Microsoft attaches great importance to security and spends 1 billion dollars a year on it for Azure. When you choose Microsoft's cloud platform "Azure" (pronounced es-jurre), you get a piece of the pie. But how can you go to the cloud? Today we will limit ourselves to Azure and explain various ways.
Want to know more about the cloud and cloud services first? Then check out our blogs:
What is Azure and why is Azure useful?
Azure is the umbrella name for Microsoft's cloud platform. It includes various locations around the world that are gigantic data centres, which you can then rent a piece of. This is possible as a company and is based on usage. The advantage? Your security is much better organised than with the average hosting party, because Microsoft spends 1 billion dollars a year on security.
Well, now that you know what Azure is, it's time for the next step: the different ways to migrate to it. Don't let the English terms and crazy names scare you. We will explain everything clearly for you. And if you still don't understand it all, just give us a call and we'll clear up any uncertainties.
Way #1: Lift and shift
The first way is the simplest, because as the name suggests, you literally pick up the computer and place it virtually in Azure. So you place the computer or server 1 on 1 in Azure, taking over the entire environment. This may not be the cheapest option, but you can scale it up or down based on your usage.
Method #2: Refactor
With Refactor, you convert an application on your computer or server so that it can run without a server in Azure. The advantage is that you have a smaller area to manage. You can build up a server as before, but increasingly you transform part of your server (sometimes even the entire server) into one or more services. Then you no longer have server management, but really an application in the cloud. That way, you don't have to worry about it, but you do have clear agreements.
Way #3: RemoteApp
With RDS you open a remote desktop on another server. Everything is already there, such as your applications. RemoteApp is a lighter version of RDS, which means that you do not open an entire session, but only a specific application on another computer. You only open the application that is offered, such as your CRM system or application you developed yourself. So you don't have the whole remote desktop session like with RDS. So you can easily use all your specific business applications without installing them everywhere. They are also very easy to maintain, update and secure.
Want to know more about Azure?
Frequently asked questions about servers and Azure
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Azure is the umbrella name for Microsoft's cloud platform. Microsoft's Office 365 services use Microsoft's data centres and cloud. So they work together.
In the field of Windows-only services and servers, I think we can safely say: Yes! For other services that are generic, it is a different story. Microsoft is one of the market leaders. The diversity, reliability and security are together truly unique and unrivalled. Other cloud platforms undoubtedly have their own areas in which they excel. With Microsoft Azure you are safe in terms of pricing, performance, security and continuity for the future. That is why our preference and expertise lies with Microsoft Azure.
That your servers perform optimally and safely. Server management includes all activities to keep your server up-to-date with functional and security updates. We also monitor the server so that abnormal behaviour quickly becomes visible and can be remedied. In addition, with automation and scripting, we also ensure the security of your server and resolve many failures with an automatically generated solution. Very efficient. Control of back-ups and automatic control of the incidental restoring of data from a back-up or even an entire server.
That differs per company. If you are using Office 365 and Teams, you will continue to work with your files. Functions such as working live on the same document are temporarily on hold, but you can continue to work as usual. Are you more dependent on internet access, for example because of cloud services such as applications, databases or WVD? Then it is wise to prepare for this with a redundant internet connection (a back-up connection that takes over if your main connection fails). Certainly at your office location, this is no superfluous luxury. Of course, we can help you with this, so that you can continue working in the event of a failure.
There are even several advantages! We wrote a blog about it: what is (good) server management and why is it important?
We have written a blog about this: how to go to the cloud?
When we think of a server, we think of a piece of hardware with software on it that 'serves' one or more services on the network. With a virtual server, the software is packed into a single file. We call this a 'container'. Several containters can also be active at the same time on one physical server. They behave as real individual servers. These containers/virtual servers are easy to move to other physical hardware.
Well, opinions sometimes differ on that. The technology and the security are of course well taken care of in Azure. Much better than in the office. Still, you need to maintain your servers well, even if they are in Azure with good server management(read our blog about this). We are talking about virtual servers. Especially if you provide virtual server services that are connected to the internet or provide your staff with services. Azure also excels in physical security and emergency scenarios. Think for example of theft, fire, disasters, sabotage, and so on. This much higher level of security is why we are fans of Azure.
The cloud is certainly safe. In the case of Azure, Microsoft tries to comply with as many guidelines as possible such as ISO and NEN. Your specific services must also be secured, of course. If your virtual servers or services are connected to the internet so that others can see them or if staff can directly access the services, then you must secure them against unauthorised use. This is often easier than having them in the office, but it has to be done.
Yes it certainly is. It's mostly in experience and knowledge building. That's the difference between just doing it and doing it right. With 'automation' and 'monitoring' you can achieve a lot of efficiency in performance and continuity. We at Lime Networks go to great lengths to ensure that your company performs optimally. Security is perhaps the most important aspect. Without experience and knowledge, unsafe situations arise that you cannot see for yourself. Therein lies our strength. Server maintenance is not a lot of work, because we have the right tools for the job. This also prevents individual mistakes.
Actually, all types of servers, if we limit ourselves to the hardware. If we talk about the software, we supply Windows-Only. You can think of ActiveDirectory, Storage, SQL, RDS/WVD, RemoteApp and application servers. In Azure, some servers are broken down more into functions or roles in order to achieve efficiency. We are happy to tell you how to maintain or set up your server park in the cloud in a modern way, without too much inconvenience.
It's the other way around: why NOT go to the cloud? Cloud first, unless...' is the most modern strategy for your IT these days. The reason why you should do this varies from company to company. Think for example of security, performance, continuity, volatility, cost control, from OPEX to CAPEX, less uncertainties, focus on the core strategy of your company... These were some of the important motivations, but there are more. Do you want to know what your personal motivation is? Let us know and we will gladly think along with you.
- Easily replace the hardware under the container
- Moving the container if the hardware breaks down
- Placing multiple containers on one physical server
- Keep the physical server on standby.
If a physical server breaks down, you can quickly deploy one or more virtual servers by moving them to it.
... And much more. Virtualisation/virtual servers are an evolution in IT. The cloud also benefits enormously from this. Would you like to know more about it? Give us a call.
Of course, you can continue to work locally. However, in the cloud you can protect personal data just as well as on a local server. Especially when it comes to security and availability, the cloud can offer a solution. Don't let the AVG be an obstacle to the cloud, but rather a strength with which you can achieve more than before. Take security to the outside world or theft, for example. The cloud can do that much better.
Yes, the technology is ready. We often hear from customers that there are some doubts, e.g. about logistics, how modern the company is or about specific wishes and requirements. We will be happy to explain that there are already solutions to this problem. Call us for an intake and explanation of a ready-made solution. Cost savings, efficiency and security often go hand in hand with a modern cloud solution.
Yes and no. Services and servers in the cloud have an SLA (Service Level Agreement). Services are the responsibility of the supplier. If we put a customer's server in the cloud, maintenance is almost as important as putting a server in the office. There are many advantages to the cloud (higher uptime, quickly adding capacity, a high degree of redundancy, delivering performance even when hardware fails, etc.) but the maintenance of your server remains a customer affair. Of course, we take care of that! We also advise you well, so that you can optimise your costs and get the most out of the cloud without paying too much.
We ensure that the servers are secure and up-to-date with special software (DATTORMM) and a team of professionals. They deploy smart scripting, automation and a standardized update process. Also, common problems are solved automatically. Should things still go wrong somewhere, notifications are made automatically and we address them promptly.
At first glance, this appears to be the case. The cost is often a combination of computing power, memory, storage, redundancy, availability, licences, and so on. It is complex to see, but you can often be much more efficient and by definition better prepared for fluctuations (volatility) and redundancy.
In Azure, your data, servers and data are by default located in data centres in the Netherlands. You can also specify whether you want to distribute your services to the rest of the world or to a specific location. Sometimes you want to be 'georedundant', i.e. operate in more than one geographical location at the same time. Perhaps you want the Hong Kong office to have a higher performance and you want to have servers or services in that specific region. You can indicate this.
Most servers are perfectly suited to the cloud. There are also usually advantages over a server in the office. We often hear limitations or doubts from customers when this is not necessary. We are happy to look at your specific solution and present you with a ready-made solution.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Azure is a set of services on the Internet. The moment you are offline you are not physically connected. With Office 365, for example, you can continue working with data offline if you use OneDrive. Technically, Office 365 is a cloud service that uses Microsoft's cloud.
With Azure, you almost always pay for using a service. The cost is for direct consumption. Take a server, there you pay per unit of time (minutes). Or for example storage, there you pay per GigaByte. This includes licenses for Windows server, for example, or access licenses for using the service. If you need more, you pay a little more; if you need less, you actually pay less. For example, you can turn off a server on weekends if you don't need it. Super convenient! The costs are also always a result of a case study or an investigation at a customer's site. We are pretty good at calculating costs but it is specific per client/solution. Prices for all services can be found on Azure's website and publicly. Also, you can make a calculation there and adjust live so the understanding of costs is very clear. Purchasing products on a longer term basis allows for more discounts.
Azure is Microsoft's suite of cloud services. This is about renting servers, databases, storage, AI, IOT and hundreds of different things to move your IT services to the cloud in the background. We help you with choices, advice, cost control, migration to it and the management and advice once it's up and running.
A server is a type of computer that 'serves' services. Think of e-mail or files or a database that is available to users, other servers or programs. A well-known one is e-mail. Your Outlook connects to it to retrieve your e-mail (synchronisation) and also, at the same time, for your colleagues, your calendar and, for example, your telephone, which is also synchronised.
A horse is an animal, but an animal is not a horse. Azure, for example, is a wide range of cloud services. But there are also other players in the market such as Google, Amazon, IBM, etc.
On the Azure platform, the possibilities are almost endless. From storage, computing power, (virtual) servers, AI, SQL, IOT and much more. We would be happy to explain what this means in a personal meeting.
