Should You Migrate to the Cloud?

If you're wondering if you should migrate your digital operations to the cloud, you've come to the right place. If you don't know what the cloud is, you'll probably be surprised to know that chances are you're already relying on it to solve many of your day-to-day tasks. If, for instance, you're sending emails on the move, using a bunch of apps to manage your workload, or checking your bank balance on your phone, everything is done via the cloud.

Simply put, cloud computing is computer-work based primarily on the internet. In the past, people would install programs and applications on their physical computers or servers located in the building. Cloud computing allows people to use that same software directly on the internet.

The reason why many businesses are moving to the cloud, and why you're also probably considering it, is that cloud computing will help increase your company's efficiency, improve your cash flow, and reduce your expenses, among other benefits. Migrating your data to the cloud will provide you with unprecedented levels of flexibility and scaling opportunities without having to worry about any on-premise datacenters. One such cloud service is Microsoft Azure.

Why Use Microsoft Azure As Your Cloud Service?

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service used for creating, testing, and deploying applications. It provides software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (Iaas) capabilities.

Below are some of the benefits of using Microsoft Azure for your cloud computing capabilities:

Seamless Scalability - One of the major benefits that Azure has to offer is its flexibility to scale. With Azure, scaling is simpler from a logistics standpoint, as opposed to traditional hosting since primary servers don't need to be taken down. Also, companies don't have to add physical infrastructure every time they are looking to scale.

Improved Security and Compliance - When it comes to on-premise data centers, companies have a fair degree of control over their security measures, which is also one of the main reasons for worry for when migrating to the cloud. With Azure Security Center, businesses can rest assured that they have access to 24/7 unified security management across all hybrid cloud networks. Azure not only presents itself as a secure cloud network, but it can also act as an added layer of security for all company data centers.

In terms of compliance, however, it's important to note that Microsoft holds more certifications than any other cloud provider, particularly in terms of security and privacy, such as for GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and more.

Disaster Recovery Capabilities - A comprehensive disaster recovery plan can be quite difficult to achieve on-premise. With Azure, such a model comes standard out of the box. It provides both regional and global fail-over options, rolling reboot capabilities, as well as hot and cold standby models.

Cost-Effectiveness - In terms of costs, Azure will be able to save companies up to 72% compared to pay-as-you-go pricing with one-year or three-year terms on Linux or Windows virtual machines. Also, companies can choose to go hybrid, meaning that they can still maintain their on-premise data, while also benefiting from Azure's overall flexibility and security.

Azure Migrate - Azure doesn't only focus on storage. You'll also get access to an integrated delivery package for sourcing, testing, and delivery. One such service is Azure Migrate, which assesses the migration sustainability of your on-premise devices, provides cost estimates, and utilizes performance-based sizing. This tool is perfect if you're in the early stages of migration or are thinking of a lift-and-shift-style migration to the cloud.

CSP Licensing

Should you go with Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) or with a Cloud Service Provider (CSP)? Making the right choice is critical in business, but determining the best decision for your specific enterprise can be challenging. That’s the case when it comes to contracting services for Microsoft applications – signing up for an EA directly with Microsoft used to be the best choice for large companies for years. Today, there’s an option called CSP (Cloud Service Provider), which represents a contract you can buy from a certified Microsoft partner.

Take a look at the differences between EA and CSP, and why it makes sense to get your licensing through a CSP.

EA vs. CSP – Which One is for You?

Enterprise Agreement is recommended only for large organizations that need to negotiate terms with Microsoft based on volume, include their affiliates in standard Microsoft agreements., and a subscription-based licensing and a fixed price for software for three years.

Cloud Service Provider is a more viable option for companies that are approaching their EA renewal. They should consider CSP if the organization is of a smaller size (less than 300 employees) and needs a CSP partner as an advisor for their implementation projects as well as to provide more personalized support while licensing and managing accounts. It’s also best for enterprises that had difficulties in predicting their annual subscription quantities.

What Can a CSP Partner Provide?

Microsoft has designed the CSP model to allow organizations to have a closer relationship with a certified Microsoft Partner (that acts as a tech advisor.) Microsoft Partners can deliver Online Services to enterprises in a consultative and flexible manner – to support you when there are any issues and questions as well as to own the relationship end-to-end. The CSP Partner is there to help you identify the best Online Services that you should implement for your users, and to ultimately maximize the CSP value for your enterprise.

Which CSP Partner Should You Select?

There are two options you can choose from – CSP Direct Providers and CSP Indirect Resellers.

If your enterprise wants to use Microsoft Online Services in a controlled and predictable manner, where you can assess and adjust your consumption on a monthly basis, then the CSP option will work best for you. An EA agreement requires you to purchase a minimum of 500 licenses (at the same time) and set for three years. You’ll need to pay upfront for the entire year, which can impair your cash flow. On the other hand, CSP licensing is attractive because it’s a month-to-month commitment, which is perfect for industries that have seasonality or businesses in volatile markets. Also, if a company wants to start with a basic plan as it moves to Office 365 or finds it difficult to predict long-term usage requirements, they can increase their licensing level as their users adopt the functionality.

For smaller organizations, a CSP model is the best alternative. Every business has their unique needs to be considered, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for all. Contact us to get help in determining the right option as well as to discuss all of the options you can choose. Managed Solution is proud to be a digital advisor in industries, such as biotech, legal, and healthcare, as well as a Microsoft Gold Partner.

 

Outsourcing IT Trends to Watch

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Updated December 2018

Outsourcing integration challenges have increased, production workloads, applications, and enterprise systems are moving to the cloud, and security is a top concern for everyone, no matter your industry.

What's next?

Nothing is certain, however, industry watchers expect a number of shifts in IT as it relates to overall business objectives and strategies.

We also expect to see maturation in cloud computing, robotic process automation (RPA), and cognitive capabilities while entities like the call center and business models based solely on labor arbitrage fade into history.

 

1. Industry insecurity reigns

“It will be one of a handful of times that outsourcing will be affected by the political climate, says Rebecca Eisner, a partner in Mayer Brown's Technology Transactions practice. The new U.S. administration has already had an impact on trade agreements, regulations, tax policies, visas, and immigration--which big or small have had an impact on the outsourcing industry, which continues to rely on the benefits of global labor arbitrage. And Brexit only adds to industry anxiety in the U.K. and Europe.

Companies have begun assessing and auditing their contracts to determine the impact, says Christopher A Seidl, partner and chair of the global business and technology sourcing group at Robins Kaplan. “This will lead to deeper discussions between parties, and more renegotiations, over terms relating to currency, changes in the law, and the overall costs of the deal,” Seidl predicts. “They will also seek to add flexibility into their outsourcing arrangements through, for example, new termination rights, rights to move locations, rights to insource, and other similar protections,” Eisner says.

 

2. Security stays top of mind

Information and data security will continue to be a major concern for the foreseeable future. “Traction for advanced security automation, threat intelligence, and security analytics solutions will continue to be robust as enterprises look to build a holistic approach to enterprise security and fend off business risks,” says Jimit Arora, a partner in the Everest Group’s IT services division. “As-a-service models to scale security capabilities and dynamically support cloud-based workloads will also gather steam.”

Vendors will take more of a lead role in protecting the enterprise through security offerings, adds Seidl. “Vendors won't simply be thought of as an entry point for hackers, but rather as an ally for regulators, politicians, and businesses who continue to be challenged in looking for solutions.”

We are already seeing many Managed Services and IT Providers become Managed Security Service Providers which can be attributed to the importance of security in today's business environment.

 

3. Intelligent automation drives down costs

"Intelligent automation and robotic process automation will take a step function forward for certain providers, disrupting existing commercial outsourcing structures and driving down costs and, to a lesser degree, prices in the market,” predicts David Rutchik, executive managing director with outsourcing consultancy Pace Harmon. “This will result in supplier margin expansion, greater savings opportunities for enterprise buyers, the need for enterprises to renegotiate existing outsourcing deals, and the bifurcation of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in the marketplace."

 

4. Customers demand more from the cloud

The cloud is no longer new and adoption continues to increase.  “Clients will force cloud providers to mature,” says Adam Strichman, founder of boutique outsourcing consultancy Sanda Partners. “Clients will become savvier about what a cloud service really means, and these ‘me too’ cloud services are going to have to grow up or be kicked to the curb.” Customers will be looking to leverage the cloud as the core platform for new internal and external initiatives, adds Arora. “Enterprises will demand significantly more value from cloud service providers to drive transformation in their business.”

 

With technology always evolving and businesses constantly innovating, it will be interesting to see what's next in the world of outsourced IT.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row font_color="#ffffff" css=".vc_custom_1471641930410{background-color: #6994bf !important;}"][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation="appear"]

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How to Handle Rapidly Growing Data

Data is an omnipresent element within every organization. Data comes in from customers, employees, third-parties, or other external sources. It is up to each company to find ways on how to handle rapidly growing data and put it to good use. Smart businesses are already looking into ways how this data can address numerous issues within the organization and outside it, as well as how to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Some challenges arise when it comes to leveraging this information. With the many technological advancements over the past two decades, the amount of information coming in is growing at an almost exponential rate. What's more, most of this data is unstructured.

Structured data is much easier to handle. Businesses use it every day by making use of relational databases or by creating spreadsheets in Excel, to give a couple of examples. When this happens, various patterns emerge and can be easily identified.

The biggest issue in this context, however, is with unstructured data. It can come from numerous sources such as social media, emails, documents, blogs, videos, images, etc., and represent ample opportunities for businesses to grow and optimize their operations.

Unfortunately, however, unstructured data makes it much more difficult to gain any easy or straightforward insight by using conventional systems. What's more, much of the data that's generated nowadays is unstructured, making it vital for businesses to find ways on how to properly leverage it.

Cloud Migration

First things, first. With the overwhelming amount of data coming in on a daily basis, storing it on-site can become quite costly. On the one hand, having this data on-site can result in an over-provision, leading to further unnecessary costs. On the other hand, it can take a lot on onsite real-estate.

But by migrating your application and database to the cloud, none of the problems mentioned above will be an issue. With public cloud vendors such as AWS and Microsoft, you can pay as you go, meaning that you will have access to a much higher degree of flexibility and scalability than otherwise. In addition, keep in mind that a cloud provider will become an extension of your IT team once you've made the transition. And let's not forget that storing your data in the cloud also implies less real-estate expense.

Cognitive Computing

Cognitive computing (CC) refers to various technology platforms that make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and signal processing. These platforms also make use of machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), reasoning, speech recognition, human-computer interaction, dialog generation, among other such technologies.

CC can analyze unstructured data, interpret it, and generate insights based on all possible decisions using evidential support. These systems can be adaptive, meaning that they can learn as the information changes. They can also be interactive, seamlessly communicating with users as well as other devices and cloud services. And they can be contextual, in that they can understand, identify, and extract various contextual elements, from multiple sources and different sensory inputs such as visual, auditory, gestural, etc.

In short, cognitive computing will help businesses understand and structure disorderly data to put it to good use and get ahead of the competition.

Conclusion

Big data can offer plenty of opportunities for growth and profitability, but it can also pose a severe challenge if not leveraged correctly. For more information on the topic of data management and other related issues, visit our website or contact us directly.

 

The First Steps for a Successful Cloud Migration

Migrating to the cloud can be an incredibly lucrative endeavor for any business looking to streamline their day-to-day operations and optimize their processes; knowing the first steps for a successful cloud migration is very important. To begin, it is important to note that there are plenty of benefits in the migration to a cloud, but three of them quickly come to mind.

On the one hand, cloud computing helps to lower data storage costs by a significant margin. Also, flexibility and scalability are all but guaranteed, allowing you to scale this storage space whenever you need to. On the other hand, however, moving to the public cloud will enable you to increase your IT team without any extra costs attached. Keep in mind that once you've partnered up with a provider, they will become an extension of your IT department, as they will be the ones managing and maintaining the data center.

Nevertheless, the cloud migration process can quickly become a hassle without the proper knowledge, planning, and execution. Only slightly above a quarter of businesses engaged in cloud migration reported that they were "extremely satisfied" with their overall cloud migration experience. Despite this low percentage and with the proper information, the benefits are well worth the investment.

Below are the first steps for successful and seamless cloud migration.

Choosing the Right Cloud Provider

The selection of your future cloud provider should not be taken lightly. There are plenty to choose from, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. While some may focus on scalability, others offer better-personalized applications management options. Among the most popular choices, you can choose among companies such as Amazon, Microsoft's Azure, Google, IBM, and the list can go on.

When making this decision, don't merely go for the market leader but take a moment to consider whether their services align with your own business goals. Also, take into account the long-term relationship you will have with this provider. It's not a very time or cost-effective strategy to choose one business only to change it later.

The Level of Cloud Integration

There are two ways of migrating your application. On the one side, there's the shallow cloud integration, while on the other, there's the deep cloud integration. 

The shallow cloud integration - It is when you move all on-premise applications to the cloud but conducts minimal changes or none at all, to the servers used to run those applications. The changes that are made are only enough to allow the applications to function within the new environment. It means that you will not use any cloud-based services.

The deep cloud integration - This procedure implies that you modify your application during the migration process to make use of critical cloud capabilities. Among these, there are such capabilities like dynamic load balancing, auto-scaling, serverless computing capabilities, or cloud-specific data stores.

Cloud KPIs

You will also have to establish your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These are metrics about your application or service used to measure how these perform based on your expectations. These KPIs will help you to determine how your cloud migration is doing, showcasing any problems that may exist with your application, as well as when the movement was complete and successful.

Some of these cloud KPIs may refer to the user experience, such as page load time, lag, or session duration. Regarding infrastructure, some KPIs may include disk performance, memory usage, or CPU usage. And as far as business engagement is concerned, there are conversion and engagement rates, as well as cart adds. 

Conclusion

While these are the first steps that you need to consider when migrating to the cloud, other issues may interest you as well. In the end, it all boils down to what your business needs and hopes to achieve from this migration, in the first place. For more information on cloud migration and cloud computing, in general, feel free to visit our website or contact us directly.

 

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Migrating to a Public Cloud

Every business owner, director or CTO has countless questions before deciding on whether or not to migrate to a public cloud, as opposed to using the already familiar in-house methods that have been used for years. We have come up with important questions to ask yourself before migrating to a public cloud.

All these questions, curiosities and worries are well-founded because you need to know all the advantages and disadvantages implied by undergoing the switch to a public cloud. It may be a lengthy process, and this is why you should see if it’s worth it, or not. Most of the times it is, and here’s why.

The cloud services most companies are familiar with are Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Google Cloud Platform. While these services are the most popular, they may not prove to be the best solutions for your company, depending on the costs you have estimated in your budget and depending on the data you need to migrate to a public cloud.

Microsoft Azure was created for building, testing, deploying and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers. Similar to this cloud service, the AWS, which is a subsidiary to Amazon.com, provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to individuals and companies on a paid subscription basis.

The cloud platform offered by Google comes complete with more or less the same features, being a suite of cloud computing services that run on the same infrastructure used internally by Google for its end-user products; the most famous examples: Google Search and Youtube.

If you’re not sure yet whether you should migrate your company’s data to a public cloud, you should ask yourself these three questions:

1. Do I want access to a larger talent pool working for my company?

It is the first question you should start with. By switching over to a public cloud, not only will you benefit from 24/7 technical support, but you will also stand to gain from the years of experience which can be had by working with IT resource management companies. These companies experience a more extensive variety of situations that may appear because they encounter more situations on a daily basis than most companies encounter in an entire year.

Also, migrating to a public cloud, you will have access to talented people from all around the world, people you would otherwise have no access to because they live far away on a different part of the globe.

2. How will the knowledge transfer and other business-related activities go after migration?

Smoother, Faster, Better, Stronger. When you have your IT knowledge in one place where it can be accessible for your employees from any corner of the world they are, it’s easier to get things done from both a technical and business standpoint.

Your employees can have all the benefits they would have if they were present at the company’s headquarters, even if they are currently working for one of your clients, in their offices, which could be located on another continent.

Information becomes accessible at a click of a button, without having to go through all the email and phone calls to receive requested materials.

3. Is it a greener approach for my company?

In our modern day society, nothing should be more important than keeping our business as green as possible and limiting our carbon footprint to a minimum. It is what any self-respecting company is currently doing, and migrating to cloud services is at the top of the list when it comes to evolving your company into an environmental-friendly one.

Without having to keep all those servers plugged in and consume way too much energy than your company needs, you’ll be exponentially reducing the mark you leave on the planet, and you can start on having a positive one on the business world.

If you’re interested in learning more about cloud services and how to migrate to a public cloud; be sure to get in touch with us - right here

Discover the managed mobility services market

[vc_row][vc_column][grve_single_image image="17730"][vc_column_text]As written on whatech.com

Managed services include all those in-house functionality that is transferred to the third-party service providers for better management. In today's fiercely competitive business environment, organisations want to ensure that their staff focuses on the core competencies of their business and non-core activities are handled by third-party service providers.

Some of the common managed services include lifecycle management activities, IT resource activities, HR activities,.

The global managed services market is forecasted to witness a healthy growth rate in the next five years as more organisations understand the importance and advantages of outsourcing their non-core operational activities.

Managed Mobility Services Market Anticipated to Witness High Double-Digit CAGR

The global managed services market is segmented into managed data centre, managed security, managed infrastructure, managed communications, managed mobility,. All these segments of the global managed service market are anticipated to witness a healthy growth through 2020, with the managed mobility segment forecasted to witness a high double-digit CAGR.

Report: www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-259

Managed mobility services include the management of smartphones, tablets, and other mobility services required by businesses in carrying out their day-to-day operations. Over the years, smartphones have penetrated every walk of our life and businesses want to leverage on the enormous reach of the mobile phones.

Organisations are using mobile devices to manage their work in an effective manner. Mobile devices are used extensively in the hotel and restaurant industry for allocating seats to patrons on a real-time basis.

Moreover, mobile phones have become an important platform for advertising and marketing purposes, as they offer multiple channels through which a product or service can be promoted. These factors have forced businesses to look for credible mobility management service solutions and this is anticipated the boost the prospects of the global managed mobility services market.

Low Adoption of Managed Mobility in Developing Economies Can Pose a Challenge to the Growth of the Global Managed Mobility Services Market

Although organisations in developed countries are pushing the demand for managed mobility services, it is forecasted that the low demand from organisations in developing nations can curtail the growth prospects of the global managed mobility services. Many organisations in developing economies are concerned about the rising operational costs and they do not want to increase it by outsourcing their mobility activities to third-party vendors.

Moreover, businesses in developing economies tend to use free, open-source software for mobility management, as they do not have the budget to invest in premium software. These factors are forecasted to present a key challenge for the growth of the global managed mobility services market.

The global managed mobility services market is segmented into:

  • Managed smartphones and tablets
  • Managed mobile security
  • Managed mobile VAS

Among these segments of the global managed mobility services market, the managed smartphones and tablets segment is forecasted to expand at a high CAGR through 2020. The increase in proliferation of smartphones and tablets in both developing and developed economies is projected to be the key reason for the growth of this segment.

The growth will be particularly phenomenal in India and China, but the weak demand from other Asia Pacific nations can have an adverse impact on the growth of the global managed mobility services market.

Report: www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-259

Global Managed Mobility Services Market: Key Players

Some of the key players in the global managed mobility services market include Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Dell, AT&T, Ericsson, HP, and Microsoft.

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Cloud services now account for a third of IT outsourcing market

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Cloud services now account for a third of IT outsourcing market

By Stephanie Overby as written on cio.com
In the latest reflection of cloud computing’s impact on the IT services market, outsourcing consultancy Information Services Group (ISG) for the first time expanded its quarterly market index to look specifically at the as-a-service segment of IT and business process services industry.
The as-a-service market, which includes Infrastructure- and Software-as-a-Service (IaaS and SaaS) activity, now represents more than one third of the combined global market for sourcing services — nearly double its share from early 2014, according to ISG. And the firm predicts accelerated growth in the cloud computing segment longer term—both in absolute terms and relative to traditional sourcing activity—as more and more work is automated and moved to the cloud.
CIO.com talked John Keppel, President EMEA and Asia for ISG, about the rapid rise of cloud offerings, the especially sharp increase in IaaS deals, cloud’s new role in digital transformation, and the future prospects for traditional IT outsourcing market
CIO.com: It was already clear that the uptake of as-a-service offerings was rising rapidly. Were you surprised at how big a chunk of the business services market they had consumed?
John Keppel, President EMEA and Asia, ISG:I don’t think ‘surprised’ is exactly the right word.  We’ve known for some time now that the as-a-service sector has been eating into the market share of traditional service providers. How else to explain that contract counts are soaring, but contract values are remaining relatively stagnant in the traditional market? We knew anecdotally that a lot of client work was moving to the public cloud infrastructure and cloud software markets, and we also knew it was time to begin an empirical measurement of that growing shift. That’s why we decided to move beyond our initial examinations of this phenomenon and officially expand the coverage of our [index].
The drivers for cloud have changed noticeably over the past three years. Initially, cloud interest and adoption was concentrated primarily on cost reduction, in line with what we traditionally have seen as a driver for outsourcing. It was an evolutionary process up until about 18 months ago, when we began to see the real cloud revolution: using public cloud infrastructure and software to dramatically boost agility and grow the business.  More clients are taking the savings from deals created a few years ago and re-investing them into their digital transformation initiatives; indeed, the public cloud usually serves as the foundation for many of these emerging services.
CIO.com: Your report looks at all business services. What was traditional and as-a-service IT activity like in the second quarter?
Keppel: Taking a look at the combined market—that is, traditional sourcing and as-a-service activity—we saw overall market value decline 2 percent to $7.9 billion in the second quarter. Compared to the first quarter of 2016, the market was down 9 percent, but still within the healthy range of around $8 billion it has averaged over the last five quarters.

 

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