#IBM i migration to Azure cloud solutions

[finadmin]

What is the Best Strategy to apply in new fin-related Projects (with Cloud Integration) - 5 Steps

Hello, I hope you are having an amazing week!

Today I bring to you one of the most discussed topics that me and my group talk about. I think you’ll find this helpful so keep a good eye until the end.

The creation of corporate projects goes through several moments. In planning a new initiative, the manager must pool resources, people, and tools to ensure everyone works the best they can, with no mistakes occurring and risks are low. This ensures that the company will be able to achieve its objectives without great difficulties, in addition to maximizing the results achieved.

1. What is a Plan and a good Strategy?

In the Work Plan must be consolidated all the information about the objective to be sought, detailing for it all the activities necessary to realize it, as to the physical, monetary and human resources needed. This tool allows all decisions to be taken before they are put into practice, guaranteeing a higher rate of correctness and making possible the prior correction of possible problems. In this way, it is very suitable for reaching short-term solutions, but nothing prevents it from being used in other circumstances as well.

The action plan can be used by professionals who want to achieve some goal in their careers or by companies that need to invest in more complex solutions. It enables the executor to follow a sequence of clearer and more logical tasks previously delimited, which leads to the achievement of goals faster and more practical. Its effectiveness is mainly explained by the fact that it considers the internal and external conditions of the individual or the company to set up adequate strategies to be performed in a certain period of time.

2. Teamwork above everything!

Seeking to visualize all parts of the process and the necessary steps - that is, to see beyond one's own activities - is the best way to understand how each is important to achieve the end result. According to the management coordinator, trust is indispensable for a good performance of a team that has a common goal. And it must be mutual, so strive to pass on trust to others. A person who knows how to work in a team understands that the conflict of opinions can generate better results. When, on the contrary, in an efficient team, everyone knows that to evolve and reach (or surpass) expectations, it is also necessary to give and receive feedback.

3. Fin-related control for new projects

A project exists to meet the expectations of the stakeholders in the generation of a product, service or result. However, when we work in a company that lives on projects, it is fundamental that they make a profit, because only through it is possible to maintain a healthy business. Everything that is measured can be controlled, so in this post I present a framework for cost management in projects based on a support worksheet that does all the calculations necessary to keep the project under control. Subsequently, I will show you how to join all the projects to make the whole company management. To plan the expenses, you must fill in the details according to the categories that your project works. In the example, you can check the same categories described above, now with the possibility to plan monthly, as shown in the following figure. When the project is calculated from the costs, the worksheet applies these percentages to the total values ​​of each section / account (Ex: Resale, third, working hours etc). When the price is arbitrary, the worksheet makes a weighted average to distribute the ticket. That is, redistribute the percentages on the basis of 100%.

4.  Pick the best cloud data integration

Starting on Salesforce Platform - They allow users to easily update contact information. If you do a Google search of a specific person, who you know is at a different company, 9 times out of 10, you'll find that all search results display the past company and there's really no way to change that without opening a support ticket. With Connect, you can create an account and update the title, company, email, etc. without going through all of those extra steps.The user interface feels simple like Salesforce Classic, which makes it very easy to navigate the site. The advanced search is also a powerful feature with many filters, which makes it a great tool for refining your target industry/role.What I like best about Connect is that it's technically free to use. You can purchase points to buy actual contacts, but I find it much more worthwhile to create an account and generate points by adding or updating contacts and companies. (this review is from Connor B. another member).

TIBCO Cloud Integration -  It is responsive, as soon as all Metadata has been cached and easy to use after a short introduction phase. The maps we build can be reused for other Migration projects. I've had maps that worked just fine in the classic UI, but I would get errors after opening them in the new UI. From a functionality standpoint, the tool is 100% effective and what we need. We'd love it to process records and load metadata a little faster, but in the end, we can live with the way it is now and the integrations are reliable. (this review is from Michael D. another member).

There are other great platforms like Carbonite, Microsoft Azure, IBM, and much more that you can easily find on google search. The Salesforce and TIBCO are our top 2. 

5. Be patient but efficient - control time like money 

Maintain your composure, always - Maybe you end up exploding and consequently provoke and push others when you are stressed. Try to avoid harsh and instantaneous reactions. That is what is possibly causing you problems. After all, drawing hasty conclusions, categorically rejecting what others say, and finally using an inflamed speech is not a good motivational strategy. Others will find you a closed or combative person, when what you really want is to be seen as reasonable. If the scenario is more negative, you may even think that you consider the other professionals stupid and uninformed. You can send someone in your place to deliver the message. Or you can still wait until the next meeting to react. They select the rhythm, style, tone, tempo, and tactics after assessing what works best in each situation. It is the inflexible people who have sensitivity problems because they do not know how to adjust what they say according to the public. Open your mind to the different - Maybe you are stubborn or are showing signs of stubbornness, becoming inflexible and closing in on new or different points of view. You need to turn off your automatic evaluation and rejection filter and listen.

That’s it, now you’re ready! This is our 5 steps to achieve it!

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate do ask in the comments. And remember that next article/post will be better (yes that’s possible) because we’re constantly improving our content.

[hexad-infosoft]

Hexad Infosoft- Cloud solutions services in India | Microsoft Azure Cloud service provider. 

We are the best Indian Cloud Service Providers in 2023. Cloud solutions in 2023 have gotten the go-to display for IT as organizations focus on SAAS (software-as-a-service) providers over other vendors, and speed up advanced digital transformation projects.

Regardless of whether it's programming, software, applications, Infrastructure, administrations, products, or even operating systems, everything is advancing toward the cloud. Therefore, billions of dollars are being spent on cloud migration. In this small video clip, I am trying to depict the details of cloud services. In addition, we have presented well- Why Hexad Infosoft is the best cloud services and solutions provider in 2023? We have been identified as the most well-known cloud service provider by many of our clients.

Further, based on our cloud services expertise, our developers have recommended the following as the best cloud solutions;

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Microsoft Azure

Google Cloud

IBM Cloud

CTRLS

Extreme Compute

Rackspace

SAP    

Net-Magic

SIFY

This video provides an overview of the top cloud computing service providers, which offer various cloud features such as document sharing, automatic file backup, document locking, and client notifications about updates.

Some cloud service providers cater to small businesses, consumers, and moderate-sized enterprises, depending on their specific requirements.

If you are looking for the best cloud solutions, please share your requirement at info@hexad.de.

#hexad #hexad_infosoft #hexadinfosoft #softwaredevelopmentcompany #cloudservices #cloudsolutions #azurecloudservices #azurecloudsolutions

[dvt-uk]

Application Modernisation Information: Speed Up Your Journey To The Cloud

Migrating internet functions to the cloud is usually known as “Lift and Shift” - lifting your existing application from its former home on a traditional VPS or dedicated server and migrating it to a Cloud surroundings. Legacy to cloud-native kit just isn't only dependable, however it is also cost-effective to guarantee a high return on investment. Transforming legacy environments allow application modernisation your organisation to make the best use of cloud expertise while being extra agile and flexible. It also allows you to turn out to be a more enticing employer to new generations coming into the workforce that count on modern methods. As know-how turns into outdated, so does the skillset of execs who develop and use it.

We are forming the Application Modernisation Team to work on modernising our legacy technology. Achieve scale and high efficiency, with inbuilt flexibility as your corporation modifications. Increase interoperability and ROI using microservices, enabling scale and pace. Impress your prospects – ship new options really fast and hold improving.

Application Modernisation is the follow of updating older software program to newer computing approaches. It maximises the advantages of contemporary cloud environments and moves organisations away from out-of-date legacy systems. We start all application modernisation tasks by looking at the larger picture of your business and the outcomes you want to achieve. Our modernisation consultants take the time to totally perceive your functions and legacy points app modernisation azure in addition to your functionality expectations to create bespoke options tailored to your needs. For our Modernisation Solution we partner with Profound Logic to supply a variety of industry-leading cellular and net application modernisation options that can remodel and modernise your current IBM i enterprise functions. In this case, the migration included important involvement from the Systems group.

Ultimately, IT Decision Makers need to lower time to market for new services and meet buyer wants without affecting existing supply. The legacy modernisation's outstanding results include building a future proof, web-based application sooner by as much as 50% at a considerably decrease value and danger. It also leads to easy accessibility by prospects on both mobile and internet apps.

Thirdly, if the legacy app is the finest way to fulfil sure safety regulations. In many scenarios, outdated purposes might be important to a company’s operations and any downtime would have a detrimental impact on its functioning. As a outcome, quite than suffer the consequences of having these apps, out of motion whereas they're replaced or up to date, companies usually depart them as they're.

There is also a wide discrepancy within the deployment of multi-CDN with 27% of UK firms having accomplished implementation companied with 41% in the US and 39% in Germany. Other top choices had been public/private cloud, multi-cloud (94%); automation and orchestration solutions (93%); and clever traffic management (87%). On a optimistic observe, in virtually all tasks, this optimum price has led to a drastic reduction in the present value of possession. We have included this type of request inside the scope of application modernisation. We present the client with a set of automated analysis routines that output plenty of data, including particulars on useless code and uncalled capabilities, assets for understanding the code and proposed application structure.

An excessive and somewhat anecdotal case involving a buyer who, a few months in the past, requested us to cite for migrating from the RPG II language, which he felt offered him with only a few alternatives for digital transformation. Fully managed security service makes it simpler for small businesses to deal with rising enterprise and regulatory requirements for cyber safety. As cyber criminals evolve their strategies, Northdoor’s fully managed service for cyber safety helps small companies keep one step forward of threats. Our key objective is to ensure that the longer term surroundings – no matter how it's delivered in expertise terms – matches what the business wants to attain. Azure solutions for hybrid estates allow your IT group to handle a mix of on-premises and cloud resources, making use of constant administration and governance controls across each.

Organisations that leverage our application modernisation providers maximise the value of their enterprise to stay on the forefront of the competitors. If you’re confronted with a legacy problem, the best approach is determined by the issue you’re attempting to unravel. The key's to know in case your drawback is brought on by expertise, structure or performance of the appliance, and how every modernisation strategy improves these features. Application modernisation technique drastically reduces growth time while laying the foundation for easier scaling and deployment. Ghufran Shah , Metsi Technologies Global CIO, highlights Metsi’s unique method in guiding customers to lasting application modernisation, in a time when it's important to enterprise success. Ballard Chalmers, a Transparity company, is doubtless certainly one of the UK’s main software improvement corporations, specialising in engineering enterprise functions on the Microsoft Platform.

We can look at what's currently working for you and build on that to improve the performance of your current platforms in areas including efficiency, code and maintainability. Now, as you could have recognized the proper path to overtake your legacy apps, the following step is to select the best set of platforms, instruments, and strategies application modernisation. It’s essential to establish and select only the best-fit options to set the tone in your modernization journey. Due to its big range of product offerings, companies, and options, Microsoft Azure is commonly a well-liked selection amongst organizations who want to leverage the microservices of this CSP.

[netmetic]

Amdocs Voices

A lot of 2020 predictions have changed due to COVID-19. Avishai Sharlin shares his revised view of cloud adoption.

Avishai Sharlin, General Manager, Amdocs Technology

This article was originally featured in Channel Futures

  The pandemic's effect shows the need for flexibility and the rise of hybrid computing.

  A tumultuous 2020 is bringing big changes. In February, I shared a piece for Channel Futures that highlighted why 2020 would be a momentous year for containers, service mesh and cloud computing. Back then, nobody could have forecast today’s pandemic and its dramatic impact. Across all industries, it has changed the way consumers have digital experiences. And, it also made businesses realize their legacy IT infrastructure might not be able to keep pace with new demands.

  Let’s revisit predictions from earlier in the year and map the changes.

Tumultuous 2020, What’s Changed

Hybrid cloud becomes more important than ever. I believe cloud was the lifesaver of our industry during COVID-19’s disruption.

  As more businesses make a leap to cloud, hybrid environments will be a critical focus area as IT organizations prepare themselves to better work and operate with clouds, but many applications continue to run on-premise. While I predicted that hybrid would be a crucial technology in 2020, I did not expect its rapid pace of adoption, which has become much faster.

  More organizations will adopt a hybrid cloud approach sooner than expected, as they’ll have no other choice to keep up with technology’s aggressive evolution. In fact, Flexera’s annual State of the Cloud report found that 87% of businesses have a hybrid cloud strategy, using an average of 2.2 public clouds and 2.2 private clouds. They must run legacy workloads or local cloud on-premise while also deploying on public clouds and managing workloads there; this is from both a VM and Kubernetes perspective. Companies will rely heavily on their third-party service providers for this accelerated transformation. This means channel partners should be able to offer expert counsel on Red Hat, VMware, AWS and other major cloud leaders. They also will be looking more to their channel partners for counsel on cloud design, integration, migration and data center modernization.

  As COVID-19 severely impacts IT teams’ time and budget, those who provide solutions that are easier to run and integrate will win this space. Simplicity, known skill sets and familiar products with shorter time to integrate will be critical.

Acceleration for Containers

Container adoption should still run full-speed. In February, I predicted containers would become the de- facto software packaging model, with application modernization taking an accelerated path. This still holds true today.

  Container platforms have become an essential factor in the cloud landscape, accelerating cloud adoption in enterprises. Gartner predicts that by 2024, worldwide container management revenue will reach $944 million. Channel partners that can provide expertise in accelerating cloud-native transformation will become essential during this time. Many companies struggle with migrating legacy applications to the cloud. They also struggle with modernizing existing applications, and depend heavily on managed service providers (MSPs) for these capabilities. Despite the pandemic affecting day-to-day IT needs, the implementation of Kubernetes and container adoption are still priorities for businesses.

  COVID-19 should not affect the adoption of containers for those already on a Kubernetes platform. Anyone who already started with Kubernetes uses containers already. And, organizations understand the value of Docker-based DevOps, local PC development and CI/CD pipelines based on containers.

More Changes

Serverless computing adoption slows down. I expected a move toward maturing best practices, security solutions, and tooling around serverless computing as more IT organizations implemented it. I saw AWS Outposts as the likely chief disruptor here. Why? Because It blurs the lines between on-cloud and on-premise workloads and services. This is with Google Anthos and Microsoft Azure as its main competition.

  However, we can now assume that COVID-19 will affect the adoption of new technologies. This is because many organizations are unable to implement new technology due to the other tasks that take precedence. I expect organizations that were experimenting with the likes of AWS Lambda or Knative may take a step back for at least three to six months.

  Service mesh is not quite the standard approach for cloud-native apps and microservices. I previously predicted service mesh would become the standard approach to run cloud-native apps and microservices. And, that the industry would start uniting behind a single strategy to service mesh in 2020.

More on Mesh

However, as of now, the list of open-source service mesh options continues to grow (unlike serverless computing options). This makes service mesh one of the most talked about domains today.

  For instance, a few weeks ago, I spoke to Dell’s CTO, John Roese, and he firmly believes the industry will eventually converge. Although IBM, VMware, Red Hat, Pivotal and Google commit to Istio, the industry is still waiting for this convergence to happen. Istio is an open source service mesh platform. It provides a way to control how microservices share data, as their service mesh, the industry is still waiting patiently for this convergence to happen.

  While all of this in-fighting is happening, a new body, the Service Mesh Initiative, was established to ensure none of the hyper-scalers could impose a lock-in on service mesh. This could begin to change things. IT organizations can define applications that use service mesh without tightly binding to any specific implementation. Watch this space.

The Revised Path Forward

COVID-19 has impacted IT teams’ time and budget. As new demands require a more flexible IT environment to keep pace, there is no question that things will speed up again. IT organizations must be ready to modernize and innovate, pursue agility and nimbleness or risk being left behind.

    published first on https://jiohow.tumblr.com/

[vbktechnologiesllp]

Server-Less Architecture

If you’ve chosen to read this article, you’re likely aware that Server-Less Architecture is the next big thing in the cloud paradigm. Since the Amazon Web Services introduced its Lambda platform the Server-Less Architecture has become mainstreams buzzword and grabbed the attention of various brands like Nike,Netflix, BBC and Airbnb. However,the word Server-Less Architecture does not represent the actual state of the technology. This is basically a server where the client doesn’t have to manage, purchase or maintain that particular server. You outsource all server management to someone else, adding a level of abstraction in your cloud foundation. It opens wide opportunities for the developers, as now they have the ability to push server maintenance and put more focus on developing user friendly applications.It is highly important for the business that the deployment of the marketing idea should be as spontaneous as possible. Basically, the approach to Server-Less Architecture is mainly driven by business;it means that by which third parties handle your technical concerns while you focus on delivering results.

Using a traditional cloud model (often called Cloud 1.0), you simply move your storage and networking to the cloud, but you still have to access and monitor it remotely via virtual machines (VMs). The Server-Less Architecture is an approach that takes it to the next level. Where a developer selects an environment in which the code is created by c#, Node.js. Python, etc and then uploads the same code file, then the code by gets automatically deployed by the system. One can easily describe the communication pattern of these service and their data access points by using vendor’s own ecosystem.

Function-as-a-Service

Another name for Server-Less Architecture is Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), referring to the way developers assemble code into building blocks called functions. This cocept is quite similar to Micro-Services where immense amount of codes are being split into small fragments and the manageable elements are then scaled and updated separately. However, the Server-Less Architecture take sit even further by creating partitions even further.

Event-driven coding

I presume that no one wants to occupy the extra space of their camera hard drives recording everything that happens on the street. That’s why we employ motion activated cameras to detect suspicious behavior when we’re not at home. Server-Less Architecture works similarly: Just like a motion sensor, it only works when a particular pre-programmed event is triggered. Server-Less Architecture is stateless, meaning it only executes a task and doesn’t store or re-deployment of requests.

Scalable services

The Server-Less Architecture approach is flexible and ideal for scaling applications. The vendor of Server-Less Architecture takes each of the functions and provides them different containers to operate. This allows you to scale them endlessly and automatically. This is another difference between Server-Less Architecture and traditional cloud. Here you don’t have to purchase the assumed amount of resources; you can be as flexible as possible. To make sure the travel management platform 4site can flexibly grow, we employed AWS Lambda for the server(less) side of the project.

Billing per invocation

In the traditional could system one has to keep the server ready to process requests at all times. It is like keeping your air-conditioning on the entire year, all the time regardless of what weather you are having and end up spending huge part of your fortune on electricity bills. Constant server availability leads to significant back-end costs every month, irrespective of CPU time and memory that are actually practiced. Alternatively, Server-Less Architecture vendors allow you to pay a fraction of a price per request, which means that your costs will depend only on how much traffic you had this month.

Service vendors such as:

Google Cloud Functions

IBM Bluemix

OpenWhisk

Microsoft Azure Functions

Amazon Web Services Lambda

They normally provide similar opportunities in pricing and millions of requests are free of cost, making an easy budgets and great starting point. However, the main difference lies mostly in the community support and the availability of languages supported. To figure out what is better for you, check our comparison of the major Server-Less Architecture providers.

Advantages of Server-Less Architecture

Engineering-wise, the benefits of Server-Less Architectures obvious. It’s a simplified approach to development that eliminates a complicated layer, streamlining engineering efforts. Now let’s talk about how it benefits the business activities.

Cheaper than the traditional cloud:

As discussed earlier that the Sever-Less Architecture allows one to pay the fraction of the price per request, which is highly beneficial for start-ups, as they can easily build their online presences and gain traffic at extremely reasonable cost.

Scalable :

Everyone wants to build the next Uber, but would you risk provisioning foundation just in case? With Server-Less Architecture, you don’t have to make a choice, but you’ll still be ready for any volume of growth.

Lower human resources costs :

Just as you don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on hardware, you can stop paying engineers for maintaining it.

Ability to focus on client experience :

By saving the resources from the server expense the companies can focus more on improving the products features and make it more convenient to meet the needs of their customers.

Disadvantages of Server-Less Architecture

Vendor lock-in :

When you give a vendor the reins to control your operations, you have to play by their rules and it can be extremely complex situation, when one decides to migrate to another vendor. The same concern refers to coding languages: Right now only Node.js and Python developers have the freedom to choose between existing options for Server-Less Architecture.

Learning curve :

One might have a hard time with the learning curve for Server-Less Architecture even with the support of comprehensive documentation and community resources. Also, to painlessly migrate to Server-Less Architecture, you might want to split your monolith into Micro-Services, another complicated task to tackle. That’s why it’s preferable to get help from professionals experienced in tools of Server-Less Architecture.

Unsuitable for long term tasks :

The service provider such as Lambda only gives you some minutes to execute the task and if you fail to complete the task in that time period then one might have to call another function. Server-Less Architecture is great for short real-time or near-real-time processes like sending out emails. It requires additional Sever-Less Architecture functions in order to carry out the long duration tasks such as uploading video files.

Usage of Server-Less Architecture

Currently, most of the technology adopters are startups who seek for a possibility to scale painlessly and lower the entrance barrier. Server-Less Architecture is also a perfect approach for applications that don’t run continuously but rather have quiet periods and peaks of traffic.

Internet of Things applications

The real-time response nature of the approach of Server-Less Architecture works great for IoT usage. The Server-Less Architecture allows the user to sit idle for entire day, which is quite similar to cameras with motion detection.

Virtual assistants and chatbots

People using chats expect immediate responses which is why data processing via Server-Less Architecture can be faster. As your application grows from one hundred to several thousand clients, your processing time should also stay the same which is automated with FaaS.

Image-rich applications

To maintain great client experience, developers have to provide multiple versions of the same images for different screen sizes — from desktops, to tablets and smartphones. This significantly decreases loading time. However, the Google and AWS facilitates their clients by providing a tool to optimize their image as per their requirements, which makes a perfect solution for image-heavy applications.

Agile and Continuous Integration pipelines

Separating the code-base into functions also helps with bug fixing and shipping updates. Server-Less Architecture is an overall friendly way for maximum automation and rapid deployment processes.

Is Server-Less Architecture The Future?

Adopting Server-Less Architecture doesn’t just mean a technical change but also a mindset change. For many companies running on legacy foundation, the migration will be painful and not as cost-effective as it’s promised to be for starting organizations. By adopting Sever-Less Architecture one can avoid all the hardship and extra maintenance of the server and can achieve an optimum work flow. In addition to that the Server-Less Architecture is far from mainstream, though it’s moving in that direction and pretty fast. Various experts predict that the Server-Less Architecture will reach its plateau of productivity in 2–5 years, along with machine learning, VR and IoT. The technology is already available. The real struggle here is to determine the breadth of possible usage and waiting for the larger language and functionality pool from all vendors.

[owenstrachan]

INFOGRAPHIC – Cloud Computing: Answers to Your Why, How & What + Bonus Tips for SMBs

  Cloud Computing in 2019: Answers to Your Why, How & What + Bonus Tips for SMBs

By now you’re probably familiar with the term cloud computing, as it’s been regularly featured in the technology media for over a decade. However, many businesses still aren’t sure exactly what the cloud is or how much it can help them.

The cloud is a method of locating IT software and services in a remote data center and then accessing them across the Internet. By outsourcing the maintenance of your technology infrastructure to a third party, your business saves the expense of buying and managing its own IT hardware while enjoying greater stability and reliability.

Those benefits have led to strong, sustained enthusiasm for cloud computing, with 77% of companies now hosting a portion of their IT infrastructure in the cloud[i]. Despite that interest, many businesses still aren’t clear on the full potential of the cloud.

  There Are Many Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing comes in several different forms, each with their own optimal use cases. Here are some terms you may have heard, and the differences between them.

Public Services the public can access through a commercial service provider.

Private A secure and sophisticated cloud solution hosted on-premise or on third-party data centers that are dedicated solely to your organization.

Hybrid A customized mix of on-premise and public cloud resources that are configured to your needs.

Software as a Service (SaaS) Software for end-users that resides in a public cloud and is accessed over the Internet.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) A software environment that can be rented on a flexible basis – often for software development, and deployment of applications without having to worry about typical hardware or software maintenance.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Virtualized compute and storage resources that are accessed via the Internet, saving infrastructure costs.

What Can Cloud Do for My Organization?

Cloud computing is popular for enabling a new level of productivity and reliability. Here are the most common reasons companies look toward the cloud.

42% — Providing Access to Data from Anywhere 38% — Disaster Recovery 37% — Better Flexibility 36% — Reducing IT Staff Burden[ii]

With Data in the Cloud, Collaboration Improves

Allowing employees to effortlessly share ideas and data increases their ability to work and innovate.

90% of business leaders who have implemented the cloud say that it’s improved business processes.[iii]

A Financial Case for Cloud Computing

Another reason decision-makers are enthusiastic about cloud computing is that it lowers CAPEX and provide greater financial efficiency.

74% of chief financial officers say of all the emerging technologies, cloud computing will have the largest positive financial impact on their business.[iv]

Rest Better with Your Back-Ups in the Cloud

Disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) is a relatively new but quickly growing field, which uses the power and flexibility of cloud computing to safeguard businesses against catastrophe.

More than 40% of U.S. enterprises have already adopted DRaaS, while 20% more are planning on using it in the near future. [v]

A Cloud Solution for Any Industry

Cloud computing is no longer just for high-tech companies – there are now reliable, secure cloud solutions for businesses of every size and in every field.

77% of enterprises now have some portion of their infrastructure in the cloud.[vi]

Healthcare – 12% of healthcare workloads were running in the cloud 12 months ago. 39% of healthcare workloads are running in the cloud today [vii]

Legal Services – Adoption of cloud-based services stood at 68% in 2018, up from just 51% in 2015. [viii]

Financial Services – The finance cloud market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 24.4% and will reach $29.47 billion in size by 2021. [ix]

The Most Popular Cloud Applications

You probably use several cloud applications in your daily personal life without even knowing, like Netflix, Facebook and Uber. But there are many other cloud services, such as Amazon’s Amazon Web Service (AWS) and Microsoft’s Azure, that are growing rapidly.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amazon AWS is the largest provider of public cloud services, with a focus on infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (Paas) resources, such as compute, database storage, and content delivery services. Amazon’s revenue from AWS hit $6.7 billion in 2018, about 40% of the company’s total revenue.[x]

Microsoft Azure Azure is a large, continually-expanding set of cloud services from Microsoft, including SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS tools. The Azure service provides an attractive ecosystem for companies adopting either public or a hybrid cloud. Azure is currently the fastest growing of the major cloud service providers.[xi] [Beating Amazon, Google, and IBM]

E-mail is the #1 cloud-based business application, after web and general productivity software.[xii]

Office 365 Office 365 is one of the most popular cloud productivity suites available.  Over 56% of organizations globally are now using Microsoft Office 365. [xiii]

Google G-Suite G Suite, another highly popular productivity solution, has been adding approximately 1 million users a year since 2016.[xiv]

Cloud Security

Cloud security was a major concern in the past, but it’s much less so now that vendors have improved upon security protections. Today, the cloud is used to increase the overall network security of organizations.

According to Gartner, companies that setup visibility and security controls for their cloud applications experienced 33% fewer security issues in 2018.

Public cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) workloads will suffer at least 60% fewer security incidents than those in traditional data centers.[xv]

Despite the Benefits of Cloud, Migration is Still a Problem

Though cloud adoption has gotten easier – moving services from on-premise servers to the cloud – a process known as cloud migration – still poses great difficulties.

The most significant challenge during cloud migrations:

Data Migration 58%

Security Requirements 56%

Application Optimization 44%

Regulatory Compliance 40%[xvi]

The best way to avoid the difficulties inherent in cloud migration is to partner with a cloud computing expert, who can help you navigate the challenges and make the most of your cloud investment.

Manhattan Tech Support – NYC’s Cloud Expert

If you need help making sense of the cloud, we’re happy to help. For over 20 years, we’ve been one of New York City’s leading cloud experts, and we’re enthusiastic about sharing that expertise with small and midsized businesses in NYC.

Want to talk to a cloud expert with experience in your industry? Contact us at 212-299-7673 or info@manhattantechsupport.com

  SOURCES

[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2018/08/30/state-of-enterprise-cloud-computing-2018/#649ecc8d265e

[ii] https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/state-of-it/report/

[iii] https://www.trackvia.com/blog/productivity/increase-productivity-switching-cloud/

[iv]https://www.bdo.com/GETATTACHMENT/022227F4-AA2E-4A8B-9739-B0AD6B855415/ATTACHMENT.ASPX?2017-TECHNOLOGY-OUTLOOK-REPORT_2-17.PDF#page=10

[v] https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/storage-management/survey-reveals-tech-trends-reshaping-data-storage.html

[vi] https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2018/08/30/state-of-enterprise-cloud-computing-2018/#609d781265e3

[vii] https://www.truenorthitg.com/cloud-computing-in-healthcare/

[viii] https://www.legalitprofessionals.com/legal-it-columns/65-guest-columns/11267-tips-from-the-trenches-for-a-successful-cloud-migration

[ix] https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/finance-cloud-market-1053.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj6jqrcal2QIVCx-GCh3lnwi7EAAYASAAEgLG5fD_BwE

[x] https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/10/17/how-much-will-aws-contribute-to-amazons-near-term-revenue-growth/#11add3af2a53

[xi] https://www.channelpartnersonline.com/2019/02/07/azure-still-king-in-public-cloud-while-azure-grows-fastest-ibm-falls/

[xii] https://www.comptia.org/resources/cloud-computing-trends-research

[xiii] https://www.techrepublic.com/article/saas-suites-like-office-365-driving-cloud-deployments-with-2x-adoption-of-g-suite/

[xiv] https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2019/02/g-suite-5-million-users.html

[xv] https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/is-the-cloud-secure/

[xvi] https://deloitte.wsj.com/cio/2018/11/11/the-state-of-cloud-adoption/

  The post INFOGRAPHIC – Cloud Computing: Answers to Your Why, How & What + Bonus Tips for SMBs appeared first on Manhattan Tech Support.

from Manhattan Tech Support https://www.manhattantechsupport.com/blog/infographic-cloud-computing-answers-to-your-why-how-what-bonus-tips-for-smbs/

The following post INFOGRAPHIC – Cloud Computing: Answers to Your Why, How & What + Bonus Tips for SMBs is republished from Owen Strachan Blog

from https://owenstrachan.com/infographic-cloud-computing-answers-to-your-why-how-what-bonus-tips-for-smbs/

[phonemaxter-blog]

Cloud Computing Technology and Managed IT Services

Cloud Computing Technology Play a Long Term Role

Cloud Computing Technology helped organizations overcome smaller challenges in the short term, but there are new (bigger) issues on the horizon it can address.

As time goes on, it becomes more difficult to manage the increasing complexity of the new IT landscape.

These challenges apply across the board to private and public infrastructure, legacy applications and new applications developed or sourced through the cloud, as well as an assortment of new access devices driven by user preference.User demand is changing the way IT develops and delivers applications.We’re moving into a post-Windows world, which is becoming more and more evident as the quantity and variety of end-user devices expand.Converging technology is no longer just a data center paradigm, as users are expecting their mobile devices to be able to do more and vendors are responding to that demand.

Types of Managed IT Services & Consulting by Major Categories

Managed IT Support Services is often not a fixed engagement. In these cases below, the managed IT services provider may implement the solution with the option of delivering ongoing levels of service (either sold individually or included in your overall agreement).

Data Center Services

Servers

Storage

Power & Cooling

Managed Hosting

Backup, Recovery, & Archiving

Business Continuity

Disaster Recovery

Virtualization

Cloud Services

Public Cloud (IaaS)

Hybrid Cloud Integration

Private Cloud Consulting

Cloud Implementation and Migration

Cloud Readiness Assessments

IBM I-Cloud

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

Microsoft Azure

[theinvinciblenoob]

This week, both Microsoft and Google made moves to woo Hollywood to their cloud computing platforms in the latest act of the unfolding drama over who will win the multi-billion dollar business of the entertainment industry as it moves to the cloud.

Google raised the curtain with a splashy announcement that they’d be setting up their fifth cloud region in the U.S. in Los Angeles. Keeping the focus squarely on tools for artists and designers the company talked up its tools like Zync Render, which Google acquired back in 2014, and Anvato, a video streaming and monetization platform it acquired in 2016.

While Google just launched its LA hub, Microsoft has operated a cloud region in Southern California for a while, and started wooing Hollywood last year at the National Association of Broadcasters conference, according to Tad Brockway, a general manager for Azure’s storage and media business.

Now Microsoft has responded with a play of its own, partnering with the provider of a suite of hosted graphic design and animation software tools called Nimble Collective.

Founded by a former Pixar and DreamWorks animator, Rex Grignon, Nimble launched in 2014 and has raised just under $10 million from investors including the UCLA VC Fund and New Enterprise Associates, according to Crunchbase.

“Microsoft is committed to helping content creators achieve more using the cloud with a partner-focused approach to this industries transformation,” said Tad Brockway, General Manager, Azure Storage, Media and Edge at Microsoft, in a statement. “We’re excited to work with innovators like Nimble Collective to help them transform how animated content is produced, managed and delivered.”

There’s a lot at stake for Microsoft, Google and Amazon as entertainment companies look to migrate to managed computing services. Tech firms like IBM have been pitching the advantages of cloud computing for Hollywood since 2010, but it’s only recently that companies have begun courting the entertainment industry in earnest.

While leaders like Netflix migrated to cloud services in 2012 and 21st Century Fox worked with HP to get its infrastructure on cloud computing, other companies have lagged. Now companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are competing for their business as more companies wake up to the pressures and demands for more flexible technology architectures.

As broadcasters face more demanding consumers, fragmented audiences, and greater time pressures to produce and distribute more content more quickly, cloud architectures for technology infrastructure can provide a solution, tech vendors argue.

Stepping into the breach, cloud computing and technology service providers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are trying to buy up startups servicing the entertainment market specifically, or lock in vendors like Nimble through exclusive partnerships that they can leverage to win new customers. For instance, Microsoft bought Avere Systems in January, and Google picked up Anvato in 2016 to woo entertainment companies.

The result should be lower cost tools for a broader swath of the market, and promote more cross-pollination across different geographies, according to Grignon, Nimble’s chief executive.

“That worldwide reach is very important,” Grignon said. “In media and entertainment there are lots of isolated studios around the world. We afford this pathway between the studio in LA and the studio in Bangalore. We open these doorways.”

There are other, more obvious advantages as well. Streaming — exemplified by the relationship between Amazon and Netflix is well understood — but the possibility to bring costs down by moving to cloud architectures holds several other distribution advantages as well as simplifying processes across pre- and post-production, insiders said.

  via TechCrunch

[roseacisco]

Big tech companies are looking at Hollywood as the next stage in their play for the cloud

This week, both Microsoft and Google made moves to woo Hollywood to their cloud computing platforms in the latest act of the unfolding drama over who will win the multi-billion dollar business of the entertainment industry as it moves to the cloud.

Google raised the curtain with a splashy announcement that they’d be setting up their fifth cloud region in the U.S. in Los Angeles. Keeping the focus squarely on tools for artists and designers the company talked up its tools like Zync Render, which Google acquired back in 2014, and Anvato, a video streaming and monetization platform it acquired in 2016.

While Google just launched its LA hub, Microsoft has operated a cloud region in Southern California for a while, and started wooing Hollywood last year at the National Association of Broadcasters conference, according to Tad Brockway, a general manager for Azure’s storage and media business.

Now Microsoft has responded with a play of its own, partnering with the provider of a suite of hosted graphic design and animation software tools called Nimble Collective.

Founded by a former Pixar and DreamWorks animator, Rex Grignon, Nimble launched in 2014 and has raised just under $10 million from investors including the UCLA VC Fund and New Enterprise Associates, according to Crunchbase.

“Microsoft is committed to helping content creators achieve more using the cloud with a partner-focused approach to this industries transformation,” said Tad Brockway, General Manager, Azure Storage, Media and Edge at Microsoft, in a statement. “We’re excited to work with innovators like Nimble Collective to help them transform how animated content is produced, managed and delivered.”

There’s a lot at stake for Microsoft, Google and Amazon as entertainment companies look to migrate to managed computing services. Tech firms like IBM have been pitching the advantages of cloud computing for Hollywood since 2010, but it’s only recently that companies have begun courting the entertainment industry in earnest.

While leaders like Netflix migrated to cloud services in 2012 and 21st Century Fox worked with HP to get its infrastructure on cloud computing, other companies have lagged. Now companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are competing for their business as more companies wake up to the pressures and demands for more flexible technology architectures.

As broadcasters face more demanding consumers, fragmented audiences, and greater time pressures to produce and distribute more content more quickly, cloud architectures for technology infrastructure can provide a solution, tech vendors argue.

Stepping into the breach, cloud computing and technology service providers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are trying to buy up startups servicing the entertainment market specifically, or lock in vendors like Nimble through exclusive partnerships that they can leverage to win new customers. For instance, Microsoft bought Avere Systems in January, and Google picked up Anvato in 2016 to woo entertainment companies.

The result should be lower cost tools for a broader swath of the market, and promote more cross-pollination across different geographies, according to Grignon, Nimble’s chief executive.

“That worldwide reach is very important,” Grignon said. “In media and entertainment there are lots of isolated studios around the world. We afford this pathway between the studio in LA and the studio in Bangalore. We open these doorways.”

There are other, more obvious advantages as well. Streaming — exemplified by the relationship between Amazon and Netflix is well understood — but the possibility to bring costs down by moving to cloud architectures holds several other distribution advantages as well as simplifying processes across pre- and post-production, insiders said.

[jamesmcphee30]

Transitioning Away From Legacy IT

One of the more exciting things I saw at Dell Technologies World this week was the announcement by VMware that they are supporting Microsoft Azure now in additional to AWS. It’s interesting because VMware is trying to provide a proven, stable migration path for companies that are wanting to move to the cloud but still retain their investments in VMware and legacy virtualization. But is offing legacy transition a good idea?

Hold On For One More Day

If I were to mention VLAN 1002-1005 to networking people, they would likely jump up and tell me that I was crazy. Because those VLANs are not valid on any Cisco switches save for the Nexus line. But why? What makes these forbidden? Unless you’re studying for your CCIE you probably just know these are bad and move on.

Turns out, they are a legacy transition mechanism from the IOS-SX days. 1002 and 1004 were designed to bridge FDDI-to-Ethernet, and 1003 and 1005 did the same for Token Ring. As Greg Ferro points out here, this code was tightly bound into IOS-SX and likely couldn’t be removed for fear of breaking the OS. The reservation continued forward in all IOS branches except NX-OS, which pulled them due to lack of support for those protocols.

So, we’ve got a legacy transition mechanism causing problems for users well past the “use by” date. Token Ring was on the way out at IBM in 2001. And yet, for some reason seventeen years later I still have to worry about bridging it? Or how about the rumors that Windows skipped from version 8 to version 10 because legacy code bases assumed Windows 9 meant Windows 95? Something 23 years old forced a major version change?

We keep putting legacy bridges in place all the time to help migrate things. Virtualization isn’t the only culprit here. We’ve found all manner of things that we can do to “trick” systems into working with modern hardware. We even made one idea into a button. But we never really solve the underlying issues. We just keep creating workarounds until we’re forced to move.

The Dream Is Still Alive

As it turns out, it’s expensive to refactor code bases and update legacy software to support new hardware. We’ve hit this problem time and time again with all manner of products. I can remember when Cisco CallManager wouldn’t install on a spare server I had with the same model number as a support machine just because the CPU was exactly 100MHz too fast. It’s frustrating to say the least.

But, we also have to realize that legacy transition mechanisms are not permanent fixes. It’s right there in the name. Transition. We put them in place because it’s cheaper in the short term while we investigate long term methods to make everything work correctly. But it’s still important to find those long term solutions. Maybe it’s a new application. Or a patch to make it work with new hardware. Sometimes, as Apple has done, it’s a warning that old software will stop working soon.

As developers, it’s important to realize that your app may last long past the date you want to stop supporting it. If you could still install Office 2000 on a desktop, I’m almost positive that someone would try it. We still have ways to install and use DOS software! If you want to ensure that your software is being used correctly and that you aren’t issuing patches for it after you’ve retired to a comfortable island with no Internet connection, make sure you find a way to ease transitions and offer new connection options to users.

For those of you that are still stuck in the morass of supporting legacy software or hardware, take a look at what you’re using it for and try to make hard choices where appropriate. If your organization is moving to the cloud, maybe now is the time to cut off your support for an application that’s too old to survive the migration. Or maybe it’s time to retire the Domain Controller That Time Forgot. But you have to do it before you’re forced to virtualize it and support it in perpetuity in AWS or Azure.

Tom’s Take

I’ll be the first to admit that legacy hardware and software are really popular. I worked with a company one time that still had an AS/400 admin on staff because of one application. It just happened to the one that paid people. At Interop ITX this year, the CIO for Detroit mentioned that they had to bring a developer out of retirement to make sure people kept getting paid. But legacy can’t be a part of the future. You either need to find a way to move what you have while you look for something better or you need to cut it off at the knees and find a way to make those functions work somewhere else. Because you don’t want to be the last company running AS/400 payroll over token ring bridged to a Cisco switch on VLAN 1003.

from martinos https://networkingnerd.net/2018/05/04/transitioning-away-from-legacy-it/

[xtravirt]

A round up of VMworld 2017

by Simon Eady

Having missed VMworld 2016, I was looking forward to attending this year, especially after the big announcements from the 2016 events and VMworld US 2017.

Hardly surprising, VMware on AWS featured heavily and the available sessions to attend were numerous. But, due to the current and future projects I’m engaged with, my primary focus this time was on vRealize Operations and vRealize Automation.

Of all the key note announcements made, the HCX one was the most impressive. Available in late 2017 via IBM and OVH, HCX will allow you to connect your private cloud to any VMware cloud vendor, allowing you to seamlessly move your apps easily into the cloud and back.

I’ve heard it said that whoever nails the flexibility of moving around in the cloud will be a huge success. So, I believe HCX will be a very attractive offering to those businesses looking for an option to easily “burst” into the cloud when required.

The first session I attended was “How to build a software defined DR practice with vSAN and SRM”. This was very useful as nearly every customer I have visited in the past 12 months was using either one or both products so it was good to understand how they can be used together with great effect.

Some key take-aways from the session were:

vSphere Replication is free with Essentials Plus and higher

vSphere Replication is not limited to just SRM you can get a little creative with it if you wish

The SRM Roadmap finally as an appliance on it

For SRM to work the products need to be the same version

SRM supports vSAN stretched clusters, this is great to be able to move VMs to other DCs in separate vCenters (migration workflows)

vSAN Stretched Cluster requires 5ms RTT 1-Gbe (works on L2 and L3 networks) a 3rd site is needed for the witness server.

 Another area I am upskilling in is PowerShell/PowerCLI so it was beneficial to get along to the “Introduction to the PowerCLI Repository” session presented by Kyle Ruddy. If automation and daily operations is your thing, then you need to get your head into Powershell and PowerCLI ASAP.

So why Powershell/PowerCLI? Well, in this rapidly changing industry the cloud is king and it functions via automation and there are many products and languages that enable this. From a VMware point of view, PowerCLI is extremely powerful and fortunately relatively straight forward to learn (if you invest some time). The bonus here is that Powershell (which is what PowerCLI sits on) works very nicely with Azure, so if you can get competent with it you will effectively be killing 2 birds with one stone. If you are a sysadmin or consultant and have not yet made the jump to learning a language then now is the time. Staying relevant and valuable as an IT professional, and learning a language is key because automation has arrived and it is here to stay.

As someone who does not personally find coding easy, I have found a great deal of value from learning it, however, I have also found it to be a reasonable learning curve.

A key feature of VMworld events are the Design Workshops and this year I was fortunate to be invited to attend a vRealize Operations Design Workshop. While the content is under an NDA I can say that VMware have really got a good handle on getting feedback from experts and customers alike. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and am really looking forward to what comes next for the product. On a similar product theme, I was also invited to attend a TAM session focused on vROps.

Taking a break from the main sessions, I had my first experience of a hackathon. It was an excellent learning experience as well as a chance to meet new people from the wider vCommunity. The team I was a part of was called “one pod to rule them all” which focused on automating the deployment of various VMware products, to which we made some good progress but the 4 hours quickly disappeared. My key take-away from this, is that the Hackathon is a fun learning exercise along with being a great way to meet new people. So, if you have an opportunity to attend a hackathon near you, I would strongly encourage you to try it out.

The solutions exchange AKA the vendor hall provided another aspect to VMworld. I always enjoy wandering around the solutions exchange as I like to see what is new from the vendors and it helps get a feel for where the market place is right now. I made sure I visited a few vendors with whom I have worked with in the past and present, such as Blue Medora but also took time to check out anything new that caught my eye. This year I found a product and company called Morpheus. If you are looking at implementing your own in house and hybrid cloud solution they are very much worth a look.

For anyone that has attended before you will (I hope) be keenly aware of the fantastic networking opportunities at the conference and of course the evening activities.  If I was not in a session or in the Solutions Exchange, then I spent most of my time in the VMTN area (community’s area) catching up with and meeting new people from the wider vCommunity. I have no doubt in my mind that one of the huge strengths to the VMware eco-system is the community behind it. Having the VMTN lounge apart of the vBrownbag stage was a genius idea as you could blog, chat, network and learn all at the same time.

For me personally, aside from the sessions, the key strength to VMworld is the networking component. It is what you make of it, so getting involved and meeting people brings such great value to the event.

Rounding up, it was an excellent VMworld, good solid announcements and superb sessions to attend and as always, the networking and evening events were absolutely worth the trip.

To find out more about how your organisation can benefit from VMware products and solutions, please contact us and we’ll be happy to use our wealth of knowledge and experience to assist you.

**About the Author **

Simon Eady is an Xtravirt Senior Consultant with over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry. He has delivered a wide range of projects including solutions for server consolidation, data centre migration and upgrade, and deployment of Microsoft and VMware product sets.  His specialist areas include VMware virtualisation products and Microsoft Server Technologies and solutions. Simon is also a vExpert 2017 and leader of the South West UK VMUG (VMware User Group).