Author: Joe Rafanelli

Cloud Computing Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about Cloud computing happening in the IT infrastructure space. Cloud computing cannot be stated in simple terms as it describes a broad range of services. Nowadays many of the organizations are moving on to public and hybrid clouds to replace outdated data centers and applications to improve their business agility. In order to understand the importance of cloud and the value it delivers to an organization, we first need to know what Cloud computing is. So what exactly is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing resources by way of sharing a pool of physical/virtual resources, which includes everything ranging from applications to data centers being delivered over the Internet as a service on a pay-as-you-use basis. It is simply utility computing, wherein organizations can tap into the vast computer resources and avail only the required services instead of managing the entire system themselves. Services are metered and charged only for the particular instance of usage. This definitely provides an edge for businesses as they can upscale and downscale their resources as per changing business requirements. How are the different Cloud Computing services being offered? Cloud computing services are often provided over the internet or dedicated networks enabling delivery on demand and usage based payment. It caters to a full range of services from applications to development platforms, servers, storage, virtual desktops to everything needed for setting up an IT Infrastructure. Cloud computing can be categorized into 3 distinct types, which are based on the service provided as shown in the figure: Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service. Each of these service models are as described below: Software as a Service (SaaS) Software applications are hosted in the cloud and accessed over the internet, providing a host of services ranging from sales, planning, accounting, communication, and the like. It is more or less like renting the software than buying it and charged based on the usage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) Software applications are developed in the cloud. It provides a platform and environment for developing software applications using tools available in the cloud. Preconfigured features are available for subscription, which are constantly upgraded with latest/additional features. It offers features such as OS, DBMS, server side scripting, network access storage, and the like. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) It provides access to a host of computing resources over a virtualized environment. Infrastructure components like hardware, software, servers, storage, networking and other components are hosted in the cloud. By accessing these virtual components one can build their own IT platforms. These resources can be consumed based on requirements and charged on a pay-per-use or utility computing basis. These Cloud computing services can be deployed in any of the 3 models as specified below: Public cloud – Allows multiple users or general public to access shared resources on the server over a public network. It is highly scalable, easy to deploy and owned by organizations providing cloud services. Private cloud – Delivers cloud-computing services specifically for an individual organization and cannot be used by others. They provide specialized services that are privately provisioned and managed by individual businesses. Hybrid cloud – It is an ingenious integration of both private and public cloud to perform different functions within the same organization. In reality companies cannot operate in private cloud alone, when other resources exist in public cloud. Eventually they will have to derive at a workload balance that finally results in a hybrid cloud. Benefits and risks of Cloud Computing Various options are available with cloud providers that comes with unique risks. Businesses need to ingeniously evaluate their choices and its associated risks before taking a significant leap into Cloud computing. There are many reasons for businesses to reap huge benefits from cloud computing: Flexibility and scalability When it comes to fast growing businesses the need to scale is imperative. Moving on to cloud based services is ideal as businesses can easily scale up or scale down operations and storage needs as required. Reliability and manageability Through centralized administration of resources one can eliminate the hassles involved in in-house infrastructure maintenance, access applications and services on the fly, provisioned with robust disaster recovery systems and automatic software updates. Cost savings and reduced expenditure Cloud improves cost efficiency by avoiding huge capital investment on hardware and upgrades. With no on-premise infrastructure required it saves up on power and administrative costs. Payment is made only for the services being used and disengaged when not required. Security and compliance Being in a cloud environment means the provider is responsible for any infrastructure level risk. Cloud service providers will help businesses tackle security issues by implementing strict regulations and compliance. Cloud computing comes with certain amount of risks that needs to be assessed before moving any business into the cloud. Downtime – Cloud computing makes businesses dependent on internet connection. Business processes would be temporarily suspended if there are frequent internet outrage or any technical snag from service providers. This would have serious implications on the functioning of the business. Security issues – Storing sensitive and critical data with external service providers always opens up risks. Providing public service means they are constantly challenged with security issues increasing the chance of data breach via hacking. Cost – A proper assessment of the cost effectiveness of Cloud applications with regard to its supported features is required. If there are any missing features in the cloud application then customizing cloud based software would be expensive. Flexibility issues – Businesses may find it difficult to switch between cloud providing vendors due to interoperability and support issues. Vendors may use proprietary hardware/software making it expensive and impossible for a switch over. With the advantages of Cloud computing outweighing its risks, more and more organizations are looking forward for a shift into the Cloud computing infrastructure. It provides a real alternative to businesses to improve flexibility and bring down operational costs. A word of advice for such organizations

As a brand, Microsoft Dynamics has shown its presence in the market for quite some time. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the latest innovation from Microsoft, which combines the capabilities of both CRM and ERP. Data is at the core of Dynamics 365. Being able to share data is incredibly important, as is the ability to access it anywhere, anytime. This is one of the main reasons Dynamics 365 has succeeded in the market space. As an individual player, Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides one unified solution for a business’ needs. It’s always recommended to deploy Microsoft Dynamics 365 in the cloud, rather than on-premise. There are several benefits to deploying Dynamics 365 in the cloud. Perhaps the most important factor is the cloud platform on which Dynamics 365 runs: Azure. Azure provides a secure and reliable channel for communicating with external cloud-based applications. Additionally, Azure leverages better security, redundancy and failover capabilities.  Let’s consider some of the other factors, when choosing to deploy in the cloud or on-premise. Security Concerns – Every day we hear about large organizations being targeted and hacked. In large organizations, security may not be a big concern as they automatically upgrade to the next generation of firewall. Cloud provides a second level of defense against various attacks. Although, it is easy to administer various functions through the cloud, security is not one of them. It should be noted that the security which is built into the cloud version of Dynamics 365 exceeds all on-premise versions, most of the time.  Configurability Issues – When using Dynamics 365 on-premise one can directly access the backend database, allowing users to make a few changes a little more efficiently (than if hosted by Microsoft). By doing so, the system is at risk of becoming incompliant with Microsoft. This can also lead to greater problems when it comes time to upgrade.  When online, you are forced to comply with the best practices customizing and configuring Dynamics 365. This may not be a perfect approach, but it will minimize long term risks to your system. Online Only Add-on Features – Microsoft releases many features online. When on-premise, you will not have access to those features, but when using Dynamics 365 in the cloud, it is much easier to deploy third party add-ons, as the infrastructure is more consistent.  Running Backups – Running routine maintenance including things like regular backups and restoring them if needed, will bog down your IT team, if you’re using an on-premise server. Companies will ultimately have to spend a lot of time and money for hardware and software upgrades to keep the servers up-to-date. Difference in Cost – This depends on a number of factors. It is far more complicated to understand and manage licenses for on-premise servers, than it is for cloud based Dynamics 365. On-premise is generally more expensive due to the time required for installation and maintenance. Cloud offers a subscription model which only accounts for the operational expenses based on service usage. As you can see there are definite advantages in using a cloud based service. Moving from Dynamics 365 on-premise to the cloud, solely depends on what is more appropriate your company. Some may have restrictions on sharing critical information, at which point the cloud may not be a suitable option. Moving Dynamics 365 to the cloud is the ultimate solution for companies looking to reduce IT needs, lower operational costs and benefit from faster setup & implementation. Contact Innovatix Technology Partners today to move your MS Dynamics to Cloud CONTACT US