Azure is going local: Time to think about how you can benefit

Many organisations across Aotearoa are already realising the benefits of the public cloud, having adopted the likes of Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform service, which is currently delivered from our closest Azure region – Australia.

By now, you will be aware of Microsoft building data centres in New Zealand, with Fonterra, BNZ and ACC among the first customers that have signed up to use the infrastructure when it comes online sometime in the next 12 months.

AWS, Google and other vendors are also following suit, collectively representing the biggest investment in computing infrastructure we’ve seen in Aotearoa in many decades.

These are exciting developments that will provide a massive contribution to the economy and job sector; in addition, the environmental benefits cannot be overlooked. This will cause every New Zealand organisation to re-evaluate its data centre hosting model over the coming years. The arrival of the top-3 public cloud computing platforms will see them directly compete with local NZ companies who are currently hosting services for many businesses and public agencies. My view is that this competition is a good thing – it will drive innovation and competitive offerings in the marketplace – among existing and new cloud players alike.

Simplifying cloud arrangements

Today, many mid to enterprise-sized customers are using local NZ data centre hosting facilities with either a Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) setup on a consumption-based model or using their own hardware.

The presence of the New Zealand data centre regions being deployed by the big cloud providers will allow customers to simplify their IT operations, address being locked into the continuous cycle of expensive data center hardware replacement programmes allowing them to focus back to delivering outcomes and reliable services to the business.

Careful planning is required to get the most from public cloud platforms, as there are a lot of aspects relating to cloud consumption to consider and plan for that are often overlooked, such as governance and cost management, and the list goes on!

At Deptive, we focus first and foremost on our customers’ application requirements. We gain an understanding of how these applications are used within the organisation and then work backwards to identify how they need to be optimised, hosted and delivered to the users for optimal productivity.

We then identify the appropriate governance model, architecture, hosting requirements, networking and how applications will be delivered to users. This architecture can vary depending on the business, integration requirements and application characteristics.

Many organisations still rely on legacy client/server applications and need to use a local compute capability due to networking or data sovereignty and compliance requirements. The localisation of public cloud platforms opens up the options for modernising infrastructure while meeting those same requirements.

Planning is key

Having experienced IT architects who can work with your organisation to understand your business requirements and provide guidance on how cloud computing can be leveraged is absolutely key.

In most cases, it isn’t simply a case of taking what you are doing now and putting it on the Azure platform. You need to clearly articulate your requirements and what outcomes you are trying to achieve.

That’s now the priority for New Zealand organisations looking to take full advantage of Azure and other cloud platforms in the coming months and years. Big organisations, in particular, require a significant lead time to plan their cloud strategy and migration, with technical, training and even regulatory issues to consider.

The Cloud and Infrastructure team at Deptive is helping assess customers’ cloud readiness and assisting them plan for their cloud migration. Our assessment process looks at every aspect of IT infrastructure, databases, applications and cybersecurity requirements to help determine the best path to the cloud, one that is mapped out with scalability, affordability, energy efficiency and flexibility in mind.

It’s an exciting time to consider moving applications, infrastructure and data to the cloud. Deptive can help you make the most of this opportunity.

Get in touch with a Deptive consultant to start planning your cloud migration.