Security Company Fast-Tracks Migration to Microsoft Azure Cloud With Sayers as CSP
Posted June 2, 2023 by Sayers
A U.S. company that provides encryption software for cloud environments had begun moving their own business applications and infrastructure to Microsoft Azure. They wanted to quickly gain the benefits of public cloud computing, but they needed guidance on how best to design their Azure environment with the right architecture, security, and flexibility as they moved more workloads to the cloud.
The company’s cloud presence wasn’t large enough for direct, dedicated Microsoft support, and their managed service provider didn’t offer the type of expertise and support needed.
They turned to Sayers, a certified Microsoft Azure Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), for help. Microsoft’s stringent CSP program holds partners to the highest standards for engineering capability and customer support.
Security Software Company Seeks Partner To Help Achieve Their Cloud Vision
With their initial small cloud footprint, the company had several ideas of how they wanted to architect and accelerate their move to Azure cloud. But their vision needed validation and direction.
“They were struggling to understand what their cloud environment would look like, how much it would cost, and how they would best secure it,” says Bob Livingstone, Director of Cloud Engineering at Sayers.
The company needed a partner with Microsoft expertise who could validate their design ideas or recommend alternatives, as well as fast-track their move to Azure with a well-mapped deployment plan.
Cloud Solution Provider Services Provide Right Design For Secure Azure Environment
As an Azure CSP partner, Sayers conducted a cloud assessment to identify gaps in the customer’s current infrastructure and prepare for a more secure and agile IT environment. Specifically, Sayers:
- Assessed the company’s current infrastructure and types of applications they wanted to move to Azure
- Provided recommendations for the company’s overall design and cost model
- Advised how to incorporate best practices for security and infrastructure
- Counseled the company’s IT team throughout the accelerated Azure deployment.
Weekly calls between the company and Sayers increased to daily engineering calls to deploy the infrastructure and expedite the migration to Azure. Throughout the process, Sayers infrastructure and security engineers helped the company’s IT team understand the reasons behind the architecture’s specific design for Azure.
“Their IT people already understood data centers, servers, and architecture,” says Livingstone. “It’s just taking that same type of work and transcribing it into the Azure space. Once that clicks, then we start to go into the bigger items, such as Microsoft Sentinel in the Azure cloud, and tying in with the Microsoft 365 suite.”
The company’s IT team wanted to be involved from beginning to end, learning how new services spin up and integrate into the Azure environment. As Sayers helped the team become more self-sufficient in the Azure cloud space, daily calls were no longer necessary. The customer now relies on Sayers for answers to more advanced questions when needed.
“This customer had a vision of where they wanted to securely go with Azure cloud, but they didn’t know how to get there or how much it was going to cost. We helped them bridge that gap on a fast track to design, adopt, and understand the architecture. Now their engineers know why their infrastructure is designed the way it is for Azure.”
Bob Livingstone, Director of Cloud Engineering at Sayers
Company’s Azure Consumption Grows To Reap Benefits of Cloud
Sayers helped the company quickly grow their footprint in Microsoft Azure, migrating applications for their various business units while enabling secure network access and business continuity.
In only six months, their monetary consumption of Azure increased by a multiple of 50.
The customer has reduced their security risks and pays only for what they use in Azure, with simplified monthly billing to meet their budget requirements. Now they’re looking at re-architecting some of their applications to consume more Azure capabilities such as platform as a service.
Questions? Contact us at Sayers today to learn how our cloud services can allow you to increase your Azure time-to-value with Sayers as your Microsoft Azure CSP.
