The growth of AI has been the big talking point over the past year. For non-profits, these emerging technologies have thrown up innumerable possibilities from automation of administrative tasks and fundraising campaigns to improving donor relationships and tailoring community services – the list is endless. The majority of non-profits agree that AI can help transform their way of working, and more than one in three organisations saying they are already using it to perform certain tasks.

It’s interesting to see the speed at which non-profits are adopting AI technology. But while the potential benefits of AI for non-profits are substantial, organisations must tread carefully, considering the ethical implications associated with the adoption of these advanced technologies.

Many people see ethics as the moral principles that guide a person’s choices and behaviours. That’s true, to an extent, but it goes far beyond that. Ethical considerations now guide much more than people – they guide businesses, organisations, and technologies.

Let’s look into the ethical considerations of the latter, for ambitious non-profit organisations who are looking to transform their operations.

Being transparent

Remember to prioritise transparency when embracing artificial intelligence. Communication with stakeholders, donors and beneficiaries on how AI is being used and the impact it has on the ways of working for your non-profit is essential. It’s also important to develop accountability measures to ensure that AI is being used responsibly and for the right means.

Remaining fair

The algorithms that power AI are only as unbiased as the data that they are trained on. Make sure that you are aware of and actively mitigate any biases that may exist within your data, as these biases can lead to unfair and discriminatory outcomes – and you want to keep the trust of your donors. Regularly evaluate and audit your data to ensure that they remain fair and unbiased.

Obtaining consent

When collecting data to be used in AI systems, a non-profit should obtain informed consent from all parties and individuals involved. Explain the nature of the data collection, how their data will be used and the risks that could be associated with it. By doing this, you maintain a respectful relationship between yourself and your donors and beneficiaries.

Being data secure

Protecting the privacy and security of your information is paramount to your non-profit. Make sure that robust security measures are in place to safeguard all confidential information, especially from donors and external parties. Cloud technology platforms such as Microsoft Azure can help ensure that you remain compliant and follow all data protection regulations and cybersecurity best practices.

Human-centred approach

For a non-profit, being human-centric means recognising your people, volunteers, and the value that they bring. AI technology should be adopted with this in mind. Prioritise the well-being of your people and try to minimise the impact that AI-assisted decisions can make. AI should be integrated as a tool that complements human judgement, not completely replace it.

Accessibility and inclusivity

As a non-profit, accessibility and inclusivity should be a key consideration if you are undertaking any digital transformation projects. Make sure that any AI technologies you enable are available to all, including individuals with disabilities and additional access requirements. Strive to minimise the risk of creating digital divides and actively work towards inclusivity when leveraging AI technology.

Getting your people prepared

Up to 52 per cent of non-profits are looking into AI but lack the resources or skills within their teams to engage with it fully. Remember how we said that non-profits should take a human-centric approach? The same applies to the knowledge and experience of your teams. While AI can help automate certain tasks, you should also consider reskilling and upskilling within your non-profit, to ensure that your teams are equipped with the skills required to manage and work within the evolving technological landscape.

Think sustainably

Consider the environmental impacts of adopting AI technologies. When researching AI systems, look at the energy consumption associated with the infrastructure and explore the various options that can minimise your non-profit carbon footprint.

Wherever your non-profit is in its AI journey, there’s no doubt that ethical considerations play a big part in your decision-making. By adopting a proactive approach to AI adoption, you’ll be able to harness its power responsibly, uphold your values and contribute positively to the mission of your non-profit organisation. Make yourself a leader in shaping the ethical landscape of AI adoption for the greater good.

 

What’s next?

Did you know we offer a Data and AI Innovation Workshop, completely free of charge? Hosted by our Principal Cloud Evangelist Leon Godwin, this 1:1 workshop is designed to be a strategic two-way discussion based on your specific organisational needs, giving you clarity on what your next steps should be. By the end of the workshop, you will have the building blocks of a business case for maximising your data adopting artificial intelligence. Find out more.

Nothing is more important to a non-profit than its principal mission.

It’s also no secret that non-profit organisations rely on donor relationships to help contribute to the success of their organisation. However, in today’s fast-paced digital age, non-profits need to find new ways of managing these relationships to sustain their funding and support their missions.

According to the 2023 Charity Skills report, two-thirds of charities are not confident in their understanding of data management – but it doesn’t have to be this way. Fortunately, advancements in data analytics within the cloud can help non-profits enhance donor relationships and bring you closer towards achieving your mission, with just a couple of simple steps.

Step one: Moving your data to the cloud

Harnessing the power of data is a hot topic in the non-profit sector. From conducting research and assessing communication efforts to informing your decisions and positively benefitting the service you provide, your data is a powerful resource to tap into. Where it can have its biggest impact, however, is in improving donor relationships.

Moving to a cloud environment means storing all donor data securely in a central location. Having your data in one place transforms the way you can analyse it, making it accessible anytime, anywhere.

Microsoft Azure is the ideal platform for non-profit to unlock the functionality of their data. Its scalability is steps ahead compared to other cloud providers, allowing your non-profit to start small in its data journey and easily expand when required. This means you maximise your budget by only  committing the resources you currently need in Azure, before taking that next step forward.

Cost-effectiveness is another key benefit. Azure offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, meaning you will only pay for the storage that you need and use. For non-profits, this can really help when your IT budgets are constrained and when you need to manage your resource spend.

The advanced analytics tools in Azure are unrivalled, too. With tools like Power BI, your non-profit can leverage machine learning, predictive analytics and data visualisation in compelling reports. Start harnessing this power for your non-profit and gain insights on your donor behaviour and make data-driven decisions to improve those relationships.

If the above doesn’t get your brain racing with excitement at the possibilities, then the funding support might get you there. Did you know that, as a non-profit, you can get exclusive access to discounted solutions from Microsoft? In its dedicated non-profit hub, you can take advantage of customised offerings to ensure that you have the right data tools to start improving your donor relationships.

Now you’re in Azure, let’s see what insights you can get from your data.

Step two: Start leveraging data insights to personalise and improve donor relationships

Within cloud databases, non-profit organisations will find it easier to access and manage all types of donor information, such as donation history, communication preferences and engagement patterns. You can then focus on gaining insights from this data to help streamline donor relationship processes and develop more personal interactions to help increase donations.

Outreach campaigns

In an ideal world, non-profits would know each of their donors on an inherently personal level – but in the real world, that just isn’t possible – but accessible datasets can help you personalise these interactions. Using giving history and preferred engagement methods, you can develop outreach campaigns targeting individual donor needs and donor segments. By doing this, you can expect to see appreciation from donors and longer-lasting relationships.

Feedback analysis

Feedback is important and the insights gained can keep your non-profit on course in reaching its goals. Input from your donors is just as important as internal feedback, and analysing the information you receive can help you understand donor satisfaction, identify areas for improvement and demonstrate back to donors that their opinions are valued. You can also start using the feedback to refine your donor approach, identify new opportunities and adapt to changing donor preferences.

CRM

Having an effective donor stewardship strategy is crucial to maintaining these relationships. Cloud-based CRM systems work hand-in-hand with data analytics tools, where automated workflows can be set up for donor acknowledgement, recognition, and follow-up. Taking it one step further, these systems can trigger personalised thank you messages and provide updates on projects that the donor has helped towards. You’ll make your donors feel valued and inspire loyalty with this proactive approach to donor stewardship.

Donor reporting and journey mapping

Start mapping out your donor journey using data insights. Here, you can understand the touchpoints at which donors interact with your organisation and you can use the information to optimise the way in which they experience your organisation. Building on this, donors like to see how they are making a difference, and advanced reporting tools can help visualise this. You can then share this information to develop your donor’s trust and demonstrate accountability.

Staying GDPR compliant

As we’ve previously highlighted, non-profits rely on donors to support their mission – but donors need trust in you to keep their information safe and secure. Non-profits can rely on trusted cloud platforms that offer encryption and regular data backups to safeguard their donor’s sensitive information, ensuring they stay within the remit of privacy regulations that they need to follow, such as the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Enforce your reputation as a trustworthy organisation by reassuring donors that their information is being monitored and looked after in the cloud.

The list of ways in which donors relationships are improved with an innovation data strategy could keep going on and on and on. The Charity Digital Skills Report 2023 shows that 59 per cent of charities want to use data and insights to improve their services and operations, and if your non-profit is one of these, then we can help.

Ready to transform your data?

At Cloud Direct, we understand that data can be crucial to the success of non-profits. Whether your Azure journey is already underway or you’re looking to get started, our experts can help you elevate your project and unlock the power of your data. Let’s get you started.

Today, local and regional councils across the UK face the strain of trying to improve their public service offering while staying within ever-tightening budgets. IT leaders have to navigate a challenging and evolving technology landscape to keep up with demands, which are being shaped by the shift from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based solutions – a key priority for many local and regional councils in 2024.

Many IT leaders end up inheriting IT infrastructure that is still on-premises when they join a new organisation, and are tasked with successfully getting an outdated technological environment up to scratch.

If you’re in that boat, we’ve picked out four key considerations to get you heading in the right direction.

Understand your council’s needs and objectives

Before embarking on any technological transformation, IT leaders need to develop a clear understanding of their council’s requirements and expectations. This can include conducting thorough assessments of your existing inventory and assets, identifying pain points and challenges, and aligning your cloud migration goals with broader council goals and strategies.

Here are some top tips:

• Take stock of your existing systems and applications, identifying components that are essential to your council’s day-to-day operations.
• Take note of systems that depend on each other and consider how migrating each system independently could disrupt functionality.
• Consider which systems may not be cloud-compatible – do they need to be replaced, retired, or reconfigured?
• Catalogue all your data that’s stored on premises. This will come in handy and keep you compliant when you come to migrate it.

There are any number of reasons as to a council might take on a cloud migration project. Is it to enhance service delivery, improve the functionality and scalability of their services or reduce long-term operational costs? The list can be extensive but as part of your assessment, it will be important to consider what objectives the council wants to achieve and align your cloud initiatives with them.

Understanding your landscape sets the foundation for a successful cloud migration. It informs decisions about workload prioritisation, migration strategies and resource allocation. By assessing your current state, IT leaders can navigate the cloud with confidence. The cloud journey isn’t just about technology – it’s also about aligning IT with your council goals to deliver better services to the public.

Develop a Comprehensive Migration Strategy

A move to the cloud is no easy task and there is no one-sits-fits-all process. Cloud migration requires careful planning and having a well-defined strategy in place can help you. By breaking down the migration process into smaller phases and establishing clear objectives and timelines, you can mitigate risks and ensure a much smoother transition.

There are three keys step when developing a cloud migration strategy for a council.

Data Management

• For any organisation, data is its biggest asset. Mismanagement of that data can lead to severe consequences, including heavy fines and loss of reputation. You should develop a detailed migration plan that outlines migration methods, tools, and best practices to ensure the secure transfer of your data and infrastructure. Consider factors like the volume of your data, its complexity, and any regulatory requirements that councils must adhere to.

Security and Compliance

• Local and regional councils have to abide by central government frameworks that help to build and maintain a cyber-resilient public sector, such as the Government Cyber Security Strategy: 2022 to 2030. Remember to implement robust security controls, encryption, access management policies and compliance frameworks to protect your most sensitive data and ensure that you are meeting public sector security standards.

Risk Management and Contingency Planning

• A cloud migration can be risky business if you dive in head first. Preparation is key, so it’s important to prepare for the worst-case scenario just in case. In your migration strategy, identify potential risks and challenges and develop strategies to mitigate them. Establish contingency plans and rollback procedures so that you can minimise disruptions to your infrastructure if any problems were to arise. There’s no harm in testing and validating your migration strategy to identify any potential risks proactively.

There are more steps to creating a migration strategy, but the three above are important to ensure you remain compliant throughout the process and don’t run the risk of creating problems.

For more on creating a comprehensive migration strategy, download our guide.

Assess your Costs and Budgets

In a time where councils are told to ‘do more with less’, costs and budgets for new technology are stricter than ever. If you’re considering a cloud migration, you need to make sure you factor in costs and budgets effectively to ensure that your transition is cost-effective and efficient, which means you’re only paying for what you need and what aligns most with your council’s objectives.

CapEx vs OpEx

While the private sector steps up its cloud migration approach, the public sector still seems to be wrestling with issues around CapEx and OpEx budgets. Put simply, capital expenditure (CapEx) refers to the one-time cost a council may spend on a fixed asset over a longer period whereas operating expenditures (OpEx) are funds that support day-to-day operations, like pay-as-you-go monthly models.

If you’re looking at a move to the cloud, it’s a good time to reconsider how best to classify this cost. Many cloud managed service providers (MSP) will offer you their services at a monthly cost as part of your OpEx, meaning you have greater control of your cloud spend. You won’t be tied down to a fixed-cost contract over a long period of time.

With a cloud management classified as OpEx, it will be much easier to control your costs and you can target your monthly spend on subscriptions and licenses to ensure that you are only spending money on services that you are using.

The are three key considerations when managing your money.

• Consider the initial migration costs. These can be related to data transfer, application migration and initial infrastructure set-up, but could also incluside hiring consultants or specialists, purchasing migration services and conducting staff training.
• Try and estimate your costs for any of the cloud service subscriptions. By factoring in these estimates with your projected usage requirements, you can work with the cloud provider to create a pricing option that best suits your council.
• Think about your costs for ongoing managed services. These fees may include the maintenance and management of cloud resources, technical support and other cloud optimisation and troubleshooting services.

Invest in Training and Plan for Change Management

Moving to the cloud represents a significant organisational change that goes beyond technology. It requires a cultural shift in mindset, workflows, and processes at your organisation. Therefore, as an IT leader, it wil be essential to invest in change management initiatives to help your team and other direct stakeholders at the council adapt to the new cloud environment and embrace new ways of working.

What should you consider?

• Invest in training programs to equip the IT staff with the knowledge and skills needed to design, deploy, operate, and optimise your cloud environment.
• Empower your team with the necessary tools and expertise so that they can become champions of your chosen cloud platform.
• A cloud migration affects everyone in your council, not just the IT team. Develop resources, guides, and training sessions to help support all levels of employees in the council. This will minimise disruptions, improve user adoption and maximise productivity and satisfaction.
• Foster a culture of feedback and continuous improvement. Soliciting feedback from users throughout the training and migration process will help identify areas for improvement, in turn ensuring that your investment in training yields maximum impact and drives a successful cloud journey.

Investing in training and change management is essential for ensuring the success of a council’s cloud migration. By empowering IT staff, end-users, and stakeholders with the necessary skills, knowledge, and support, councils can navigate the complexities of cloud adoption effectively, minimize resistance to change, and maximise the benefits of the cloud for their organisation and constituents.

What next?

Cloud migration projects are complex, and navigating them alone only enhances their difficulty. There are countless reasons to engage with a Managed Service Provider, but their experience is particularly invaluable. We’re here to lend a hand.

Artificial intelligence has completely changed the landscape of many industries, and the financial services sector is no exception. In recent years, AI has played a significant role in reshaping the way financial institutions operate, making them more efficient, customer-centric, and competitive. Microsoft is making it easier than ever before for ambitious businesses in the finance industry to leverage its AI solutions, in turn unlocking success with an array of applications, benefits, and prospects.

Enhancing Customer Experience with Microsoft AI

In today’s digital age, customer experience is a top priority in financial services. By utilising your business’ data, Microsoft’s AI chatbots and digital assistants can be trained to provide personalised and responsive customer support around the clock. These AI systems can answer common queries, assist with transactions, and even offer financial advice based on customer data analysis. This level of service not only improves customer satisfaction but can also reduce operational costs for banks.

Risk Management and Fraud Detection with Azure Machine Learning

One of the critical challenges in finance is risk management. Microsoft’s Azure Machine Learning platform is instrumental in analysing vast amounts of data to detect potential risks and fraudulent activities. Machine learning models built on Azure can identify unusual patterns and anomalies in real-time, significantly reducing the risk of financial fraud. Moreover, AI algorithms running on Azure can provide more accurate credit risk assessments, helping financial institutions make better lending decisions.

Investment and Portfolio Management with Microsoft Power BI

AI-driven algorithms are transforming the investment and asset management landscape. Microsoft’s Power BI platform, coupled with AI integrations, can help finance professionals create diversified portfolios that match individual investors’ goals and risk tolerance. These digital advisors continuously monitor market conditions, making adjustments as needed. This automated approach lowers management fees and improves returns, making investing more accessible to a broader audience.

Automation of Back-Office Functions with Microsoft RPA

Microsoft’s Robotic Process Automation solutions, including Power Automate, are streamlining back-office operations within the finance sector. Tasks such as data entry, reconciliation, and compliance checks are being automated, reducing the risk of human error, and saving valuable time. RPA powered by Microsoft can handle repetitive, rule-based tasks, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and value-added activities.

Predictive Analytics with Azure AI

Microsoft’s Azure AI services are invaluable in making informed business decisions. By analysing historical and real-time data, financial institutions can forecast market trends, customer behaviour, and even internal processes. Azure AI enables proactive decision-making, helping businesses stay ahead of their competition.

Regulatory Compliance with Azure AI

Compliance with ever-evolving financial regulations is a complex challenge. Microsoft’s Azure AI can assist in monitoring and ensuring compliance by automatically reviewing transactions and flagging potential breaches. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of non-compliance, which can lead to hefty fines and reputational damage.

Benefits of Microsoft AI in finance

Microsoft’s AI solutions offer a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem, making it easier for financial institutions to adopt AI across various functions.

Efficiency: Reduce operational costs and improve efficiency thanks to seamless AI integration with existing Microsoft tools and platforms.

Accuracy: Microsoft’s AI systems can process vast amounts of data with minimal errors, ensuring reliable results.

Personalisation: Comprehensive data allows the creation of customised services and recommendations for customers, enhancing their overall experience.

Competitive Advantage: Financial institutions that leverage Microsoft’s AI solutions gain a competitive edge in the finance sector due to their enhanced capabilities.

Future

The use of Microsoft’s AI solutions in the financial services sector is expected to continue evolving. As Microsoft continues investing in AI research and development, we will consistently see new, cutting-edge applications and features being realised.

Leveraging these solutions for business success in financial services is not just a trend; it’s a necessity. Financial institutions that embrace Microsoft’s AI solutions are better positioned to provide superior customer experiences, manage risks, automate operations, and make better-informed decisions.

As Microsoft continues to advance its AI offering, it will be exciting to witness how these technologies further transform the financial services industry. Ensure your organisation keeps pace, and get in touch to start your AI journey.

If you’re a lawyer, you might think that artificial intelligence has nothing to do with your profession. After all, you deal with complex legal issues that require human judgment, critical thinking and creativity, not algorithms and data.

But what if we told you that AI can, and will, help you become a better lawyer, saving you time and money, and improve your level of client satisfaction? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not – but you’re not alone in thinking that, with only half of lawyers believing that their practice will be significantly transformed by AI.

It’s time to introduce Harvey.

What is Harvey?

Microsoft has invested more than $10 Billion in Open.AI as this is part of a long-term partnership aimed at advancing AI research. This has led to the development of some market leading products, such as Microsoft Copilot, but part of Open.AI’s mission statement is to invest $100 million into small, early-stage AI startups. This is where Harvey comes in.

Harvey AI, a legal-focussed artificial intelligence model, received $5 million funding from Open.AI and, by mid-2023, had raised over $21 million in funding led by Sequoia Capital.

This sector-specific AI-powered platform helps lawyers with various tasks such as research, drafting, analysis, and document reviews. It uses natural language processing and machine learning to understand legal documents, find relevant information, generate summaries, suggest edits, and more, capabilities that have all been trained and developed specifically within legal contexts.

Harvey AI can also integrate with other software and databases, such as LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Google Scholar, to provide you with comprehensive and accurate results.

How can Harvey AI help your legal work?

Increased productivity

You can save time and effort by letting Harvey do the tedious and repetitive tasks for you. For example, it could scan thousands of documents in minutes, extract key facts and arguments, and create a concise report for your case, cutting out hours of reading time. You can also use Harvey to draft contracts, motions, briefs, and other documents based on templates and best practices from past examples. This way, you can focus on the strategic and creative aspects of your work.

Quality and consistency

You can improve the quality and consistency of your work by using Harvey’s feedback and suggestions, check your documents for errors, inconsistencies and ambiguities, and ensure that you are using the appropriate terminology and tone of voice. You can also use Harvey to compare your documents with similar ones from other sources, such as previous cases, statutes, regulations, and precedents. This way, you can ensure that your work meets the highest standards of professionalism and accuracy.

Knowledge and skills

You can enhance your knowledge and skills by using the platform’s learning resources. For example, you can use Harvey to access a vast library of legal content such as articles, books, podcasts, videos, and courses, or test your knowledge and get personalised feedback and recommendations. It provides everything you need to stay updated on the latest developments and trends in your field and expand your expertise.

Harvey in action

On November 2022, Allen & Overy, one of the UK’s largest law firms, started the trial phase with Harvey, with more than 3,500 of their lawyers testing it with some 40,000 questions during their working day.

“I have been at the forefront of legal tech for 15 years but I have never seen anything like Harvey,” said David Wakeling, Head of the Markets Innovation Group at Allen & Overy. “It is a game-changer that unleashes the power of generative AI into the legal industry. Harvey can work in multiple languages and across diverse practice areas, delivering unprecedented efficiency and intelligence. In our trial, we saw some amazing results.”

PwC then announced a strategic partnership with Harvey on March 2023. The aim is for Harvey to help provide PwC clients with enhanced insights, transparency and quality. Harvey has been trained on UK tax riles, law, legislation and PwC’s intellectual property.

Carol Stubbings, PwC Global Tax & Legal Services Leader, PwC UK, said: “Harvey’s AI solution marks a huge shift in the way that tax and legal services will be delivered and consumed across the industry. Access to Harvey will be a game-changer for our people and for our clients, and I’m incredibly excited about the problem-solving capability that will be generated by combining PwC’s technical capabilities and deep market insights.”

AI Risks

It’s impossible not to feel even the slightest bit of excitement with the new innovations like Harvey – after all, they’re here to make our lives easier. However, it’s crucial to recognise that AI isn’t going to replace lawyers. It’s important to note that platforms such as ChatGPT are still known to provide incorrect information, and while Harvey AI is an exciting, sector-specific model, it remains in beta and it will need to continue its rigorous testing process before reaching general availability.

If your law firm is thinking about adopting AI in the future, you need to make sure that you have the right foundations in place. Our Cloud Evangelist, Leon Godwin is running an interactive workshop for law firms looking to understand how to adopt Data and AI and apply it to their specific business case. Sign-up to our Data and AI Innovation Workshop to learn more.

We know that law firms are turning to technology to streamline their operations, handle cases more efficiencly and effectively, and provide excellent client experience. Some have even begun adopting artificial intelligence.

As we increase our reliance on technology, the importance of cybersecurity and risk management escalates. Implementing robust risk management strategies is therefore vital, which adds complexity to the skillset required to effectively manage your tech stack. That’s where Managed Service Providers (MSPs) come in.

Let’s explore why law firms should consider partnering with an MSP to safeguard their sensitive data and maintain a robust digital infrastructure.

Threats in today’s environment

Law firms are a particular target for cybercriminals and cyberattacks because of the nature of the sector. They handle vast amounts of sensitive data and confidential information. When those threats recently became a reality for CTS, a legal-focussed MSP, in an attack that affected approximately 80 firms, everything from emails and digital paperwork to contractual agreements and property deal completion documents were compromised.

It’s a growing issue, too. A recent report from Chaucer Group found that nearly three-quarters of the UK’s top 100 law firms have been affected by cyberattacks, with incidents rising from 166 in 2022 to 226 in 2023.

A data breach can have severe impacts, including financial loss, the tarnishing or loss of reputation, and the inevitably of lengthy, convoluted legal processes, so addressing the root of the problem, before it becomes a problem in the first place, is critical – and that’s where MSPs come in.

What an MSP does

What are you getting in return for your investment in a reliable, experienced and expert managed service provider?

Risk Assessment and planning

Conducting a risk assessment is critical for understanding a law firm’s needs. Your MSP wil identify compliance gaps, potential points of failure and vulnerabilities, and create action plans to help you address critical issues quickly.

A good MSP will operate with a collaborative approach, working closely with you to understand your unique security requirements and designing tailored strategies that align with your firm’s goals. This will ensure that you receive the most effective and efficient solutions for your firm, to safeguard its future.

Real-time security monitoring and reporting

Understanding the importance of active surveillance on a law firm’s IT infrastructure is crucial. By identifying and resolving issues early, you prevent them from becoming significant disruptions a little further down the line.

With applications such as Azure Defender, an MSP will continuously watch over your environment, promptly detecting and addressing any potential threats, before analysing the event and creating a workflow to stop similar incidents from reoccurring.

Baking in compliance

Law firms are ambitious businesses. They are constantly striving for growth and innovation, while trying to remain within the remit of strict regulation. Regulatory compliance doesn’t have to be an obstacle in their journey, however. An established MSP will not only bring their previous experience to the table, but collaborate with your in-house experts to understand your firm’s bespoke compliance needs.

Disaster recovery

If the worst does happen, then being able to keep your firm running in any given circumstance is one of the most important things you will ever do. You must have a disaster recovery plan in place that has been planned, developed and tested before the event so that it’s ready for action. There’s a lot that goes into an effective disaster recovery plan, which an MSP will guide you through.

Teaming up with an MSP that emphasises clear risk mitigation practices is a smart move for law firms in today’s digital world. With cyber threats always looming and the increasing importance of data security and compliance, having experts by your side is crucial.

This allows law firms to concentrate on their core competency – delivering legal services – while entrusting the intricate task of risk management to specialists who excel in protecting their digital assets and reputation.

 

If your law firm is ready to partner with an MSP who specialises in security, contact one of our security experts today, or discover how to leverage Microsoft to help better secure your firm with our dedicated 1:1 security workshop.

Paul Sells, CTO of Cloud Direct, shares his insight and experience on what it really means to partner with a cloud managed service provider.

Cloud computing has become an integral cog in the machine of many businesses, but managing cloud infrastructure and applications can be a complex and time-consuming task, especially for businesses that lack the necessary skills and resources. That’s why many businesses choose to partner with a cloud managed service provider (CMSP), who can take care of cloud operations and maintenance, freeing the business to focus on its core competencies and to drive innovation. 

Many of the benefits of partnering with a CMSP are well-known, such as round the clock support and assistance, access to additional skills/resources, to help deliver cost savings, scalability, security, compliance, and reliability. However, there are also some benefits that don’t steal the headlines, ones that can really add value to your business and give you a competitive edge. We think it’s high time we shout about them.

Insights into new technologies

Cloud technology is constantly evolving and introducing new features and capabilities. A good CMSP will help you stay updated and informed about the latest trends and innovations in the cloud market; a great CMSP will have forged close ties with cloud providers such as Microsoft. Through them, you will then have early access to new features and insights into upcoming changes, and the chance to evaluate and adopt the ones that are relevant and beneficial for your business. This can help you improve your products and services, enhance your customer experience, and gain a competitive advantage.

Cross-industry experience

Your chosen provider will typically work with clients from different industries and sectors and have exposure to various use cases and scenarios. This can give them a broader and deeper perspective on how to leverage cloud solutions for different business challenges and opportunities. By partnering with a CMSP, you can benefit from their cross-industry experience and insights and apply them to your own business context. 

An expansive network

A CMSP can help you connect with a diverse range of cloud partners and vendors that can offer you specialised solutions and services that complement your cloud strategy. For example, they can help you find the best managed security provider for your security & compliance needs, or the best networking provider for your connectivity requirements. A CMSP can also help you negotiate better deals and discounts with these partners and vendors, as they have established relationships and leverage in the cloud market. Often, they will have integrated their ITSM platforms and operations with that of the partner and be act as a single point of contact streamlining support and reducing vendor complexity. Remember, it’s often about who you know.

Targeted outcomes

A provider is not just a vendor who sells you cloud services and products – they are a partner who works with you to understand your business objectives and challenges, and design and deliver cloud solutions that are tailored to your specific needs and expectations. A CMSP is focused on delivering outcomes that matter to your business, such as improving efficiency, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, and revenue.

An outside perspective

Sometimes, internal stakeholders may have conflicting interests and agendas when it comes to cloud decisions, such as which cloud provider to use, which services to adopt, and how to allocate the budget. This can lead to delays, inefficiencies, and suboptimal outcomes. By partnering with a CMSP, you can leverage their impartial and objective advice, based on their experience and best practices, and make decisions that are aligned with your business goals and needs, bypassing the hurdles of internal politics.

Upskilling

By working with a CMSP, your internal IT staff can learn from the experts and gain new skills and knowledge in cloud technologies to further improve their performance, satisfaction and, ultimately, retention. With these new skills, internal IT staff can start to deliver more value to the business. Upskilling could happen either formally or informally during the initial cloud adoption phase, during delivery of a specific project or organically during BAU operations. 

Shared learning

As Cloud Direct’s CTO, I regularly communicate with other CTOs within the customer base to exchange insights, understand goals, challenges and issues, and offer advice and knowledge based on my own experiences. Based on the feedback received, I can ensure our products and services match customers need and align with their strategy resulting in better overall outcomes. When customers and CMSP staff connect at all levels, they build mutual trust, close knowledge and lasting relationships that make the CMSP an extension to the business, all of which can, in turn, benefit your business.

Written by

Paul Sells
Chief Technology Officer, Cloud Direct
LinkedIn

 

You can level up your cloud strategy by partnering with a successful, experience cloud managed service provider like Cloud Direct. To find out more about how we can help you, let’s talk.

The cloud is not just a technology trend. It’s a total paradigm shift that impacts each and every aspect of your business. It enables you to access countless resources, to scale on demand, to innovate faster, and to deliver better customer experiences. But to realise these benefits, you need more than just a cloud strategy… you need a Cloud Operating Model.

Wait, what’s a Cloud Operating Model?

A Cloud Operating Model is a set of principles, practices, and processes that guide how you design, build, run, and govern your cloud-based applications and services. It covers everything from security, compliance and reliability, to performance, cost management, and automation. It also defines the roles, responsibilities, and required skills of your teams, and how they collaborate and communicate across the organisation.

Why is a Cloud Operating Model important to my business?

What makes a Cloud Operating Model so impactful is the alignment it enforces between your cloud adoption and your business objectives and outcomes. It helps you avoid common pitfalls such as silos, unnecessary complexity, damaging inefficiencies, and security risks. It also helps you leverage the full potential of the cloud, such as agility, scalability, innovation, and resilience.

Okay, so how do I create a Cloud Operating Model?

Creating a Cloud Operating Model is not a one-time project. It’s a continuous journey that requires a culture of learning and adaptation. As a starting point, you will need to tick off each of the following…

• Assess your current cloud maturity state and identify gaps and opportunities
• Define your vision and goals for your cloud adoption and how you will measure success
• Establish your cloud governance framework and policies to ensure compliance, security, and accountability
• Design your cloud architecture and infrastructure to support your applications and services
• Implement your cloud automation and DevOps practices to enable faster delivery and feedback
• Train and empower your teams with the skills and tools they need to work in the cloud
• Monitor and optimise your cloud performance, reliability, and costs
• Review and iterate your cloud operating model based on your feedback and learnings

Where can I find out more?

Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework documentation: This is the official Microsoft guide to help plan, implement, and govern your cloud journey. It covers all the domains and disciplines of the CAF framework, with best practices, tools, and templates.

Microsoft’s article on defining your Cloud Operating Model: The CAF framework breaks down each aspect of the operating model into methodologies and provides guidance on how to design and implement your future state operations.

Microsoft’s Cloud Operating Model assessment: This is an online tool that helps assess current cloud readiness and maturity, and provides recommendations and guidance based on the CAF framework. It also generates a personalised report and action plan to help you achieve your cloud goals.

So I need a Cloud Operating Model to make my cloud adoption a success?

In short, yes. A Cloud Operating Model is a key enabler for successful cloud adoption. By aligning your cloud strategy directly with your business outcomes, you will set yourself and your business up to unlock the transformative, innovative opportunities that the cloud presents.

Written by

Paul Sells
Chief Technology Officer, Cloud Direct
LinkedIn

 

For more content on Cloud Operating Models, visit the sub-section of our Learning Hub. If you’re looking to get started, then get in touch with one of our experts who can help you understand how to get started.

In November, Broadcom’s $69 billion acquisition of VMware raised eyebrows. In January, the announcement that 56 of VMware’s products and services would be axed raised alarm bells.

As part of a wider strategic shift away from end-user computing, which includes a move from component sales to subscription-based bundles, VMware will no longer offer Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) under Broadcom’s ownership. Thousands of organisations are set to be impacted by the termination of products such as VMware Horizon, which will reach end-of-life in January 2025.

The clock is ticking…

The countdown is on, and organisations have little choice but to act swiftly and smartly. Failure to do so will leave your business running on outdated, unsupported software platforms, posing enormous security risks yourself, your users and your customers.

Inaction could also see you lose any competitive or operational advantages you may have on others in your market. Business change takes time. Waiting until January 2025 to think you can quickly migrate your VDI is a surefire way to bring your business to its knees – your business continuity will be hampered, your performance will falter, and your reputation will be damaged.

To successfully transition from VMware Horizon to another VDI product, you have to start the ball rolling sooner rather than later.

What now?

As a Microsoft specialist and an Azure Expert Managed Service Provider, it won’t surprise you to hear us telling you that Azure Virtual Desktop is the logical replacement for VMware Horizon. But those are claims are not rooted in bias – we’ve got plenty of evidence to support them.

In Gartner’s most recent magic quadrant report assessing the Desktop-as-a-Service market, there was clear daylight between market-leading Microsoft its competitors, with Citrix and the ill-fated VMware the only other providers to place in the top-right quadrant.

What’s more is the simplicity of migrating your infrastructure to AVD, which makes integrating your existing VDI image into its new platform straightforward. The tools and processes that you are used to in Horizon all have adequate and, in most cases, improved replacements in AVD.

Your VMWare Horizon Connection Server will become the AVD Management Plane, for example, which facilitates the management, deployment and brokering of virtual desktops and applications. You’ll swap Horizon Composer for Image Management, which allows you to create custom images with the necessary configurations and applications as opposed to managing linked, cloned images. Instant Clones makes way for AVD Scaling, which enables you to dynamically adjust your number of virtual machines on demand, reducing or increasing them whenever you need to.

AVD will also allow your organisation to focus almost solely on Operational Expenditure, rather than having to balance it alongside Capital Expenditure. Not only is Microsoft’s offering much more cost effective, with its flexible pricing model allowing you to scale your VDI estate up and down as required, it can also be packaged within your existing Microsoft 365 Enterprise licenses. No server costs, no additional licensing, just an initial piece of hardware for the user, an internet connection, and an M365 license.

What are you waiting for?

The use cases of a cloud-based VDI like Microsoft Azure form an almost endless list. From hosting legacy applications and supporting temporary workloads, to remote work enablement, Bring Your Own Device support and disaster recovery functionality, AVD provides the tools your business needs to maintain, and grow, its competitive and operational advantages. With the clock counting down to January 2025, action must be taken now to ensure that business continuity is not impacted.

The news surrounding VMware Horizon has created stormy seas for businesses to try and navigate, but AVD can provide the safety of the shore on which you can build your new-and-improved virtual desktop infrastructure.

If you need a helping hand, think of Cloud Direct as your lighthouse. We’ll show you the way to a better, brighter business future in Microsoft Azure, and our experts can help make for a smooth, seamless transition.

 

To find out more about migrating from VMware Horizon to Azure Virtual Desktop, join Cloud Direct’s Principal Cloud Evangelist, Leon Godwin, in our free webinar on Thursday 29^th February. Click the link or the image to sign up.

 

 

In November, Broadcom’s $69 billion acquisition of VMWare raised eyebrows. In January, the announcement that 56 of VMWare’s products and services would be axed raised alarm bells. That long list of offerings included VMWare Horizon, a popular product among many law firms that will now no longer be available to provide them with virtual desktop infrastructure.

Law firms must act now to avoid being caught short when Horizon is terminated in January 2025. The logical solution is undergoing a migration to Microsoft Azure, which many organisations turned to as the call for remote work gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic. This provided them access to Azure Virtual Desktop, giving lawyers the opportunity to embrace a hybrid working model.

However, a survey by The Law Society Gazette found that only 17 per cent of in-house lawyers work under a hybrid model,  and there is a continued appetite amongst in-house lawyers in the UK to be able to work from home. A Microsoft Azure migration, and subsequently Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), is the stone to take care of both birds.

AVD is suitable for law firms of all sizes, and comes with a wide range of benefits from better cost efficiencies and improved collaboration, to greater agility and increased data security amongst many others. Let’s explore them each in a bit more detail.

Data security

Transferring your law firm’s data into Azure Virtual Desktop eliminates the potential risks associated with hardware tampering, loss, or theft.

AVD is built on the same security framework as Microsoft Azure, ensuring that you can fully leverage the advantages of identity management, backup, database security and more.

It’s important to highlight that Microsoft commits more than $1 billion each year to reinforce its security measures, supported by a team of over 3,500 security experts that are dedicated to enhancing your law firm’s security. Azure has more compliance certifications than any over cloud service provider, meaning you have access to the latest and greatest security tools available.

Access from anywhere

Enhanced collaboration, productivity and flexibility are among the most requested job factors from lawyers.

The challenge of allowing employees to work from any device is now a thing of the past. With AVD, employees can work from anywhere – whether that’s at a café, office, or home – because they can power up and log in to their desktop, gaining access to crucial business applications regardless of the device, as long as there’s an internet connection.

AVD empowers you to select the ideal Azure Virtual Machine (VM) that aligns with your firm’s requirements and to take advantage of Windows 11 multi-session, an exclusive feature in Azure. This capability allows you to efficiently run multiple concurrent interactive user sessions within the same deployment for increased cost-effectiveness.

Improved business resilience

If there’s one takeaway from the recent global pandemic, it’s that the future can be difficult to predict. Should the business landscape change so drastically again, AVD will enable business continuity. Law firm employees will be able to connect remotely and securely access data as everything will be available on the VM in the cloud.

Lower hardware costs

Virtual Desktops can slash expenses from the get-go with minimal costs, if the server is already up and running. You can also forget about any expensive hardware that requires specific software and licences, but it doesn’t stop there. There’s additional savings to be made later down the line too, when you’ll be able to streamline any upgrades, reducing the time IT spend repeating the same upgrade across different devices. Plus, you’ll have the ability to use existing Windows and Microsoft 365 licences to access AVD.

With the money saved from implementing AVD, your business will be able to reinvest in improving business operations and your future IT strategy.

Streamlined user administration

Administration becomes more efficient and time effective with AVD when introducing new software or allocating laptops to new employees. All tasks are conveniently managed through a unified administrative console.

With AVD, handling employee departures also becomes more efficient – their account is deleted following the transfer of data to another user, and the same physical machine can then be assigned to any new employee, delivering access to a virtual desktop pre-set with the correct apps and access rights.

Simpler licensing model

The licensing process for cloud-based desktop used to a challenge, needing at least three different types of licences, but AVD has simplified this process significantly. Now, you’ll just require a single license for each virtual machine, and if you’re already part of the Microsoft 365 subscription, chances are you’re covered. This not only simplifies the licensing process but also brings down costs.

Scaling up and down has never been easier

AVD’s cost savings go beyond licensing, offering the ability to scale your infrastructure rapidly based on business needs. This ensures efficiency not only in resource utilisation but also in cost management. The centralised AVD portal facilitates tasks like configuring networks, deploying desktops, and fortifying security for employees, all achievable with just a few clicks. A solution that’s simpler, safer, and cheaper – can you see where this is going?

The advantages of adopting Azure Virtual Desktop are countless. Implementation of AVD offers you the flexibility that is essential for continuing to grow your business and set yourself apart from your competitors. Ready to dive in? Get in contact with our experts to discover more about the power of Azure Virtual Desktop.

In an era marked by technological advancement, AI has emerged as a powerful tool that takes us beyond our everyday ways of working. Quite often when we think of AI, its associated with big-budget corporations that are throwing enormous resources into innovation and improved efficiencies.

But the impact of AI has been making waves elsewhere – and for good reason.

In the nonprofit sector, which is often tasked with making the biggest impact with limited resources, AI is quickly gaining momentum as a force for good, and is starting to play a pivotal role in helping nonprofits achieve their mission and address pressing global challenges.

AI for Optimisation and Efficiency

One of the first things you might think about when it comes to AI is ‘how can I use it in my job role to make it easier’. There’s no harm in thinking about how AI can make your job easier,  but it’s also important to look at the bigger picture for your nonprofit, and consider how it can be used to streamline processes and make them more efficient – so there’s more time for everyone to focus on the mission.

There are a few different ways in which AI can help optimise your processes:

• AI-driven chatbots can help with internal queries, routine questions and support requests, which will free up teams to focus on more strategic tasks that align with their mission.
• Internal time-consuming and repetitive tasks can be moved into automated workflows with AI – so the team have more time to focus on more impactful tasks.
• Automated expense tracking and budgeting processes will allow your finance team to analyse spending patterns, identify cost-savings, and better adhere to budgets.
• Using AI to analyse document content will make it easier for your team to find relevant information quickly.
• For your volunteer teams, AI can be used to analyse their schedules to automatically coordinate internal meetings and their volunteer activities.

…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

AI in Data Analytics and Insights

As a nonprofit, your data can be your biggest asset. Knowing how to leverage this data with AI is essential to ensuring that you can evaluate the great work that you are doing in your communities – and do more of it. From improved decision-making to impact measurement and donor engagement, your data’s power is far-reaching.

By using AI for data analytics and insights, you can…

• Track progress data on your programs, so that you can monitor their performance and outcomes to adjust the programs for better results.
• Assess historical data and identify areas where resources are most needed, ensuring sufficient use of your funds and volunteers.
• Forecast future needs in their communities with predictive analytics, helping in proactive decision-making and resource allocation.
• Assess the societal impact of nonprofit initiatives by measuring efforts and outcomes to ensure continued success in their programs.

Using AI-driven data analytics is a robust way for nonprofits to reinforce the good work that they are doing, and to continue making a positive impact on the communities they serve. By better understanding where your team’s time is making the biggest difference, what services are under-resourced or which sections of your community aren’t being served adequately, you will only become a better, more impactful, nonprofit.

AI in Fundraising and Donor Engagement

Nonprofits rely on donors to ensure that they have the funds to continue the great work that they are doing – but now, more than ever before, funds are limited. Nonprofits need to find ways of using technology to enhance their donor stewardship.

There are plenty of ways in which AI can help with donor engagement and fundraising:

• AI enables nonprofits to analyse donor behaviour, preferences and giving patterns. With this information, organisations can optimise fundraising strategies, improve donor engagement, and enhance the overall donor experience.
• Nonprofits can use AI and data tools to identify specific target donor groups and create more tailored services and communications, such as personalised thank you messages and acknowledgements.
• In combination with technologies like blockchain, AI can allow for transparent and secure donation transactions which ensure that donors can track how their contributions are being used and reinforces trust in the fundraising process.
• AI can be employed to analyse your data and create dynamic pricing models. By analysing historical data and donor behaviour, AI can suggest personalised donor amounts, increasing the likelihood of your donor commitments.

Improvements in donor stewardship are quite often top of the list of areas that nonprofits want to focus on. AI, used in the right way, can be instrumental in ensuring that nonprofits have an effective donor stewardship program – one that is not only more efficient, but also drives greater levels of donation.

Ethical Considerations for Responsible AI Adoption

The ethical considerations surrounding AI in this sector differ significantly from those in the for-profit space. Stakeholders have different motivations in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors and while both face common challenges, the former operates within a unique landscape that requires some extra consideration.

• AI systems are only as fair as the data they use. Nonprofits should ensure that their data is inclusive and representative to avoid bias, inequality, and discrimination.
• As many nonprofits will be dealing with sensitive personal data from their communities, it’s critical that data protection controls are documented and followed meticulously. They must also ensure that they are operating in a safe, secure and enclosed environment that does not share their data with third-party platforms.
• AI is fast-changing, and nonprofits should ensure that they are staying informed with the evolving regulatory landscape. Have conversations with experts, attend events and communicate changes internally to help you stay compliant.
• Address the common fears that AI and automation can replace jobs by offering staff upskilling and retraining opportunities, as well as being clear and forthcoming in your internal communications concerning the changes.

There are a multitude of ways in which nonprofits can start to use AI technology as a force for good – from optimising processes by tapping into data analytics and insights,  to enhancing fundraising drives and donor engagement levels. The possibilities are endless with data and AI tools, and they aren’t reserved for those big-budget corporations. These opportunities are well within reach for your nonprofit, and we can help you on your way.

Are you ready to start adopting AI for your nonprofit?

At Cloud Direct, we understand that using data and AI can be crucial to the success of your nonprofit’s mission. As a leading UK Microsoft Solutions Partner and Azure Expert Managed Service Provider, we can assist you in your digital transformation journey and provide access to Microsoft nonprofit resources and funding.

From Azure migration to building a sound data strategy and implementing key Microsoft AI services such as OpenAI, Copilot, Power BI and more, our experts can help kickstart your data and AI journey in the cloud. Get in touch today to find out more, or book a free 1:1 Data and AI Innovation Workshop for a tailored assessment of your AI potential.

Many industries fall under the retail umbrella, from consumer goods and manufacturing to travel and tourism and automotive, but they all have something in common – wanting to provide a seamless customer experience. With stiff competition across all sectors, the customer experience you provide stands out as a crucial differentiator for success.

As technology continues to shape the industry, retail businesses find themselves at a crossroads of delivering high-end customer satisfaction while adopting new and innovative technologies. Those retailers that embrace the power of data and AI in their digital transformation journeys are discovering new ways to elevate their customer experiences.

There are a whole host of reasons as to why you should start leveraging your data and the capabilities of artificial intelligence to revolutionise the way you engage with customers. We’ve picked out five key considerations.

Customer Personalisation

Data and AI can play a crucial role in helping retailers to personalise their offerings and enhance the overall customer experience. By analysing customer data, including past purchases, preferences, and online behaviours, retailers can tailor recommendations and promotions to individual shoppers. With AI, algorithms can use this data to suggest relevant products to customers which can increase the likelihood of cross-selling or upselling.

With the same data, personalised loyalty programmes can be created. You can analyse customer behaviour to offer personal rewards, discounts, or incentives to customers based on their preferences and habits. By leveraging AI and data, you can start to rise above the competition by creating personalised and targeted experiences, which leads to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and improved business outcomes.

Inventory Management

To maintain a positive customer experience, a retailer needs to ensure that its inventory and offerings are well-managed and meet customer demand. The data you have, combined with artificial intelligence, can help ensure sure you always meet these demands. For an online fashion retailer, for example, an automated platform could analyse historical sales data, seasonality patterns and shopping trends to accurately forecast demand. This can help prevent low stock and also reduce excess inventory, minimising waste and improving efficiency.

Another example would be supply chain optimisation.  Wholesalers can use real-time data, customer demand patterns and inventory levels to help to optimise their supply chains by identifying any issues, predicting delivery times, and streamlining logistics. This ensures wholesale inventory is on time and always in stock.

Omnichannel Experience

Most consumers come to expect a consistent experience across the various channels of interaction within a retailer. With AI, you can start to create a pivotal omnichannel experience for their customers. By using data from different touchpoints, retailers can start to gain a comprehensive understanding of the journey that a customer takes, which allows them to then provide consistent and personalised interactions across the various channels – offering targeted promotions in an email based on their in-store sales history, for example.

By leveraging AI and data, retailers can break down the silos between different channels and start to deliver an improved and more personalised omnichannel customer experience, with a journey that meets customer expectations and promotes brand loyalty.

Cybersecurity

Retail organisations often hold vast amounts customer data on record, which can make them prime candidates for cyber-attacks and security breaches. Like at many other types of businesses that are already benefitting from  it, data and AI can play a key role in enhancing the security of transactions.

AI systems can analyse patterns of customer behavior which can help to identify potentially fraudulent activity in real-time. This approach helps both protect customers and the retailer from the financial and reputational damage associated with fraud. For example, in automotive retailers, who process large payments, AI can help to detect and prevent fraudulent activity during the transaction process, ensuring secure and trustworthy payments.

Chatbots for Enhanced Customer Support

Many large consumer goods retailers are already using chatbots to provide instant support, so customer support teams have more time for other, more labour intensive work. With the  creation chatbots now more accessible than ever before, smaller retailers need to realise their benefit to the customer experience.

Chatbots can provide around-the-clock assistance, resolving simple queries and questions at any time of day. These chatbots can be programmed to handle routine tasks, answer frequently asked questions, and guide customers through common issues – all powered by historical data that it is given access to. They can help to improve response time and also free up human resources to focus on more complex and personalised customer interactions, leading to a more satisfied customer service experience.

Whether you are a consumer goods retailer, wholesaler, travel and tourism business or any other type of retail and goods business, the benefit of artificial intelligence on the customer experience is plain to see. From creating new chatbots to personalised customer offers and promotions, AI is leading the way in ensuring that your business is fostering an excellent customer experience.

Are you ready to take this next step in your digital transformation journey?

What can you do next?

At Cloud Direct, we know that using data and AI will be crucial to the long-term success of your retail organisation. As a leading UK Microsoft Solutions Partner and Azure Expert Managed Service Provider, we can assist you in your digital transformation journey.

Whether you’re at the forefront of innovation or just starting out on your digital transformation journey, our experts are here to help you make the most of technology – so let’s talk.

For many local and regional governments in the UK, the ‘do more with less’ slogan is becoming more and more pertinent. Many councils are being told to limit their spending but still achieve high levels of satisfaction with the public services that they offer. One key element of spending that is being impacted is IT and its infrastructure, which forms the backbone of many public services.

The advances in cloud technology mean that council IT leaders can begin to explore alternative cost-effective solutions to counteract the cost and inefficiency of on-premise systems. Cloud technology is often less costly, more secure, offers greater scalability and, for councils, can help to streamline and join up public services that are rooted in innovative data and AI systems.

To reach this end goal, councils need to embrace a digital-first approach and start to break away from legacy systems, taking a cloud-first approach and embracing data and AI. But how do you get started?

The Digital-First Approach

A digital-first approach is not just a technological shift; it’s a strategic mindset that puts local and regional councils in a position to thrive in the digital landscape. As stewards of public services, they are increasingly recognising the importance of embracing digital transformation, particularly through the use of cloud technology and new data and AI systems. A digital-first approach not only recognises the importance of such technology but also the encompassing impact that this new tech can have on all areas of the council. A digital-first approach is a strategic imperative that can enhance efficiency, improve public services, and help foster innovation across the whole organisation.

• With this new approach, a council can start to streamline internal processes, reduce paperwork and manual interventions, and give more time back to its teams. Automated workflows, digital communication channels and data-driven decision-making contribute to operational efficiency, allowing public resources to be allocated more effectively.
• Prioritising digital channels for public services leads to improved delivery. Online platforms, mobile applications, and other digital communication tools provide people with convenient and accessible ways to get information, engage with council services and provide feedback.
• Leveraging the power of data and AI empowers councils to make more informed decisions. By analysing vast amounts of data, a council can identify trends, anticipate the public’s needs, and optimise its services.

Cloud technology can act as a key catalyst to embracing this digital-first approach. For example, Microsoft Azure integration can offer complete flexibility, be cost-effective, has robust security and has a comprehensive set of AI and data tools at your fingertips, such as Copilot, Power BI, and much, much more.

Key Considerations

Embracing digital transformation and making the most of their vast quantities of data  holds great potential for local and regional councils. By prioritising data governance and security, investing in infrastructure, fostering upskilling programmes and engaging effectively with stakeholders, councils can pave the way for smarter and more efficient public services.

Data governance

Robust data governance underlines any successful data and AI initiative. Councils must establish clear policies for data collection, storing and sharing to make sure they meet all regulatory requirements. Maintaining high standards of data quality will enhance the accuracy and reliability of insights from AI, leading to improved public service offerings.

Infrastructure

Taking the time to invest in modern and flexible cloud infrastructure is essential for councils to get the most from their data. Cloud solutions, which include secure data warehouses, can help with creating a seamless integration between different public services. A well-built infrastructure allows for the efficient use of data for AI and analytics tools.

Upskilling

For a successful digital-first approach, local councils will need to consider upskilling their workforce to  help overcome anxiety and job insecurity amongst their staff. Investing in team training in data analytics, AI and related technologies will ensure that a council has the necessary skillsets to get meaningful insights from their data. Upskilling is key to fostering a culture of innovation within your teams.

Stakeholder engagement

Good communication with council stakeholders is important when implementing new digital solutions. Engaging with internal stakeholders creates a sense of inclusion and transparency, and being able to demonstrate the benefits of data and AI as part of your business case helps to improve stakeholder support and adoption.

Ethics of AI

As a council IT leader, it’s important to consider the ethical implications of using data and AI systems. As part of your business case, make sure to create ethical guidelines for data usage and storage, ensuring fairness in AI and avoiding bias in these processes. Sticking to these ethical standards not only safeguards your information and the reputation of your council, but also promotes responsible data and AI usage.

A digital-first approach is not just a technology shift, it’s a change of strategic mindset that can help local and regional councils thrive in the new digital landscape. By prioritising infrastructure, public services and embracing new data and AI solutions, councils can pave the way for better and more cohesive public services. These key considerations outline a roadmap for councils that are looking to embark on this transformation journey – and we can help you get started.

Want to join other councils on this journey?

At Cloud Direct, we understand that using data and AI can be crucial to the success of public services in your council. As a leading UK Microsoft Solutions Partner and Azure Expert Managed Service Provider, we can assist you in your digital transformation journey and provide access to Microsoft nonprofit resources.

From your initial Azure migration to building a sound data strategy and implementing key Microsoft AI services such as OpenAI, Copilot, Power BI and more, our experts can help you kickstart your data and AI journey in the cloud. Get in touch today and find out more or book a free 1:1 Data and AI Innovation Workshop.

The legal sector is historically known for its cautious approach to implementing new technology. However, at Cloud Direct we’ve seen this industry fuelling the demand for Desktop as a Service products, signalling a balancing act between maintaining core legacy systems, whilst embracing some of the advantages of cloud-based solutions.

Cloud migrations can be expensive, and aren’t necessarily a viable solution for all law firms – but that doesn’t mean they’re forced to stick with the status quo. Microsoft’s solution is Azure Virtual Desktops, which enables firms to enhance security, scalability, integration and innovation, all in a cost-effective and accessible manner.

What are legacy applications?

A legacy application refers to a piece of software or a system that was created using older programming languages and technologies and may no longer be actively maintained or supported by the original developers.

Traditionally, legacy applications are installed on a single device and store the data on that computer, meaning devices will need to be manually backed up, encrypted and password protected by IT Teams, taking time and consuming internal resources, while also being a single point of failure.

Despite this issue, law firms continue to rely on legacy applications because they are essential for their day-to-day operations and migrating to newer systems can often seem equally time consuming, complex, and expensive.

What is Azure Virtual Desktop?

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a complete desktop and application virtualisation solution that runs on the cloud. In the past, virtual desktop solutions have been complex and expensive to set up and manage, making them inaccessible to most small and medium-sized businesses.

By using Microsoft’s extensive cloud platform, AVD changes that. Instead, it’s a cost-effective solution that is easy to deploy, configure and scale. Like all Microsoft Cloud Services, it’s completely flexible to your specific business needs, making it the perfect solution for your firm.

Modernising legacy applications with AVD

Through a virtualised, cloud-based desktop environment, AVD offers secure access to legacy applications. It provides the capability to manage and control access to these applications from any location, device or platform while ensuring the continuous security of your firm’s data.

Applications can be deployed in the cloud, eliminating the burden of managing physical hardware. This enables lawyers to have the freedom to access applications from any location, neglecting the need for additional investment in hardware.

A virtual machine is needed to run legacy applications but, as soon as this is complete, the application can be deployed in the cloud and lawyers can access it from any device or platform.

Ultimately, it’s crucial to configure AVD to ensure the safety of the data. This involves setting up user authentication, authorisation policies and implementing encryption protocols. These security measures facilitates law firms in keeping legacy applications secure and up-to-date.

The benefits of application modernisation

Security

Security stands as a top priority for law firms as they manage clients’ confidential information and personal data. Enhancing security protocols during the application modernisation process, with tools such as multi-factor authentication, can elevate the level of difficulty for bad actors attempting to infiltrate and access sensitive information.

Modernisation

Modernisation not only revitalises the application but also amplifies its agility. This ensures greater responsiveness and adaptability to changing circumstances, making it effortless to introduce new features and functionalities, as well as implement reactive changes and necessary improvements swiftly and seamlessly.

Reliability

The reliability of the application sees improvement through modernisation as it facilitates the quick identification and resolution of bugs or glitches. It also ensures there is no single point of failure – a fault  with a single server will no longer bring the firm to a complete standstill. This, in turn, minimises downtimes and ensures a smooth and efficient operation of the application.

Want to find out more about Azure Virtual Desktop? Talk to the experts.

The benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop are endless – especially when it comes to modernising legacy applications for your law firm.

If you want to find out more about Azure Virtual Desktop or have any burning questions, then you’re in luck. Microsoft has identified us as one of a handful of Azure Virtual Desktop Specialist Partners.

Whether you’re in the cloud or on-premise, you will have an Operating Model in place that defines how technology supports your business – but when was it last updated? In 2020, 87 per cent of CEOs expected their operating models to change in the three years that followed as they delved deeper into the world of digital transformation. But the importance of updating it promptly can often be overlooked, which will only hinder your ability to achieve long-term technology operation success.

For those that have already migrated their servers to the cloud, has that change been reflected in your operating model? And for the businesses that are looking to migrate in 2024, what considerations should be made when adopting a Cloud Operating Model?

What is a Cloud Operating Model?

Microsoft defines a Cloud Operating Model as ‘the collection of processes and procedures that define how you want to operate technology in the cloud.’ After detailing your Cloud Strategy, the Cloud Operating Model will provide a high-level representation of how your business will deliver on that strategy, breaking each section down into individual methodologies.

Operating Models have been around for decades as teams have always had to define how technology would support their business. However, while some processes may remain relevant from your legacy Operating Model when you migrate to the cloud, many will change and impact the way your IT team operates.

What you should consider

When migrating to the cloud, it’s important to consider the processes you currently have in place and how they will change once you’ve migrated. There’s a lot to look at, and potentially a lot of changes to make in order to ensure successful long-term cloud adoption, so our team has been busy identifying the seven key considerations you should be making when building a Cloud Operating Model.

People

When you’re in the cloud, the skills your IT team needs will change dramatically. Gone are the days that required boots on the ground to physically maintain and manage your on-premise infrastructure. Instead, your team will need to be adept at monitoring a cloud environment, either themselves or with the support of a Cloud Provider, and will need to want to work with cutting edge technology to drive business innovation. The benefit of hiring the best cloud talent is that often you can upskill the resource and reallocate to different functions to drive competitive advantage and ultimately improve business performance, increase revenue, enhance customer experience – but your current team should not be overlooked, and upskilling and training programmes should be considered.

Technology

When transitioning to an Operating Model that’s geared up to support your cloud environment, it’s important that you consider how your tools and technology will change, along with how you support that. This can be broken down into three key areas:

• Infrastructure: When you’re on-premise, your infrastructure is restrictive and inflexible. Network connectivity is configured traditionally and reporting and analytics are limited. When you move to cloud you will benefit from an increase in the number of compute nodes as they can be spun up almost instantly, and in vast quantities. This provides a more dynamic environment, but requires more consistent oversight to ensure that you are extracting the maximum ROI from your technology.
• Physical servers: In the cloud you’ll need to adopt virtual machines, and more of them than you had physical servers. You’ll have to ensure you have new processes for people and technology to keep track of these.
• Analytics: On-premise offers limited analytics solutions and therefore limited insights. In the cloud, you’ll be able to gain more business insights from its wealth of analytics capabilities, but in turn you will need a add deeper analytical skills and expertise to your team.

Processes

Your full list of business processes is likely innumerable, making it one of the biggest areas of consideration when adopting a Cloud Operating Model. Moving to a cloud environment will impact on areas of your business that you may not have thought would be changed, so make sure you consider each of the following.

• Procurement: Not only will never products and services you procure need to be compatible with the cloud, you will also need to begin procuring suppliers and providers in new areas – starting with a Cloud Vendor, who will help your business make a smooth, seamless transition to the cloud.
• Problem management: On-premise problem management is a very hands-on process with lots of patching, troubleshooting and hardware replacement. However, when you’re in the cloud, there’s a greater focus on solving connectivity, availability, and configuration – your cloud provider will resolve any infrastructure problems.
• Ticket management: This will change from a manual tracking of issues with communication from the IT department to streamlined, automated systems that can be quickly escalated to the relevant teams, decreasing resolution times and reducing the impact of disruptions.
• Identity management: The way in which your team accesses its servers will change drastically to ensure your data remains safe and secure. You’ll need more than a key to gain access, so your Cloud Operating Model should include considerations like multi-factor authentication and trusted networks.
• Change management: This becomes a much more dynamic process in the cloud as your provider will assist with any updates or upgrades. It will Minimise disruption to users, and allow you to allocate some resources elsewhere.
• Data sovereignty: When you’re managing on-premise datacentres, you are fully responsible for that. In the cloud that changes to a shared responsibility between your business and your Cloud Provider, meaning your Compliance team would need to adapt your approach to continue adhering to regulations.
• Backup & Data Recovery: In an on-premise world, you would have had to invest quite a lot of time, effort and money in backups for datacentre upgrades, repairs, and maintenance. In the cloud, this is all automated at a much lower cost and allows for data recovery from a wide range of locations. Giving you peace of mind.

Finance

Your finances and how you manage them will change considerably when your business is in the cloud, so be prepared.

CapEx to OpEx: The biggest change will be moving away from Capital Expenditure (CapEx), where you spend a lot upfront on hardware with potentially significant Operational Expenditure (OpEx)on maintenance, which leads to an inflexible financial strategy. When in the cloud you prioritise OpEx spending, which can be scaled efficiently and spread over many financial periods, with fewer areas of spend – the Cloud Provider covers maintenance and other costs. However, we recommend that this is paired with a FinOps strategy to ensure investments are managed effectively, and the financial benefits of cloud are fully realised.

Operational expenditure drops: When in the cloud, you will notice that your operational costs will drop significantly. These costs are baked into the cloud pricing and the responsibility of these tasks are performed by your cloud vendor, giving you greater flexibility to reinvest any leftover budget.

Moving to a Cloud Operating Model will enable you to ultimately move from an inflexible financial strategy to an agile one, so it’s a great time to factor in how you can use that to your advantage and invest in innovation.

Security and Governance

When you shift to the cloud, the parameters in which attackers can target increase as you move from needing physical access to attack to digital. With this in mind, it’s advisable to adopt a Zero Trust approach. This requires a change in mindset – instead of assuming everything behind your firewall is safe, you should assume breach and verify each request as it comes from an open network. Zero Trust encourages you “never trust, always verify”, meaning cyberattacks don’t slip through the gaps. With a Zero Trust approach, there will be more of a focus on identity management, and while this can be quite a large configuration task as part of your migration, there are plenty of tools that come with your Azure platform from Microsoft, ready for you to adopt in order to follow a Zero Trust approach.

Timescale

It’s no secret that the cloud improves business and IT agility by speeding up processes. Slow timescales and mundane processes will be a thing of the past once you have shifted your Operating Model to the cloud, but be sure to consider the following process changes.

• Instant access to adopting new IT: The beauty of the cloud is the being able to adopt new technologies almost instantly, allowing your teams to start innovating quicker than ever before.
• Maintenance updates: There’s no longer the need for an internal IT team to manually maintain and update your infrastructure. When you move to cloud, your infrastructure will be maintained by your Cloud Vendor, which results in quicker updates due to their expertise and the scale at which they operate.
• Development cycles: When you’re in the cloud you can adopt tools to help you move away from traditional development methods to DevOps. This allows you to efficiently respond to customer needs and build applications quicker than ever before.
• Hardware refresh: On-premise hardware refresh cycles often end up being long and drawn-out processes that happen every few years, which are often locked in as soon as the decision is made. When your Operating Model is in the cloud you will have a near-constant view on various metrics that will dictate what scaling and flexibility is required, allowing you to optimise your cloud environment and maximise your investment.

Strategy

Finally, your Cloud Strategy is what brings everything together to integrate it with your wider business strategy, rather than having separate and often conflicting approaches. While the IT team is largely responsible for managing your cloud environment, it’s a business decision to migrate to cloud and therefore should be part of a strategic business strategy and way of working. The IT Team will move away from focusing on just keeping the lights on, to leveraging the latest technology to drive business optimisation and innovation.

Looking to shift to a Cloud Operating Model?

Are you looking to adopt a Cloud Operating Model, but not sure where to start? These seven considerations will get you going in the right direction, but when it comes to migrating it’s important that you have a Managed Service Provider in place that takes time to help you understand your long-term strategic goals and align your Cloud Operating Model with the needs and requirements of your business.

Simply get in touch with our Azure experts to help you start your successful cloud migration.