Quisitive Technology Solutions Inc. (TSXV: QUIS) today announced the launch of On-Ramp to Azure. A comprehensive, subscription-based service that accelerates a customer’s migration to Microsoft Azure and enables swift optimization once in the cloud. Quisitive’s On-Ramp to Azure services ensure a company’s cloud foundation is secure and reliable, that their application solutions adhere to prescriptive cloud guidance, that the migration is efficient and predictable and that they have the monthly recurring support and management needed to fuel future innovation.

“For years we’ve focused on successfully moving clients to the Microsoft Azure cloud. We’ve gained deep understanding of what works best when it comes to cloud migrations for organizations of all sizes and complexities,” said Steven Balusek, Quisitive SVP of Client Services. “On-Ramp to Azure is built off that collective experience and offers our customers the best approach to Azure migration determined by their priorities, complexities and criticalities from both a business and technical perspective.”

Understanding the distinct differences IT leaders face depending on their corporate size, Quisitive has launched two versions under their On-Ramp to Azure service that consider the nuances across Small to Midsize and Enterprise IT departments.

The first, On-Ramp to Azure Core, provides Small and Midsize companies a turnkey service that includes a Microsoft-supported cloud assessment, an automated Azure deployment process, monthly optimization of their Azure billing subscription and monthly managed services to support continued workload migration at the customer’s pace. Built on best practices for networking, security, and compliance, On-Ramp to Azure Core’s subscription-based service is ideal for lean IT organizations that need an experienced partner to rapidly and successfully get them to Microsoft Azure and provide continual management as an extension to their team.

The second, On-Ramp to Azure Enterprise, was built off the unique needs facing Enterprise IT leaders and the philosophy that the best approach to Enterprise cloud migration is one that engages, guides and trains the customers at every stage along the way. This partnership-based philosophy is unique to Quisitive and has earned them recognition within the Microsoft ecosystem, most recently being named Microsoft’s US Country Partner of the Year. On-Ramp to Azure Enterprise leverages the same automation tools and subscription services as On-Ramp to Azure Core provides, but embodies that partnership commitment and ensures that once a migration is complete, customers are not simply dropped into the cloud to face a steep learning curve, but instead the Quisitive team makes certain customer teams are trained and ready to operate and innovate immediately.

Benjamin Franklin stated that “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Nothing could be truer than when it comes to cloud migration. Migrating to Azure can be a complex and sometimes daunting task, but having the right cloud adoption framework in place helps create the right roadmap to clarify what needs to happen, when.

In fact, at Quisitive, we believe a cloud adoption framework for Azure is quintessential for long term success, both when migrating to the cloud and effectively operating once there. It makes sure you’re properly prepared.

After completing an assessment, the first step is to craft a cloud adoption framework, which helps to guide and capture the decisions that will be used throughout the cloud adoption process. A part of our OnRamp to Azure approach, a cloud adoption framework serves as the governance foundation for companies to not only get to the cloud, but effectively operate once there.

A cloud adoption framework is critical for defining policies, establishing best practices and standards for how to leverage the cloud for applications, services, virtual machines, for managing change, and for evaluating and potentially abandoning legacy practices. This last point is particularly important.

Out with the old

Many companies operate under the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. The problem with this approach is oftentimes existing practices might be flawed, outdated or — to quote the old saying — “broke,” without anyone realizing it.

Lifting and shifting legacy practices when migrating to the cloud may mean there’s an inherent lack of governance and enforcement that could result in unnecessary security risks or events. This could be the result of a lack of understanding in terms of what data lives where, or its classification, how certain workloads were deployed, etc. Relying on all these issues can lead to cost overruns and waste valuable time.

By identifying and auditing existing governance and controls that may or may not be ideal once in the cloud and course-correcting on these processes, you’re saving yourself from these types of issues in the long run.

Streamlining the process

Eliminating these types of issues is much easier if there’s a framework to follow. It’s why we’ve streamlined the process with our OnRamp to Azure program, a holistic and comprehensive approach to migrating to Microsoft Azure.

OnRamp to Azure divides the migration process into a series of phases: planning/foundation, and migration.

The first phase lays a foundation for the people, processes and technology involved in the migration by leveraging Quisitive’s best-practice cloud adoption framework optimized for migrating and operating in the cloud. Through the streamlined onboarding process, Quisitive walks customers through the necessary decisions to establish their cloud presence, which Quisitive will deploy as their Landing Zone for their migrated workloads.

The second phase is when migration occurs. Because the framework has been constructed and adhered to in the first phase, the workload migration will land in Azure aligned to best practices

Learn more about OnRamp to Azure here.

Companies wanting to modernize their applications are often eager to migrate to Azure, but they don’t always think ahead to what’s next. What happens once they’re in the cloud and the partner they’ve chosen to help with migration finishes their work? How do they make the most of their new cloud environment? Knowing how and when to leverage cloud managed services can mean the difference between a highly successful cloud strategy, and one that’s lackluster.

It’s an issue we see time and time again, and it’s something we tackle for our clients in two different ways.

Learn Along the Way

The first is through training.

As we work with a company throughout their migration process, we believe that the most effective approach is one that engages, guides and trains the customer at every stage along the way. This means that we make sure that the company’s IT team is up to speed throughout the process, so that once migration is complete the team isn’t simply dropped into the cloud to face a steep learning curve.

Knowledge transfer happens along the way, not at the very end, so by the time migration has finished, the team is trained, self-sufficient and ready to operate and innovate in the cloud. Possessing a strong understanding of the migration process means that the team will be able to begin reaping the benefits of Azure and unlocking the company’s investment immediately.

This is a proven approach, and one that we’ve seen great success with… if there’s a team that’s available or willing to be trained.

Engage with Cloud Managed Services

The second approach is to provide managed services.

The reasons for choosing this option are plenty. For example, some companies work with a lean employee base, and don’t have IT professionals with available bandwidth to engage in the training process. Other companies might choose managed services because they simply don’t have an inclination to manage within the cloud once they’re there. Still, others lean towards cloud managed services because they have already outsourced their applications and want to continue with that model, while some companies just don’t have the experience or the confidence to manage within the cloud.

In any of these types of cases, we provide and recommend managed services. Our managed services enable a company to operate and grow within the cloud, and through these services we become an extension of the business’ team.

There are some significant benefits to a company choosing the managed services model. First, their workloads in the cloud are never stagnant. Improvements are constantly made in order to maximize their investment. This includes optimizing the company’s footprint in the cloud, looking for best practices, and leveraging capabilities. As Microsoft’s Partner of the Year, we are on top of any changes or capabilities that may arise and can make recommendations very quickly and efficiently.

Another benefit is that because it’s an SaaS model, companies can take back the reins any time it makes sense. If there are new hires or changes within the business that would benefit from managing the cloud internally, the handoff is simple and seamless.

Whatever approach works best for you, whether it’s learning and managing on your own or engaging in cloud managed services, maximizing your investment and modernizing your workloads in Azure should be your top priority. We’re here to help.