft met all our needs,” says Shanaaz Gasant, Manager of Distributed Computing.

Delivered on time under pressure

Despite a tight four-month timeline, the migration was delivered on time thanks to precise coordination and strong technical support from the City’s partners. “Working with the partners was a brilliant experience,” says Peter Guy, IT Support Manager. “They guided us through everything, helped us avoid pitfalls, and supported us every step of the way.” For Kotze, the collaboration stood out. “Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked with many external partners on migrations,” he adds. “This was the least stressful, the smoothest, and the most successful project ever.”

“Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked with many external partners on migrations. This was the least stressful, the smoothest, and the most successful project ever.”

Danie Kotze, Head of Front-End Services, City of Cape Town

Previously, contractors had to wait days or even weeks to receive City-issued devices before they could begin work. Now, new users benefit from faster provisioning and can log in from their own devices. Once signed in, they’re greeted with a familiar Windows interface. “Even users who’ve worked with VDI for years found Windows 365 to be a ‘wow’ experience—more intuitive, more familiar, and far smoother to use,” says Guy.

“Even users who’ve worked with VDI for years found Windows 365 to be a ‘wow’ experience—more intuitive, more familiar, and far smoother to use.”

Peter Guy, IT Support Manager, City of Cape Town

Since switching, adoption has increased fourfold. “We had about 60 users on the old system. Now we have 247 on Windows 365, and the number keeps growing,” Guy adds.

Reducing overhead and risk exposure

Even with that growth, the IT team’s administrative burden has eased. “Since moving to Windows 365, we’ve been able to decommission many servers,” shares Guy. The City has also automated key workflows, including departmental approvals and license management, allowing IT to focus on initiatives that directly support service delivery. “With Microsoft, all those updates and patches are handled automatically. It’s a huge weight off our shoulders,” Guy adds.

“With Microsoft, all those updates and patches are handled automatically. It’s a huge weight off our shoulders.”

Peter Guy, IT Support Manager, City of Cape Town

With this streamlined setup, far fewer issues reach IT support. “Before, we regularly dealt with complaints and escalations about login problems,” recalls Gasant. “Now, I can’t even remember the last time an escalation came my way.”

The IT team has also gained real-time visibility into user sessions and system performance—capabilities they didn’t have before. With these insights, admins can spot issues faster, track usage trends, and provide more proactive support.

Secure yet smooth setup

Security has taken a major step forward. The City uses Microsoft Entra ID to manage secure access, enforce multi-factor authentication, and apply conditional access policies, ensuring only the right users can access the right resources from anywhere. “Contractors are expensive,” Gasant notes. “And if they can’t work, it affects our ability to deliver.”

By giving contractors faster, more secure access to the tools they need, the City of Cape Town ensures that critical projects from infrastructure to public services move forward without delay.

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