Technology is marching on. As new working practices shape the business world, few things are as important as data centre modernisation. IT is about more than keeping the lights on – it’s an opportunity for innovation and evolution. Your business can’t step into the future if your technology ties it to the past.

‘By 2020, 67 percent of enterprise IT infrastructure and software will be for cloud-based offerings,’ according to ICD Directions 2017 

Lack of business buy-in can block IT innovation. Your IT department knows the advantages but the rest of the business wants ROI and IT KPIs. It makes sense; to prove a case, you need evidence.

Here are five IT KPIs that every business needs to monitor, and why it’s important to measure them.

1. Uptime

Uptime is the total length of time a service is operational. If you fail to measure it, you fail to understand the true effects of downtime. It’s normal for some downtime to occur, but if you’re constantly unplugged and offline, it’s likely that your technology is struggling to keep up.

What does this mean for your business? Well, downtime is equal to customer dissatisfaction, increased labour costs and potentially lost data. If it happens during mission-critical periods, the backlash is even greater.

2. Response time

How long does it take for your technology to complete a query? If a human can respond quicker, you need to upgrade your systems. As with uptime, disruptions cause delays in response time and create inefficiencies. What this means for you in long-term: fewer closed deals and smaller steps forward.

 

 

3. Resolved support requests

Track. Report. Adjust. Repeat.

First, use your technology to track the number of support requests received. If this number starts to increase, your technology isn’t working hard enough. Second, measure the time taken to resolve these requests.

We can all agree that it doesn’t make good business sense to have your employees twiddling their thumbs while they wait for technical issues to be resolved. After all, time is money, right?

4. Security events

No business is immune to security threats. Yes, not even yours.

If your business is struggling to be reactive, let alone proactive, it’s likely that your infrastructure is not secure. Make sure to monitor security events that your business encounters. How long does it take to deal with them? With this information, you’ll be able to identify the breaking point and take preventative action.

This is one KPI that will light a fire under the business decision-makers. Security events are the wake-up call many CEOs need. Every cloud…

5. Server and infrastructure management cost

From the cost of replacement parts to internal IT labour expenses, prices are always changing. Unsurprisingly, the cost of managing your servers and infrastructure will rise as your business grows, but if these costs are increasing exponentially, you might want to sound the alarm.

A lot of C-level executives view these rising costs as ‘part and parcel’ of running a business. But for more efficiency and reliability, invest the time in researching cheaper alternatives.

How do you monitor all of this?

Of course, knowing what IT KPIs to track is one thing. Knowing how to track them is another story. First, you need the right tools. Software like Microsoft’s Power BI is a suite of analytics tools that not only help you monitor your KPIs but also obtain actionable insight from them.

Second, you need the expertise. There’s a lot you can do internally to keep your business ahead of the game. That said, it’s much easier, more efficient and cost-effective to get third-party help. By working with an IT partner, you can draw on extensive resources and experience to really drive your IT to the next level.

Data centre modernisation for all

Soon, data centre modernisation will be more than just a plan for the future; it will be a necessity for all businesses that want to stay in the game. Knowing the right IT KPIs means you can identify the best time to build a business case and convince the board.

A plan without numbers is just a story; numbers without a plan – well, those emails won’t get opened. Create a strategy. Have a timeline. Book that meeting. Business innovation is more than just a side project, so step up and be the leader within your business that pushes for change.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. Time-poor IT professionals can seek the help of an outsourced IT partner to guide and manage the data centre modernisation journey from start to finish. For more information on how your business can build the foundations of digital transformation, get in touch with us today.

 

 

Males in high-tech companies earn, on average, 25 percent more than women. Three-quarters of mid-level professional roles are male and only 13 percent of executives are female. Though the junior-level roles are more equally split, the lack of women in executive positions shows that there is a lack of progression for talented women in technology.

The gender pay gap is not an issue we can solve overnight. But you can help to change it, and here’s how.

The cloud enables flexible working

Almost half of mothers reduce their working hours to make time for their family. Another 51 percent of women say that being a working mother hinders their career progression, while only 16 percent of working fathers feel the same way.

The cloud has long since made remote and flexible working a reality, and the possibilities are still increasing. Office 365, for example, comes with communication software to keep remote employees connected and collaboration tools to enable co-authoring of documents from separate locations.

 

 

On top of this, having a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), such as Azure Citrix VDI, means that a user’s desktop is hosted on a server rather than locally. With this, replicating an employee’s ‘office’ set up is simple. No matter the device or its location, employees can still access all the software and applications they use in the office.

This is freedom that has never existed before. And it’s opening up a massive opportunity for employees who struggle to make a full-time office position work for them. More than three-quarters of women surveyed by professional recruiter Robert Walters said that remote working opportunities were a top priority for women in technology. It is now a necessity for any business that wants to retain long-term staff.

The cloud supports digital fluency

According to Accenture’s ‘Get Equal in 2017’ report, there are three skills that form part of the solution to bridge the gender pay gap:

• Digital fluency – the ability to use digital technology to communicate, work and develop further skills.
• Career strategy – the ability to set high, but achievable, goals and make informed decisions regarding their career.
• Tech immersion – the ability to further develop technical skills as quickly as men.

Combining the above skills has the potential to reduce the wage gap by 35 percent by 2030. The cloud can facilitate this.

What’s good for women is good for business

Companies may be wondering what impact these necessary changes might have on their bottom-line. The reality is that most of them are good for business, not just the women working there.

• Three-quarters of millennials claim that remote working has a positive impact on productivity.
• 57 percent of businesses  achieved their goal of increasing speed of access to technology without difficulty when migrating to the cloud.
• 86 percent of businesses cite increasing infrastructure flexibility and agility as a key benefit of adopting cloud computing.
  Women make up half of the global population. They are as much an asset to any business as their male counterparts and it’s time their pay matched that. When businesses take steps to bridge the gender pay gap, they also show that they are one of the few committed to equality and innovation.

“Cloud Direct is passionate about attracting and supporting Women-in-Tech and we’re in talks with Microsoft to develop an engagement program,” says Brett Raynes, CEO at Cloud Direct. “The tech industry needs a rebrand. That’s why we’re launching our career academy focussed on attracting people with transferable skills not just technical know-how. The IT industry is crying out for talent but currently there are far too few women in tech roles. We haven’t found the answer yet but affirmative action, like our academy, will help in the short term.”

So, what can your business do today to make a fairer future for women?

 

 

Reactions from our customers to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are varied. Some are very concerned and taking action. Some are waiting to see what happens. But everyone knows GDPR is something you must pay attention to.

Our message in all cases is simple: whatever your situation is right now, upgrading from Office 365 to Microsoft 365 will make your life a lot easier. You’ll benefit from a solution that’s

• Highly secure
• Regularly and automatically updated to keep it secure
• Has been built with GDPR compliance in mind

The time to upgrade is now

Many organisations are still running with just Office 365 licencing. In these times of increasing regulation and security threats, this is a mistake. Microsoft 365 is a step up that you need to consider because it combines Office 365 with Windows 10 Enterprise and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) in one complete package. As standard, it includes features that control identity and access, manage mobile devices and safeguard sensitive data. All of these will help you handle GDPR requirements effectively.

There are also several other elements within Microsoft 365 that provide you with an even more complete solution that will simplify GDPR compliance. These include:

• Compliance Manager – a new solution that enables you to conduct a real-time risk assessment. Compliance Manager also gives you a score that helps you understand your compliance performance against all regulatory requirements.
• Microsoft Information Protection solutions – which enables you to identify, classify, protect, label and monitor your sensitive data as you create and store it.
• Advanced Data Governance  – which helps you set retention periods for data in Office 365 to comply with GDPR rules on record keeping.
• Plus Customer Lockbox  – which means you can stay in control of your data at all times, even when a Microsoft engineer may need access to your content to resolve an issue.

All these initiatives are examples of how security and compliance are built into everything that Microsoft does. They also show why Microsoft has become the first enterprise cloud services provider to earn approval for the EU Model Clauses, the first to achieve  ISO’s 27018 cloud privacy standard and the first to offer its customers  contractual commitments to the GDPR.

Do you need to find out more before GDPR comes into force on May 25th?  Contact us and we’ll explain how upgrading to Microsoft 365 will give you all the tools you need.

Yes, Estonia. Estonia’s government received an award for leadership  this year. The country was a founding member of the  D5 alliance of countries that drove e-governance and digital transformation between 2010 and 2016 (along with the UK). Clearly, they are doing something right. But how can Estonia help your business?

After declaring independence in the early 90s, Estonia has taken a unique approach to governance. This tiny country with a population less than that of Northern Ireland is now a global leader in digital solutions, transforming their economy and their culture as they embrace change and cut red tape. Here are some of the facts:

• In 1991, half the population didn’t have landlines. In 2000, Estonia declared the internet to be a human right.
• All Estonians have an identity card that is the key to their personal information, which is stored on the revolutionary X-road database system.
• In 2005 Estonia was the first country to offer internet voting in a national election.
• In 2014 Estonia began offering the world e-residency, a government-issued digital identity available to anyone in the world.

It’s part of the culture

Estonia had a blank slate to work with, so their leaders, particularly former president Toomas Hendrik Ilves,, decided digital transformation would become part of the ‘e-Estonian’ culture. It’s important to have a leader to direct this level of change. They are not just there to plan and take action, but to tell a story, to convince people  and to share enthusiasm.

This foundation of nation-wide support has meant that change is embraced by all Estonians, further supported by education. They are teaching four-year-olds to code, and even the older generations are kept up-to-date. The concept of ‘e-administration’ is liked, and it’s understood. Good start.

Access is a big deal

Imagine it. You’re in the middle of the woods without a car or a person in sight. Only snow, and space and quiet. You look down at your phone. Not only do you get 4G, but you get free wi-fi. Only in Estonia. With the internet being a human right, they have installed thousands of free wi-fi spots all over the country. High-speed, broadly available wi-fi access boosts productivity and lets people be flexible about where they work. A cabin in the woods with high-speed internet connection – for some, a dream come true.

The concept of e-residency pushes this emphasis on access beyond borders. Anyone can apply to become part of this global digital nation. You can open up an Estonian bank account or start up a company (like Skype), taking advantage of their administrative system. Think about open-source projects like Linux or  Wikipedia – access means freedom, and freedom means innovation.

They have a ‘Once-only’ policy

In Estonia, people don’t like saying things unnecessarily, so the state doesn’t ask them to. They never fill in the same form twice. Once you have provided information, that’s it. Voting, taxes, banking – all so streamlined that participation and compliance are non-issues in Estonia. Not only is this a fantastic user experience, but the Estonian government has optimised for efficiency, saving two percent of GDP  by going digital.

They prioritise disaster-proofing

Estonia had a security breach in 2007 that meant many services and forms of communication were taken down. It was a lesson learned well. Since then, the government has become a leading voice in cyber-security. They have blockchain-based ID cards, using a similar system to Bitcoin, that they constantly review in order to reveal vulnerabilities.

Also, Estonia gets a lot of snow. Weather-proofing tech isn’t just about splash-resistant keyboards, for Estonia. They have moved some of their public-sector servers off-country to ensure their systems remain functioning no matter what happens. Whether the threat is man-made or a natural disaster, they are ready.

Be the Estonia of your sector and embrace digital transformation today.

Since its launch in 2015 Cloud Direct’s automated support portal Provide has helped more than 900 customers simply and effectively manage their accounts. With recent updates including access to Office 365 subscriptions and Azure usage statistics, it’s even easier to control your cloud services usage and billing.

Manage your Office 365 subscriptions

Whether your team is growing or you have seasonal staff fluctuations, you can manage your Office 365 subscriptions through your personalised Provide portal. Keep track of how many active licenses you have. Increase or decrease them with a few clicks and only pay for what you need that month.

Azure reporting

Never receive a surprising cloud usage bill again. Take control of your cloud billing and consumption with our real-time billing portal. Improve day-to-day efficiency and keep track of spend with the simple to use Provide dashboard.

Advanced support

Access the support to fit your needs through the Provide portal. Find the answer to your questions in our extensive knowledge base of articles and guides. Or raise a technical support ticket to receive hands-on support from our experienced technical team.

If you’d like to find out more about the Provide portal and Office 365 request a consultation call from one of our cloud solutions specialists here.  

Recently we spoke to one of our customers whose IT manager had been asked to step up into a CIO role. That’s not unusual. What is interesting is that the organisation decided that it didn’t need to immediately fill the IT Manager role that was left vacant. The reason they gave was the job of keeping the lights on was already being fulfilled by Cloud Direct. We’d become that company’s day-to-day IT.

This story perfectly illustrates the benefits of data centre modernisation. You not only get access to cutting-edge technology like Azure. You also free-up IT’s time for more valuable work, knowing that core IT operations are being taken care of.

Why the changing role of IT is inevitable

Today 86% of CIOs consider digital transformation their first priority (Source: PWC).  By 2020, more than 50% of business will focus on creating digitally enhanced products and services to secure their future. Already, nearly half of all technology buying decisions are now controlled by line of business departments that are keen to pursue this digital vision themselves.

This is not an environment in which the old style of IT management can survive. IT that only keeps systems working is not an option anymore. The IT department of the future needs to shift from operating and maintaining technology. Instead, it needs to orchestrate the way technology and applications are used strategically across the business.

Why the change is positive

Businesses that excel are the ones that innovate. Changing the role of your IT through cloud and data centre modernisation will help with that. With time freed-up, IT can focus on innovation in areas like IoT and artificial intelligence. It can also work more closely with all areas of the business to help find answers to the questions that matter to you and your board – such as ‘how can I create this new service and get it to market quickly?’, or ‘how can we improve our marketing and customer experience?’.

IT managers will not become obsolete. But transformational technologies will open up new ways of working.

Working in this way, IT becomes the agent of business-focused digital transformation. Data centre modernisation is not about simply carrying on doing what you did before, only with more up to date technology. It is an opportunity for your business to take advantage of the unprecedented computing power offered by public clouds and take innovation to a new level. The changing role of your IT – itself working at a new level – will be core to that.

Find out more

The new role of IT starts with the cloud and the changes you make to your data centre. Download our whitepaper to find out how data centre modernisation can help you achieve your goals.

We’re delighted to be named one of the Top 50 Fast Growth businesses in the South West 2018.

The list, compiled by Trinity Mirror PLC, highlights the fastest growing companies in the South West and shortlisted Cloud Direct as a finalist for the Technology and Innovation award.

Brett Raynes, CEO of Cloud Direct, said: “It’s fantastic to be recognised as one of the fastest growing businesses in the South West. We are in a rapidly growing market as more companies move to use cloud computing. Our experience and expertise mean we are in a great position to help them do this and therefore to grow ourselves.”

We sat down with Brett to talk about the company’s growth plans and what the future holds for the organisation and its customers.

How is Cloud Direct growing so fast?

“We’re in the world of digital transformation, which is all about helping organisations exploit new technologies to change what they do and how they do it. To disrupt their own market. To launch new services for their customers. To create unique customer experiences. To engage their own employees.

“We provide businesses with these transformational technologies, unburdening them from their old-world IT, so they can realise their potential. We apply these solutions to our own business to drive our development, and we’re growing as a result.”

What does this mean for our customers?

“As we grow and expand the Cloud Direct team, we’re able to nurture and acquire expert talent to ensure our customers are getting the best possible service. Accompanied by the advanced Microsoft support we’re able to offer as Microsoft Partners, our customers receive first class service throughout their cloud journey with us.”

What does that look like in practice?

“For example, we’re collaborating with disability charity Scope, to improve the efficiency of their IT and help them deliver their charitable objectives. They’re currently set to save £100,000 a year after we migrated the majority of their onsite servers to the cloud. We further improve their day-to-day efficiency with our online real-time billing portal, which allows them to simply control their cloud billing and consumption.

“Another customer of ours Côte Brasserie is working with us to harness the power of Microsoft cloud solutions, such as Azure, to uphold the excellent customer experience across their network. Ultimately to maintain a high standard of customer excellence.”

What does the future look like for Cloud Direct?

“To continue our growth, we’re planning to double in size every 12 to 18 months over the next five years, subject to attracting the right talent.

“The demand for transformational technologies is growing enormously. The cloud market globally will be worth £150 billion by 2020. Therefore, the only limit to how fast we can grow is our own ambition.”

Why the South West?

“There’s a huge pool of talent available across the South West, that we’re able to tap into.

“Also, what we do is cloud based so we can service companies from anywhere, and where better to be than the South West!”

The 2018 South West Growth 50 Awards will take place on Friday 9th March at Ashton Gate Stadium. With the finalists published in the Western Daily Press, Bristol Post and Western Morning News.

If you want to find out more about Cloud Direct and what we’re doing, please get in contact with us. 

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is better than traditional ways of managing DR. And that is an indisputable fact. It’s cheaper, more flexible and easier to test. But there’s also much more to it than that. For many organisations, DRaaS is also the first step into Azure and exploring the benefits of cloud.

Here are a few reasons why:

Revolutionising Dev/Test

Traditionally Dev/Test has been the poor relation of IT – living on the offcuts of the live production environment. Production infrastructure is refreshed, and when the new hardware comes in, the legacy kit is used for Dev/Test. The result is that Dev/Test of new systems and upgrades takes place in an environment that’s one step behind the real thing.

With DRaaS enabled through Azure Site Recovery (ASR), all that changes. You have the capability to mirror your live production environment at any time and for as long as you need – so why not use it for more accurate and reliable Dev/Test? Many organisations now do. In fact, some of our DRaaS customers have decided that they don’t need a separate Dev/Test environment at all. They just use the cloud.

 

Delivering high availability

Vendors usually recommend that high availability requires having two sets of servers for everything. This is a very expensive way of doing things. With a DRaaS solution this architecture is not necessary. Most organisations can simply failover to a mirror of the servers you have in the cloud (which you get by default with ASR) whenever needed. The cost is around 10% of the cost of a traditional high availability set up. It’s another step towards cloud, and another demonstration of the cost and efficiency savings you can achieve.

Coping with seasonal demand

What a lot of organisations don’t consider with DRaaS is that they can use it to cope with increases in seasonal demand. For example, a retailer may only need three servers for 11 months of the year but then need another five around Christmas. The same might apply to an events company handling ticketing for a yearly festival, a florist chain gearing up for Valentine’s Day, or any business running a competition or a major promotion. With DRaaS you can send applications and workloads to the cloud temporarily and easily cope with those surges in demand.

Altogether, these benefits create added value that is simply not possible through traditional DR methods. Often, the benefits are so clear that businesses who have experienced DRaaS take the decision to undertake a full migration to the cloud.

Download our paper on the business case for DRaaS to learn how DR can be your springboard to creating new business value from the cloud.

Ever feel like there are too many 365s in the world? First, you had Office 365, giving you simple access to Microsoft Office for a monthly subscription. Now there’s Microsoft 365, which brings together Office 365, Windows 10 Enterprise and Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) – and you’re being asked to upgrade from one to the other.

But is it worth it?

The simple answer is yes. And I’m not just saying that because I love Microsoft. It’s because our customers are proving that the transition will transform the way you work.

Recently, I’ve seen how moving to Microsoft 365 has benefitted two of our customers operating in highly regulated sectors.

Attracting top talent in the defence sector

The first organisation works in the defence sector. They operate at such a high level of security classification that their systems were completely locked down. Staff had very little opportunity to work flexibly. They also couldn’t use the productivity and collaboration tools they wanted to. This had a huge impact on the firm’s ability to attract top talent. Let’s face it: today’s brightest candidates don’t want to be bound to a desk. And they don’t want to work with antiquated tools if they can work more freely elsewhere.

Microsoft 365 addresses this problem by bringing together the freedom of Office 365 and the security of EMS. Staff can work flexibly on any device in any location. The company is attracting more talent. And the business is protecting itself with security measures that comply with the highest levels demanded by the Ministry of Defence.

Helping councils meet government objectives

And it’s not just new ways of working. Microsoft 365 is also helping organisations meet cost reduction targets set by the government. One of our local authority customers, like many councils, is looking to reduce property costs by making smarter use of its space. Their new property plan includes hot-desking and remote working, however, when it came to implementation they ran into problems with compliance and data protection.

Again, Microsoft 365 provided the solution. The Office 365 component gives council staff the ability to work flexibly from anywhere, while the security built into Microsoft 365 ensures compliance with government security requirements. Meaning full flexible working with protection against malware and ransomware attacks. The solution also allows the selective wipe of company data should a device be lost or stolen. And the end result is that the council’s property rationalisation scheme is back on track.

How could you benefit?

The key message from these examples is that Microsoft 365 will provide a productive and secure working environment that aligns with business transformation goals.

Talk to our experts and learn how your business can benefit from upgrading to Microsoft 365.