Mapping with Microsoft’s vision – On-Prem or Azure or both?

So, what does Microsoft want to be when they grow up? Well, in case you haven’t been paying attention, Microsoft is well on its way to becoming a SaaS and Device company. What with Azure, O365, SharePoint 2013 Online, Windows 8 Samsung tablets/phones, Dell tablets, Nokia phones flooding the market.

So, where am I (CIO and the customer) in the scheme of things vis-à-vis Microsoft’s growth roadmap? I just got done upgrading every computer to Windows 7 and I have installed Spyware Removal software, standardizing on the latest versions of Office and Outlook, SharePoint 2013, SQL Server 2012 and the list goes on. My users are super productive; but I can’t help thinking, “How do I leverage Azure, O365, and all those Cloud things? I am 100% “On-prem.”

To boot, I have a meeting with my CEO and CFO coming up where I am sure they will ask about Google Compute Engine and Google Apps online and show me some mind boggling $$ numbers and ease of use. Not to mention the tirade “let’s focus on our business and let the SMEs (Microsoft, Google) take care of the IT of things”. So, what’s MY strategy and roadmap to run this shop as nimbly as possible? More important, how do I evolve from “supporting the business” to “being the competitive edge”?

I need to know what my financial inflection point is where I start seeing “value” in embracing the Cloud. I need to know what workloads (ASP.Net? Outlook? SQL Server? Active Directory?) should I keep in house and what should I send to Azure? Which Outlook user profiles need O365 and which don’t? How would all this impact Security, Governance and Compliance? What is the Risk?

iLink specializes in performing Microsoft Technologies Roadmap assessments for our clients with Microsoft’s guidance. We begin by understanding our client’s current state of investments and consumption of Microsoft technologies. Then we define a clear roadmap for the client’s “means of consumption” of Microsoft technologies; on-premise versus Azure. Specifically, what technology assets should remain “on-premise” versus what should transition to Azure and Office 365? What does this journey of moving from “On-Prem” to Azure and O365 look like from a “financial benefits and value” perspective? We can get granular and also determine what user profiles should be targeted for “On-prem” only, Azure only or hybrid.

The journey has begun, is it time you got started?

Blogger : Madhav Ranganathan