As far as UAE businesses are concerned, cloud computing came of age this year, by helping them stay in contention during the worst of the pandemic. Image Credit: Supplied

The cloud is becoming an increasing part of our lives, integrated throughout many aspects. Our phones sync photos of family and friends with the cloud, as well as an ever growing list of contacts.

Gaming consoles ensure that we dont lose achievements from the hours spent. Even in offices, our software offers the option to back up to the cloud.

This technology is capable of so much more than simply providing backup it is driving digital transformation, economic growth and job creation. The cloud has become an essential tool for organisations of all shapes and sizes, from government to corporate, from conglomerate to startups.

Not only that, the cloud is accessible for all and considerably more cost effective than on-site data centres, with the ability to scale up and scale down according to need and thus suitable for every size of business and budget.

At tipping point

Spending on traditional, non-cloud, IT infrastructure is on the decline but still accounts for the majority - 57.2 per cent - of total spending on IT infrastructure. There are a number of benefits to utilizing the cloud, including the ability to scale up and scale down, which provides a cost-effective solution.

However, the benefits are so much beyond initial investment as a solid RoI (return on investment) is provided in a variety of areas.

With increasing complexity of local data residency and governance - as the region increasingly becomes a mature market - businesses of all shapes and sizes can meet compliance needs in a cost-effective manner. Whats more, the cloud can achieve the broadest compliance, security, privacy and certification standards with the most effective prevention and mitigation measures in the industry.

The cloud has applications for every level as it drives digital transformation for governments, organizations and startups, enabling them to better engage their customers, empower employees, optimize operations and transform their products and services.

In full view

During the course of this year, we have seen how remote work has been enabled by the cloud, with communication apps and remote capability of devices providing an office from home. Weve also seen how frontline workers have kept hospitals up and running and staffed grocery stores engage in curb-side pick-ups

The cloud has better connected these workers with corporate offices, digitize manual processes, equipping them with the right devices, and all on a foundation of security.

This technology provides an empowering capability, accelerating innovation by enabling companies to adopt AI, machine learning and other innovative technologies. This provides an in-reach option for start-ups and SMEs, providing increased competitiveness.

Instant connection

The cloud also enables organizations to immediately connect with IT resources. With the data centre migrated out, there is no need to wait for hardware deployment or procurement as this is part of the cloud service.

In the UAE there are now two Microsoft Cloud data centers, which integrate into a broader network across more than 60 regions. This is greatly aiding the entrepreneurial spirit that has long driven forward the UAE business environment, driving digital transformation, economic growth and job creation.

More customers in the Middle East can move with confidence to the cloud. We have particularly seen this come to light during the pandemic, where many businesses have experienced a response and recovery journey, with a first taste of cloud technology through business continuity.

Businesses will find they become even more competitive as they continue a digital transformation journey to reimagine their ways of working and empowered by the cloud.

-Necip Ozyucel is Cloud and Enterprise Group Lead atMicrosoft UAE.

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Cloud computing shows it can handle businesses of all sizes - Gulf News

How has the cloud changed the culture of selling products and services through the channel?

MicroScope set out to see this through the purview of a vendor, a distributor and a service provider, all of whom are in the market for UK partnerships.

The vendor is cloud startup Alkira, founded by Amir Khan and Atif Khan, who gave the world software-defined networking with Viptela, before selling it to Cisco in 2017. They were good enough to give MicroScope instant access and a Zoom interview with the CEO.

The next company in our study is infrastructure and service provider Logicalis, which has just extended its cloud suite and now offers the full range of Oracle.

Alkira was created by the Khan brothers to close the reality gap being created by the pioneers of cloud computing. Anyone who believed that Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google would create a perfect buyers market was living in cloud cuckoo land.

In reality, cloud services are a nightmare to network, says Khan. They all use different syntaxes and networking configurations, and they all have ways of locking the customer into their own service. I remember questioning the theory that AWS was run by a philanthropist who wanted to empower the IT buyer and being corrected by a tame analyst hired by a vendor for a briefing. Cloud computing, said the analyst, gives the IT director perfect buying power because they can always move. It turns out I was right you can move, but you might have to gnaw some limbs off.

Many of the promises of cheaper processing power were delivered, but as a result of service providers differences, its very hard to network your clouds together, says Khan.

You still need a network for enterprise connectivity and, since this is a physical entity, its construction involves intensive forward planning. Theres a reason why you cant buy networking as a service. Its become too complicated, making it expensively labour-intensive.

If cloud services could be networked together, big corporations that use multiple clouds would enjoy massive productivity and cost-saving benefits.

The only possible way to automate it would be to find people who have managed clouds, collated all their expertise and committed all that knowledge and practical experience into some programmable compendium of knowledge. That, in essence, is the service that Alkira promises to provide.

A network manager may be daunted by the challenge of rationalising three cloud services for three departments from three different vendors. However, Alkira has been there, done that and learned every lesson.

It says that since it knows all the variables so well, it can pre-programme the job of integration. If theres a snag, it can train a machine to learn the best options at the speed of machine learning and neural networking. All this data, experience and wisdom has been put into one system, called the Cloud Service Exchange (CSX).

Is all that true? Its early days to vouch for the pedigree of this contestant, but Alkira has gone two rounds with venture capitalists Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins. Now it has tens of millions of dollars to recruit a channel of UK service providers.

By contrast, service provider Logicalis, with its datacentres and infrastructure, seems positively old school. Theres a massive opportunity for this cloud channel partner if it can adapt to the changing nature of the enterprise systems market.

The cloud problem Logicalis promises to solve is similar to the one Alkira tackles, but different.

Enterprises are understandably confused by their own estate of software. One of Logicaliss vendors has more than 300 products and sales teams that are rather competitive. Many enterprise customers have been on the business end of aggressive sales tactics for years.

As a long-term partner, Logicalis has many staff that know the vendors portfolio inside out. They are close enough to know the products, but detached enough to be objective. They can use their knowledge of the vendors products to knit them all together with much greater cohesion, says Mark Benson, Logicaliss platform head of business development. Itll be more valuable to turbo-charge the existing engines than to force people to buy new ones.

Most enterprises have millions of pounds worth of cash in the attic software features that are incredibly valuable that they arent even aware of, says Benson, adding that there are many existing features within suites that could be used instead of buying new applications.

For example, thanks to Covid-19, half the nation is working from home and companies need to manage these remote workers. Many are looking to buy whole new device management systems, but they already have one its an option in their existing systems. This is how Logicalis can prove its mettle, says Benson.

Were not sweating assets, he adds. Its more like waking a sleeping giant and putting it to work.

With its legacy of datacentre and infrastructure management, Logicalis can smooth the path of companies moving into the cloud, speeding up the process of integration because its crossed those bridges many times before.

In this context, Logicalis and other cloud service providers are the ideal business coaches. They are close enough to know the vendors products but, being independent, objective enough to know their foibles and to coax better performances from them.

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How has the cloud changed life? Let's ask a vendor and channel player - ComputerWeekly.com

Cloud computing is helping manufacturing businesses the world over to improve various elements of their operations, such as collaboration, product development, and productivity. Let us take a closer look at the applications of the cloud in the manufacturing sector.

The fundamental element of cloud computing is the ability to deliver different types of services over the internet. That means small-scale businesses are able to access high-tech manufacturing services at the click of a button. For example, 3d printing is becoming more widely used in the manufacturing sector because it enables more design flexibility, better accuracy, and other benefits. Cloud computing has made outsourcing 3d prototypes, parts, and products more effortless than ever before. Entrepreneurs and small businesses do not have to invest in 3d printers and find space for them. Instead, they can create a design using CAD software and upload it to an online 3d printing service company. The product is then printed and delivered quickly.

Cloud collaboration tools make life a lot easier for people working in the manufacturing industry in many ways, especially during a product development stage. With cloud collaboration tools, you can access services, applications, and data remotely from any device, anywhere, at any time. Those advantages mean manufacturers can create a seamless product development environment, lower the cost of developing a product, and reduce the time it takes to get a product to market. So, ultimately, cloud collaboration tools can improve manufacturing companies productivity and profits.

Via cloud-based Internet of Things platforms, manufacturers can receive data for specific machinery in real-time. By having instant access to crucial operational metrics like capacity utilization, inventory data, scheduling plans, job orders, and overall equipment effectiveness, you can monitor your machines performance and solve any issues quickly. So, the cloud enables manufacturers to avoid potential inaccuracies and delays in manufacturing processes.

Supply chains are often volatile, so it is critical that manufacturing companies have real-time visibility of all aspects of the chain. That is easier to do than ever before, thanks to cloud computing tools. You will be able to connect with anyone along the supply chain in real-time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Furthermore, the scope for scaling operations up and down via the cloud enables manufacturing companies to mitigate market demand volatility.

From employees personal information to company finances, it is essential that all data is secure and does not fall into the wrong hands. All cloud computing tools provide some degree of encryptions and deterrents, but private clouds are the most robust. If you utilize private cloud tools in your manufacturing business, you ensure all of your data is secure from outsiders.

If a manufacturing business wants to grow, it must enhance the customer experience. The cloud allows for the aggregation of customer data from various channels to provide a unified view of customer demographics. And with cloud-based CSS portals and CRM, you will accelerate your level of engagement with your customers in real-time. The more you use the cloud to enhance customer experience, the faster your manufacturing company will experience growth.

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Applications of cloud computing in the manufacturing sector - Latest Digital Transformation Trends | Cloud News - Wire19

Cloud computing has existed for about two years and has helped businesses achieve a competitive advantage over others. Despite these efficiencies, a large group of businesses is still operating without it. Research by the international data group shows that 69% of businesses are already using cloud technology in one way or another, and 18% are planning to use it at some point.

Another study by Dell showed that 53% of businesses using this technology had reported faster revenue growth than their competitors. That shows that most industry leaders, and Tech Savvy businesses, recognize cloud computing benefits, and incorporate it into their strategies. Thats why some of them are taking corporate Azure training to learn more about this technology and efficiently use it to run their organizations and increase their profit margins.

Here are the advantages of using cloud computing in your business:

Most companies are concerned about the security of their data when adopting a cloud computing solution. Some shy away from using this option because they arent sure how their programs, files, and data are kept. They argue that if they can remotely access their data, cybercriminals can also access them.

That isnt true because cloud computing uses cloud hosts to monitor data at all times carefully. That could be even more secure than a conventional in-house system where IT experts have to secure the data while doing other things. That makes the data prone to internal theft. Thats why keeping data off-site is much safer.

According to a study by RapidScale, after changing their data storage to cloud, 94% of businesses reported improved security, and 91% said the cloud data made it easier for them to meet government compliance requirements. Cloud technology uses data encryption during transmission and storage in a database to ensure theyre secure. Encryption makes it impossible for hackers or unauthorized people to view your data. Additionally, most cloud-based services also offer security settings that can enable you to add security measures to your data.

Research indicates that 20% of organizations are worried about the price tag that comes with implementing a cloud-based server. However, if youre trying to determine the pros and cons of using cloud through price, you need to consider ROI.Cloud allows your company to easily access data, therefore saving money and time in project startups.

If youre worried about paying for features that you dont require, worry less because most cloud services charge you for the features you select. That means if you dont choose other features that cloud offers, youll not pay for them. Its pay-as-you-go system also enables you to pay for data storage space that you need to serve your clients and stakeholders. You can get as much space as you pay for and wont be charged for what you havent bought. When you consider all these factors, youll realize they result in lower costs but higher returns. Thats why most IT leaders and CIOs used cloud-based applications.

Your business most probably has more than one employee. To ensure effective coordination of tasks, you need to prioritize collaboration. Its needless to have a team that cant work as a team. Cloud computing can simplify the collaboration process for you.

Through this technology, employees can share information securely on a cloud-based platform. Additionally, this technology gives collaborative social spaces that connect your organization with your employees, thus increasing engagement and interest. Though its possible to collaborate without a cloud-based computing solution, it isnt as effective and easy as using cloud-based technology.

As the world continues to advance, people are increasingly valuing data. Corporates can use data stored in the cloud to find valuable information for customizing their services. They can find this in the millions of bits found in customer transactions. Sifting through this data can be difficult. However, with the right cloud computing solution, you can easily access them.

Most cloud storage can be integrated with analytics to enable you to have an eagles eye view of your data. With your information in the cloud, you can quickly build customized reports to analyze worldwide organization information and implement tracking mechanisms. From these insights, you can build action plans and improve efficiencies to meet organizational goals. For example, Sunny Delight company increased its profits by more than 1 million dollars and reduced around $190 000 in stuffing costs through cloud-based insights.

Your business can only focus on a limited number of responsibilities at once. If your IT issues want you to spend more time on computer and data storage issues, youll probably not concentrate on accomplishing your business goals and satisfying your customer. However, if you outsource your IT hosting and infrastructure to an outside organization, youll be flexible and have time to commit to areas of your business that directly impact your revenue.

Cloud technology can give your organization more flexibility in addition to hosting a local server. If you want extra bandwidth, a cloud-based service provider can meet that demand and save you from undergoing the expensive and complicated process of updating your IT infrastructure. This flexibility can significantly improve the efficiency of your organization. Statistics from the InformationWeek survey show that 65% of business owners preferred to move to the cloud because itd help them quickly meet their business demands.

Cloud computing technology can enable you to access data via your smartphone or mobile device. With over 2 billion smartphones being used globally, cloud computing can be a great way to ensure your staff access data regardless of where they are. It also enables staff members with busy schedules or who work in the field to stay in touch with other co-workers and clients.

You can give accessible information to freelance employees, sales staff on a vacation, or remote employees through cloud computing. That ensures a better work-life balance. Besides that, it also improves employee satisfaction.

If you have a lot to do, nothings irritating, like having to wait to install system updates. Luckily, cloud-based applications automatically update and refresh themselves, saving you from asking your IT department to perform a manual, global organization update. That, in turn, saves time and money. According to PCWorld, 50% of cloud users cited needing fewer IT employees because cloud technology handled most IT-related tasks.

The state of the environment currently requires organizations to place a recycling bin in the break room and do more in helping the planet. Real sustainability addresses wastefulness at every level of a business. Cloud hosting is more environmentally friendly and contributes less carbon footprint.

Cloud technology enhances environmental proactivity because it supports virtual services rather than physical hardware and products, reducing waste paper while improving energy efficiency. According to Pikes study, its predicted that energy consumption will drop by 31% by the end of 2020 if most businesses adopt cloud computing and other virtual data options.

If your organization hasnt invested in cloud computing technology, then your data is tied to the computers it resides in. Even though this may not seem a problem, you may permanently lose your data if your hardware experiences technical problems. Computers can malfunction as a result of simple user errors, vital infections, and hardware deterioration. Despite your best efforts, this data may be irreplaceable, especially if your laptop is also stolen.

Thats why you need to store your data in the cloud. The information youve applauded to a cloud server is safe and easily accessible. That means you can use other computers with an internet connection to access it anytime.

Businesses of all sizes, industries, and geographies need to turn to cloud services to store information and data. Cloud technology offers a host of benefits to business owners ranging from cost-effectiveness to prevention of losses. Though it may be a little bit expensive, its ROI outweighs the benefits youd get from other storage methods.

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Advantages Of Using Cloud Computing In Business - IMC Grupo

In challenging times, innovative companies dont panic, they pivot.

So when the coronavirus traveled the globe, disrupting everything from grocery shopping to tax preparation, resilient companies around the world responded with ingenious solutions that ensured the safety of their employees, met the needs of their customers and kept their IT operations humming.

For some, it meant quickly enabling employees to work from home instead of at the office, while others rushed to re-engineer their supply chains, so their customers could continue to buy the products they needed to stay safe and healthy. Their solutions were custom but the step that allowed them to react so rapidly was common: They had migrated their operations to Microsoft Azure.

Even before COVID-19, companies were hungry to enable secure remote work, achieve operational efficiency, address IT budget constraints and accelerate innovation, and migrating to the cloud was the critical first step to unlocking those accomplishments.

Azure has always helped our diverse customers adapt to new ways of doing business, says Jeremy Winter, director, Azure management and migration.

While some are moving beyond crisis mode and others look to the cloud to stay resilient, were seeing an acceleration in business cloud migrations. Weve spent a lot of time with customers who are both considering and executing migrations and understand the challenges they are facing. We also recognize that our customers are counting on us more than ever to recover and ultimately transform.

Heres how a handful of those Microsoft customers discovered during the health crisis that the cloud didnt just have a silver lining it was the silver lining.

Actavo

Dublin, Ireland-based Actavo is a multi-disciplinary, global engineering services business that designs, builds and maintains the vital infrastructure we rely on every day.

Among their many services, they design, construct and maintain networks for the telecommunications and utilities industries; design, construct and install modular buildings; provide scaffold and rope access solutions along with the installation of insulation and removal of asbestos in the industrial sector; and provide hundreds of in-home technicians to companies who provide residential services like gas boiler repair, satellite installation or broadband internet installation to a half-million homes every year.

With so many essential industries relying on their round-the-clock support, even before the pandemic Actavo sought to increase operational efficiency and improve agility by migrating to Azure.

Moving to the cloud gave us the versatility to be able to scale up and scale down in any country where we needed to operate, but it also gave us the robustness from a disaster recovery perspective, says Willie Ryan, global Environmental Health and Safety and IT director.

A novel coronavirus may not have been the disaster that Actavo had in mind, but when it arrived, the decision to migrate to the cloud proved even more valuable. With the new, versatile infrastructure in place, Actavo was able to quickly pivot to remote work for its employees, ensuring that they could continue to support their clients around the world.

Weve got a very solid platform, and that was quite evident as we came through COVID and the pandemic, in terms of, we moved from an on-prem operation to everybody working from home, seamlessly, quickly, easily, without any major headaches, Ryan says.

Within the space of a week we were able to tick a box that said, If lockdown comes, were ready to go. The lockdown announcement came at five oclock on a Friday afternoon. We actually had everybody that needed to be working at home, working at home on Monday morning.

Additiv

Additiv partners with the worlds leading financial institutions to help them digitalize their wealth management activities. Their ability to advocate for change and innovation in an industry that is highly regulated is dependent on building trust with their clients by adhering to the highest standards of security and compliance.

So when the company moved its enterprise software offering for its clients to the cloud, they worked with Microsoft to ensure a seamless transition that would strictly adhere to regulations across multiple locations a prerequisite for a global company that is headquartered in Switzerland and has offices and clients on three continents.

Now, Additiv can offer its clients innovative, flexible software-as-a-service solutions that can scale easily and that adapt to their specific needs, no matter where theyre located. Digital collaboration means breaking down these virtual borders, and Azure allowed us to integrate better so that our clients can provide a holistic solution to their customers out of the cloud, says Silvan Schriber, head of corporate development.

The benefits of Azure for Additiv are 100 percent trust that the solutions adhere in each location to regulations, he adds. So it helps us in centrally managing our solutions and placing them in each country of our clients, with virtually the click of a button.

That consistency and efficiency will be critical as Additivs financial services customers increasingly embrace digital strategies and omni-channel distribution to reimagine their businesses post-pandemic.

The pace of change pre-pandemic was rapid, but theres no reason to think these trends wont accelerate post-pandemic, the company writes in a report published earlier this year. the companies that are faring best are those that are either digitally native or have invested the most in digital.

Albertsons Companies

Long before this past spring, people were changing the way they shop for groceries, and Albertsons Companies one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States with some 2,200 stores operating under banners including Albertsons, Safeway and Vons was evolving along with them.

I believe that every customer from millennials to baby boomers is transforming how they shop, says Ramiya Iyer, senior vice president of Data, Digital & Merchandising at Albertsons Companies. The retail industry is undergoing its own transformational journey to meet customers where they are and be relevant to them. Its imperative that we do that to succeed and grow as a business.

To stay competitive and give customers the modern, convenient shopping experience they had come to expect, Albertsons migrated from an aging on-premises server farm to Microsoft Azure.

The move allowed them to take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive services, and empowered an environment where developers can innovate and efficiently test new ideas, propelling Albertsons to introduce apps that make shopping faster and more convenient.

With Azure, we can bring new ideas to market faster and deliver releases on shorter time cycles, says Param Deivreddy, vice president, IT architecture. We think Azure also encourages exploration and innovation, because you dont have to spend a huge amount on infrastructure to quickly test a new idea.

The companys easy-to-use apps offer the kinds of personalized and streamlined experiences digitally savvy shoppers demand, allowing them to create shopping lists, easily find the products they want, skip long check-out lines, even save time at the fuel pump by claiming rewards, activating the pump and paying for gas with a tap of the phone.

Grocery shopping shouldnt be a chore, says Iyer. We want to provide our customers with a totally frictionless experience that lets them enjoy the food theyre putting on the table with a minimum of fuss and stress.

H&R Block

Few things in life are certain, but as the adage goes, taxes are one of them. Even during a health crisis, Americans are responsible for filing their annual return, and millions of them lean on Kansas City, Missouri-based H&R Block to navigate the process.

To streamline its operations and improve its ability to ramp up during tax season, H&R Block migrated its computing workload to Microsoft Azure, a move that would, help the company better process millions of tax returns annually while allowing the firm to build financial software products with greater speed, quality and security, writes CIOs Clinton Boulton in a recent interview on cloud migration with H&R Block CIO Alan Lowden.

Its what we need to do to enable our strategic vision of putting customers at the center, Lowden tells CIO. We have to give them a convenient experience of serving them any way they want to be served.

So this past tax season, H&R Block was able to spring into action to support their customers while protecting the safety of their employees and the communities they serve. To keep their workforce safe during their busiest season which was even longer this year to give taxpayers more time to file they shifted to a work-from-home model that allowed 80,000 tax professionals to serve customers virtually.

That quick pivot wouldnt have been possible if the company hadnt migrated to Azure. Because they didnt need to buy new hardware, or set up or configure additional infrastructure, they were able to make the critical change to remote workstations in less than two weeks. The companys tax pros were able to provide the expertise their customers needed, and the even more critical refunds they were counting on.

When the demands of tax season return to normal, H&R Block will continue to inspire confidence in their customers through a seamless experience wherever they like, however they like.

Now we can present tax tips and offerings to our clients that are most relevant to them, says Aditya Thadani, vice president of architecture and information management at H&R Block. Migrating our platforms to Azure has really allowed us to serve our clients better.

Top photo by Halfpoint Images/Getty Images.

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For companies who migrated to Azure before the pandemic, the cloud was the silver lining | Transform - Microsoft