Helping organizations adopt and manage the cloud

Maximize the value of your cloud investment with effective management

Maximizing the value of your cloud investment is crucial in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. Cloud computing, like using Microsoft Azure, has become the foundation for many organizations, enabling agility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, merely adopting cloud services is not enough; effective management of cloud resources is key to extracting the full potential and value from your investment.

Platforms such as Azure, AWS and Google Cloud offer a wide range of services and configurations, and choosing the right combination for your specific needs is essential. By continuously monitoring and analyzing resource utilization, you can identify inefficiencies, scale resources up or down as needed, and ensure optimal performance and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, implementing automated scaling mechanisms based on usage patterns can further enhance resource utilization and cost savings.

Another critical component of effective cloud management is security and compliance. As organizations increasingly rely on the cloud to store sensitive data and run critical applications, ensuring the protection of assets becomes paramount. Think of implementing robust security measures, such as encryption, access controls, and intrusion detection systems. Regular audits and compliance checks should also be performed to meet regulatory requirements and industry standards.

We also need to look at cost management or FinOps when we talk about management and maximizing the value of your cloud investment. While cloud services offer scalability and cost-efficiency, uncontrolled usage can result in unexpected expenses. Monitoring and optimizing costs involve understanding your usage patterns, identifying areas of potential waste, and implementing cost controls. This can include strategies such as rightsizing instances, leveraging reserved instances for predictable workloads, and using cost management tools provided by cloud providers.

Furthermore, effective cloud management includes continuous monitoring and performance optimization. Proactively monitoring your cloud infrastructure and applications can help identify performance bottlenecks, ensure high availability, and optimize response times. This can involve leveraging monitoring tools, setting up alerts, and analyzing performance metrics to make data-driven optimizations.

Challenges to manage hybrid cloud scenarios across the business

Efforts to adopt and scale a cloud platform often slow or stall once the transformation process has started. This can happen for various reasons, such as due to remaining in a constant state of experimentation without a clear direction or struggling to make a clear business case for scaling up without the right foundations in place. Still, research leveraging content from several IT experts shows that 64 percent of the enterprises will have modernized at least half of their infrastructure by moving it to cloud technology. The cloud portion of the top 100 Managed Services deals in 2021 reached $17.4 billion, being significantly higher than the $16 billion in 2020, meaning that the urgency of the acceleration grew during the pandemic and will continue to do so, states Fujitsu’s Market Intelligence’s Global Market View – Hybrid IT report as of 2022. But this also means that part of the infrastructure will remain on premises and thus enterprises will have to manage hybrid cloud environments.

One significant challenge is maintaining consistent governance and security across the hybrid cloud infrastructure. With data and applications spread across multiple environments, ensuring a cohesive security posture and compliance with regulations becomes crucial. Organizations need to establish standardized security policies, access controls, and monitoring mechanisms that can be applied uniformly across all cloud environments. Additionally, implementing robust identity and access management solutions can help mitigate security risks and maintain control over user permissions.

Integration and interoperability are also major challenges in hybrid cloud management. Connecting and orchestrating services between public and private clouds, as well as on-premises systems, can be complex. Ensuring seamless communication and data flow between disparate environments require robust integration solutions and careful planning. Organizations should invest in integration technologies that support hybrid cloud scenarios, such as API management platforms and hybrid integration platforms.

Lastly, managing the skills and expertise required for hybrid cloud management is essential. It demands a blend of knowledge in different cloud platforms, networking, security, and integration technologies. Organizations should invest in training and development programs for their IT staff to acquire the necessary skills to effectively manage hybrid cloud environments.

Building resilience in the cloud without losing agility

Given the time it takes to get a cloud platform up and running, businesses can easily overlook the importance of management once operational. This has added importance given the talent shortage and lack of internal resources companies often have that are needed for effective cloud management. By handing over the day-to-day responsibilities of cloud management to a trusted partner, businesses can not only drive more business value, but operate a more resilient platform.

Outsourcing cloud management to a reliable partner offers several advantages. First and foremost, it allows organizations to focus on their core competencies and strategic initiatives rather than getting bogged down in the intricacies of managing cloud infrastructure. By relying on the expertise and experience of a specialized cloud management provider, businesses can ensure that their cloud environment is optimized for performance, security, and cost-efficiency.

Moreover, partnering with a cloud management provider can help overcome the talent shortage challenge. These providers often have dedicated teams of skilled professionals who possess the in-depth knowledge and experience required to effectively manage cloud platforms. They keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices, ensuring that businesses benefit from the most advanced cloud management capabilities.

Additionally, outsourcing cloud management can enhance the resilience of the platform. A trusted partner will implement robust backup and disaster recovery mechanisms, monitor system health, and proactively address potential issues. This results in increased uptime, improved reliability, and minimized disruptions, enabling businesses to operate smoothly and efficiently.

Tangible benefits of Fujitsu’s Azure Expert MSP elite status

Given the challenges that we have discussed so far and the fact that managing hybrid cloud environments can be a complex task, enterprises frequently reach out to professional partners to help them. But how do you choose the right partner? Truly professional partners have shown that they are experts in the various technology domains. An example is the Azure Expert MSP Elite Status that Fujitsu has obtained and recently extended.

Achieving this status brings significant tangible benefits for customers of Fujitsu. This esteemed status signifies that Fujitsu has demonstrated exceptional expertise and capabilities in managing Azure cloud environments. As a result, our customers can expect several advantages that contribute to their success and business growth.

Firstly, working with an Azure Expert MSP elite partner ensures a higher level of technical proficiency and knowledge. Fujitsu has undergone rigorous assessments and validations by Microsoft, guaranteeing that we possess the necessary skills to optimize and manage Azure environments effectively. This expertise translates into streamlined operations, efficient resource allocation, and improved performance for customer applications and services.

Secondly, Azure Expert MSP elite partners offer enhanced security and compliance measures. They adhere to industry best practices and maintain a deep understanding of Azure security features, enabling them to protect customer data and infrastructure against threats. With this expertise, our customers can confidently navigate complex security requirements and ensure regulatory compliance, fostering trust with their own clients.

Azure Expert MSP elite partners can assist customers in optimizing costs and maximizing return on investment. They possess deep insights into Azure cost management tools and techniques, helping customers optimize resource usage, identify cost-saving opportunities, and align cloud expenditures with business objectives. This results in cost-effective cloud operations and greater financial efficiency.

Overall, the tangible benefits of engaging with a provider such as Fujitsu that has achieved the Azure Expert MSP elite status are numerous. Customers can leverage our technical expertise, robust security measures, proactive monitoring, and cost optimization strategies to drive innovation, improve operational efficiency, and achieve business goals with confidence in their Azure cloud environments.