Weekly Cloud Trends – A Glimpse into the Future of Cloud

Looking at the current cloud market trends is like a quick glimpse into the future. Whatever innovative technology is on the menu, you can be sure that the big players are investing. Discover more in Henstu’s Weekly Cloud Trends.

The State of Machine Learning in 2020

To overcome the hardships of 2020, quite a lot of companies are looking for pioneering technologies as the means to carry out. Certain businesses are not only managing to endure that way but are also flourishing. Apart from cloud computing, machine learning and AI are on the radar as well. According to the latest reports, firms are investing in the benefits of deep learning and ML. Here’s a snippet: “Along with questions about AI adoption and implementation, the McKinsey State of AI report examines companies whose AI applications led to EBIT growth of 20% or more in 2019. Among the report’s findings: Respondents from those companies were more likely to rate C-suite executives as very effective, and the companies were more likely to employ data scientists than other businesses were.” Moreover, "At rates of difference of 20% to 30% or more compared to others, high-performing companies were also more likely to have a strategic vision and AI initiative road map, use frameworks for AI model deployment, or use synthetic data when they encountered an insufficient amount of real-world data. These results seem consistent with a Microsoft-funded Altimeter Group survey conducted in early 2019 that found half of high-growth businesses planned to implement AI in the year ahead." Check out the full story over at VentureBeat.

Achieving 100% Renewable Energy with 24/7 Monitoring in Microsoft Sweden

Microsoft is known for making a commitment to creating 100% renewable energy supply for their buildings and datacenters by the year 2025. Remember, back in May 2020, we have seen how other major cloud providers are competing to have the “greenest way to store data.” Here's the buzz on the company’s latest effort in that department: "Today, we are announcing that Microsoft will be the first hyper-scale cloud provider to track hourly energy consumption and renewable energy matching in a commercial product using the Vattenfall 24/7 Matching solution for our new datacenter regions in Sweden, which will be available in 2021." Find out more at Microsoft's blog.

Salesforce in Talks to Buy Slack

Cloud-based software company Salesforce has unveiled its intentions to purchase Slack, the well-known business communication platform. You might think Salesforce is not too big a player in the cloud game, but nothing can be farther from the truth. Fortune reports that "Microsoft is the playing the long game too. In addition to battling Slack with Microsoft Teams, it has got Dynamics, its own Salesforce-fighting customer-relationship management software. But as the number two cloud-computing business behind only Amazon, Microsoft has less to worry about than Google, which may be provoked by Salesforce’s swaggering to make a bold bet on collaboration software of its own in the coming months." Continue reading more about this scoop, at Forbes.

Date/Time

Date(s) - 01/01/1970
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Location

600 5th ave. NY, NY

Case Study: Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365

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 The Challenge of the Azure Case Study

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In the following case study, we explore how Hentsu employs Azure, Microsoft 365, and Mimecast as a solution to host all on-premises infrastructure in public cloud and eventually adopt a serverless approach to productivity. This azure case study delves into specific client challenges that were resolves step by step.
An established US-based hedge fund firm contacted Hentsu to help them migrate to the public cloud. They had most of their infrastructure either on-premises in their office or in a datacenter.
The customer approached us to seek guidance on how they can migrate to public cloud and make the most use of its native features.
Our customer wanted to embrace the new technologies and ease of management that is being offered by public cloud.

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REQUIREMENTS

  • Save costs for physical hardware.
  • Host email on a SaaS based solution.
  • Improved email security.
  • Improved SLA for Infrastructure availability.
  • Reliable disaster recovery solution.
  • Reliable backup solution.
  • Eventually replace servers and utilize SaaS offering.
  • A possibility of using VDIs as a solution for remote working.
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DOWNLOAD THIS CASE STUDY

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document icon Key Considerations

  1. Provide a solution that will migrate all on-premises services to a public cloud.
  2. Upgrade Operating Systems and software to the latest versions supported.
  3. Migration of services will follow a phased approach.
    • Phase 1 – Migrate all infrastructure to public cloud
    • Phase 2 – Utilize serverless solutions wherever possible.
  4. Backups should be readily available when required
  5. Disaster Recovery solution should require little to no effort.
  6. The Platform should support windows 10 virtualization
  7. Billing should be transparent and easy to understand with the ability to create custom reports based on usage, environments, ownership and so on.
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 The Solution

Design

After careful examination of the existing infrastructure and a discussion session we had decided to leverage a few platforms to accommodate all requirements. Each platform used was carefully evaluated by us to ensure prior to recommendation to ensure it will be the best offering for our customers. Below are the platforms we used for their transition.

 

Microsoft Azure

  • Host all servers as Azure Virtual Machines
  • Use Recovery Service Vaults to provide both backups and a disaster recovery solution.

Microsoft 365

  • Use native email hosting to host email for the entire organization
  • Provided licensing for Microsoft Office applications
  • Use OneDrive and SharePoint as SaaS options to replace file servers.

Mimecast

  • Use email security features such as spam filters, anti-Spoofing, etc.
  • Use stationary features to provide a standard template for org wide signatures and emails.
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 Roadmap

The migration was divided up into two phases with each phase involving multiple steps to complete.

 

Phase 1

  • Migrate the existing infrastructure to Azure.
    • All servers had their OS updated to Windows Server 2016 (latest at the time).
    • All App servers were updated to use the latest version of the respective app.
  • Migrate their emails to utilize Microsoft 365.
  • Set up Mimecast for email security and standard signatures across the company.

Phase 2

  • Identify all servers whose functions can be replaced with a SaaS solution
    • Domain Controllers would be replaced by Azure Active Directory.
    • File servers would be replaced by OneDrive and SharePoint.
    • Application servers were replaced with a SaaS equivalent. For example, Secret Server was replaced with LastPass.
  • Implement the required solution
  • Provide user training to accommodate to the new ways of working for users.
  • Decommission servers that are no longer being use.
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 Impact of the MS 365, Mimecast, and Azure Case Study

The project allowed us to leverage the offerings of Azure, Microsoft 365, and Mimecast to provide an effective solution for our customer. The initial migration to Azure helped them shave off the high costs of renting space in a datacenter, upgrading hardware and software licenses. It also provided them a cheaper, yet equally effective option for backups and disaster recovery.

Few months after phase 1 was implemented, work on phase 2 began. Once it was completed and all the servers were replaced with a SaaS alternative. This helped them save even more on infrastructure costs. All users were provided training on how to use the OneDrive and SharePoint.

After the project was completed, they were given an environment that utilizes the power of public cloud, while meeting the needs of the organization.

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Date/Time

Date(s) - 01/01/1970
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Location

600 5th ave. NY, NY

Weekly Cloud Trends – Cloud Satellites & Carbon Footprints

As the world economy braces itself for the end of a rather turbulent year, there is a growing concern as to how major corporations are handling energy consumption. Various reports are indicating the importance of why these companies need to focus on being as eco-friendly as possible. Discover more fresh news from the tech and cloud computing scene, in our latest Weekly Cloud Trends.

The Carbon Footprint of AI and Cloud Computing

Many are beginning to question the energy spend of the market's biggest cloud providers. The question is pointed at certain companies while keeping AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology, and cloud computing in the crosshairs. The good news is that both AI and cloud continue to deliver valuable solutions to the climate crisis. Nonetheless, reports are coming in that "AI systems and cloud computing will need to clean up their own energy bills." Contrary to this particular report, most of the top cloud providers have already made gigantic efforts to ensure that their tech and systems remain green - as we have reported back in May 2020. Read more at Geographical.co.uk.

Microsoft Partners with Satellite Providers for Mobile Cloud Computing

Last week we reported that leading cloud industry players, Microsoft has launched a portable data center, created to bring cloud computing to remote environments. Now the news is official as MS, partners with satellite providers "to help bring cloud computing to remote locations via its new modular data center." Word is that "Partnerships with satellite providers like Space X and SES Networks will provide modular data centers with broadband connectivity through Space X's Starlink and SES Networks 03B internet satellites. In the event of a network disruption, traffic will automatically be moved to a backup satellite connection so essential services can continue to run. Along with its satellite partners, Microsoft has also launched its Azure Space initiative to highlight Azure as a key provider of storage, connectivity, and cloud computing to the space industry." The data center can also be utilized as a kind of mobile command center for humanitarian assistance, mineral exploration, and military missions. Read the official scoop at Yahoo Finance.

Cloud Computing in Automotive Market 2020, Stats

The story of cloud market growth continues, as key companies in the industry mark a jump in global cloud Computing in the automotive market. This, of course, refers to Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, as the leading players. Here's the story: "The report is mindfully designed and presented to deliver an all-inclusive version of the detailed market study and analytical review. The report takes note of multiple parameters such as region-wise developments with country-specific developments, besides highlighting dominant trends that tend to incur high-potential growth spurt in global Cloud Computing in the Automotive market." Grab the full report here.

Date/Time

Date(s) - 01/01/1970
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Location

600 5th ave. NY, NY

Weekly Cloud Trends – Cloud Market Statistics and Growth 2020

For the past few months, we have been gathering vital data related to the cloud space. Before you dive into the latest news from the cloud tech scene, feel free to discover the latest statistics in public cloud usage, enterprise cloud adoption tendencies, and more.

Cloud Infrastructure Revenue Grows 33% this Quarter to Almost $33B

The latest market data shows significant revenue growth for cloud infrastructure. The news is certainly expected, given how many businesses and users are making the switch to the cloud. TechCrunch has the word that Amazon, Microsoft, and Google “all reported their numbers and, as expected, the news was good, with Synergy Research reporting revenue growth of 33% year over year, up to almost $33 billion for the quarter.” Again, this comes as no surprise, especially considering how many businesses have been relying on the power of the public cloud during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Read more at TechCrunch.

The 5 Biggest Cloud Computing Trends In 2021

That’s right, we are still keeping an eye on cloud computing. This time around, Forbes singles out some of the biggest cloud computing trends projected for 2021. The multi-cloud approach is already being hailed as one of the main factors to break down the barriers between providers. In addition, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is going to improve the efficiency and speed of cloud computing. Continue reading here. Check out more cloud computing trends, as well as the latest trends in Financial Services.

Microsoft Made a Portable Data Center in a Box

This is something you do not see every day. A while back, Microsoft created a data center. Not just any data center. It is a portable data center designed to bring cloud computing to remote environments. Word is: “The modular data center is essentially a big box of servers, designed for places where it’s difficult to supply reliable cloud connectivity. Microsoft is partnering with satellite operators for connectivity, allowing this Azure Modular Datacenter (MDC) to be used as a mobile command center, in humanitarian assistance, or even military missions. “Around the world, there are significant cloud computing and storage needs in areas with adverse conditions, where low communication, disrupted network availability and limited access to specialized infrastructure would have previously prevented taking advantage of cloud computing,” says Bill Karagounis, manager of Microsoft’s Azure Global Industry Sovereign Solutions. “The MDC solves this by bringing Azure to these environments, providing datacenter scale compute resources closest to where they’re needed.” Discover more at Verge.

Date/Time

Date(s) - 01/01/1970
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Location

600 5th ave. NY, NY

Weekly Cloud Trends – Back to the Future: Public Cloud, 5G and Edge

Cloud computing is being implemented as a vital steppingstone of contemporary business and IT services. With Microsoft, Amazon, and GCP leading the pack, other numerous companies are joining the cloud computing race, including Oracle, IBM, Google, Red Hat, VMware, and more. Cloud computing isn’t the only technology out there. Various new and growing technologies are also being applied to everyday business endeavors; these primarily include Machine Learning (ML), grid computing, and, as of late, edge computing. The market is already witnessing the practical utilization of edge computing through HCI (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure). Discover more, cool tech news and cloud computing news in our latest Weekly Cloud Trends.

Verizon Collaborates with Microsoft to Offer Private 5G Mobile Edge Computing

Major US telecommunications company, Verizon, is teaming up with Microsoft Corp. to speed-up the delivery of enterprise-grade 5G applications, towards reliable and low-latency connections. The concept is to combine Verizon’s on-site 5G Edge network with MS Azure to unlock additional computing power to end customers. As a result, businesses can create very low lag experiences. “We have built a network that provides real-world, 5G-enabled solutions TODAY,” said Rima Qureshi, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Verizon. “By bringing together Verizon’s 5G network and on-site 5G Edge platform with Microsoft’s expertise in cloud services, we will enable the development of the next-generation technologies everyone has been envisioning.” “By leveraging Verizon’s 5G network integrated with Microsoft’s cloud and edge capabilities, developers and businesses can benefit from fast, secure and reliable connections to deliver seamless digital experiences from massive industrial IoT workloads to precision medicine,” reveals Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president Azure for Operators at Microsoft. Read more at MS.

Cloud Computing Market, Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

This year, both the economy and the technology market have been hit heavily by the global pandemic (i.e. COVID-19). The brand new "Cloud Computing Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" covers the usage of cloud computing in various industries, from banking and financial services to construction and real estate. In addition, the report examined cloud utilization in fields such as consumer goods and retail, education, energy and utilities, government and public sector, healthcare and life sciences, information technology, manufacturing, media and entertainment, telecommunication, and travel and hospitality. The analysis features data based on infrastructure, the cloud Computing Market studied across archiving, compute, disaster recovery and backup, and Primary storage. The data provided takes us through Platform As A Service (PaaS), Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) numbers, and more. Continue reading at Yahoo Finance.

Public Cloud and Private Cloud in Financial Services Analysis

Here at Hentsū, we are going to be releasing a new infographic, teeming with fresh market data, to focus on the usage of public cloud in 2020. Additionally, don’t forget to check out our recent look at our latest blog piece, Trends in Financial Services. In the meantime, as 2020 draws to a close, another report has surfaced with detailed data regarding Global Private and Public Cloud in Financial Services Market. The report indicates analytical assessment of crucial trends, market growth opportunities, in the current Private and Public Cloud in Financial Services landscape. Some of the key manufacturers, cloud services providers that were analyzed:
  • Microsoft
  • Oracle
  • Rackspace
  • Google
  • Jack Henry & Associates
  • VMware
  • Red Hat
  • AWS
  • Fujitsu
  • Alibaba
  • Microsoft
  • IBM
Grab the full global report, here.

Date/Time

Date(s) - 01/01/1970
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Location

600 5th ave. NY, NY