.
Onderdeel van
digitale transformatie
From servers to Azure
The digital transformation is about change and flexibility. IT plays an important role in this. We make IT simple and make it available to your company in bite-sized chunks.
Part of the digital transformation
Servers and Azure
Technologie wordt steeds belangrijker in ons leven. De digitale transformatie die hiermee gepaard gaat, gaat over strategie en een nieuwe manier van denken. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan facturen per mail in plaats van de post, Word-documentjes in plaats van handgeschreven teksten en digitale notities in plaats van Post-its. Op IT-gebied houdt dit in dat een werkplek beschikbaar wordt gemaakt op elke locatie, dus dat alles gewoon overal en altijd beschikbaar is. Een essentieel onderdeel hiervan zijn servers. Deze moeten op een veilige en goede manier beheerd worden. Het maakt voor ons niet uit of jouw servers op kantoor staan, in een datacentrum of (gedeeltelijk) in de cloud. Wij zorgen ervoor dat jij jouw werk kunt blijven doen en verzorgen jouw bedrijf met goede serverdiensten, waaronder Azure, Microsofts cloud oplossing.
Wanneer je geen zin meer hebt in veiligheidsproblemen of drama (bijvoorbeeld trage servers of andere serverproblemen die de voortgang, kwaliteit en productiviteit van het bedrijf in de weg staan), is het tijd om mee te gaan in de digitale transformatie. Op technisch gebied zijn er een aantal valkuilen, die wij graag voor je benoemen én voorkomen.
Met ‘secure by design’ zorgen wij voor
veilige producten met continuïteit
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. You can do this as a company, but also as a private individual. What is the advantage? Your security is much better organised than with the average hosting party, because Microsoft spends billions on security.
The differences between old and new
| Old way | New way | Why better? | Need expertise? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Way of solving problems | Reactive management Doing a lot afterwards. You repair when something is broken There is a fault, and you fix it as soon as possible | Proactive management You get an alarm beforehand. "Soon a disk will be full". You fix it before anyone notices. By measuring in detail you can see problems in advance.If a service on the server service crashes, you can have itrestarted automatically, but you want to know this so you can look at the cause and act on it. So automation and rootcause analysis ensure the prevention of failures that have major consequences. | Geen downtime meer, je kunt doorwerken Voorkomen van grote storingen problemen herkennen voordat ze toeslaan. | Extremely much. You really have to have studied for it. There are certification courses. These are complex 3-4 year courses that are part of an MBO/HBO diploma in IT. |
| Scalability | Licences per unit of account Licences per unit of account, server, person or a combination of these. From purchase to lease, the hardware remains the most difficult to scale. Certainly in smaller set-ups in small and medium-sized businesses. | Small cubes performance. You don't just rent a server, but a piece of a server, including licences. You can on a very short term basis (per hour, or minute even) and thus pay 100% for use. | Scalable, more efficient in cost and performance, cheaper, more flexible. Much simpler set-up and with volatile environment the costs are still predictable. | Knowledge of Servers, scaling, performance and especially Microsoft Azure with its many services *hundreds* of them But also of costs and cost control. And: ITers who at the forefront of in technology. |
| Backups | Arranging backups yourself
Manual setting control | Automatic backups
Done in a safe way without looking back A shift from services to requirements in functionality (such as retention and data security) | More efficient, safer, continuity | ITers who know how to protect your data safely, securely and with the right retention. |
*In addition to increased security, this also increases convenience, as you no longer need to log in everywhere.
What do we do about server management?
We make IT simple and clear
We manage your server ourselvesijust like just like with laptops or other devices. You come to us and we take care of it. Did you buy the equipment from us, then we handle the guarantee. We schedule additional work promptly, such as the installation or the restoration of data or erasing hard disks.
For Servers, we also diagnose the problem for you (within our maintenance contract) and ensure the most efficient handling. Have you thought of everything and are you doing well, but do you encounter problems?? DTHEN WE help you with priority. For example, we will provide you with a temporarye a laptop or an alternative solution.
With our 3-2-1 back- –up strategy, you will be up and running again as soon as possible in the event of a server failure.
Frequently asked questions about Servers and Azure
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.
Ja dat is het zeker. Het zit vooral in ervaring en kennis opbouw. Dat is het verschil tussen het gewoon doen en het goed doen. Met ‘automation’ en ‘monitoring’ kun je veel efficiëntie behalen in prestaties en continuïteit. Hierin gaan wij bij Lime Networks erg ver om jouw bedrijf optimaal te laten presteren. Beveiliging is hierin misschien nog wel het belangrijkste. Zonder ervaring en kennis ontstaan onveilige situaties die je zelf niet (kunt) inzien. Daar ligt onze kracht. In de uitvoer is serveronderhoud niet zo heel veel werk, doordat wij hiervoor de juiste tools hebben. Zo voorkom je ook individuele fouten.
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.
Wij zorgen ervoor dat de servers veilig en up-to-date zijn met speciale software (DATTORMM) en een team van professionals. Zij zetten slimme scripting, automatisering en een gestandaardiseerd updateproces in. Tevens worden veelvoorkomende problemen geautomatiseerd opgelost. Mocht het toch ergens niet goed gaan, dan worden er automatisch meldingen gemaakt en pakken wij deze vlot aan.
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.
Bij Azure betaal je bijna altijd voor het gebruik van een dienst. De kosten zijn voor het directe verbruik. Neem een server, daar betaal je per tijdseenheid (minuten). Of bijvoorbeeld opslag, daar betaal je per GigaByte. Hierin zitten gelijk licenties voor bijvoorbeeld Windows server of toegangslicenties voor gebruik van de dienst. Heb je meer nodig, dan betaal je iets meer; heb je minder nodig dan betaal je ook echt minder. Je kunt bijvoorbeeld een server in het weekend uitzetten als je deze niet nodig hebt. Super handig! De kosten zijn ook altijd een resultaat van een casus of een onderzoek bij een klant. Wij kunnen vrij goed een kostenberekening maken maar het is wel specifiek per klant/oplossing. Prijzen voor alle diensten zijn te vinden op de website van Azure en openbaar. Tevens kun je daar een berekening maken en live aanpassen zodat het inzicht in de kosten heel helder is. Producten op langere termijn aanschaffen zorgt voor meer kortingen.
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.