Datacenter Modernization 
on Microsoft Azure

Aligned to Azure Modernization best practices, Cloud Adoption Frameworks (CAF) from Cloud4C prepares a customized and detailed infrastructure, application, and data migration assessment report. Cloud4C Migration factory assists enterprises with complex and mission-critical workloads to select and execute the right migration strategy at surprisingly low costs. This includes infra re-host, refactor, re-architect, re-build, replace options using Azure services. Cloud4C Migration factories use the highly efficient assembly line approach with clearly defined steps to make the migration and transformation safe, secure, and fail-proof. Some of the key steps we take care of during this phase.

• Infrastructure as-Is analysis report
• Datacenter modernization and consolidation plan with TCO Comparison
• Building Blocks and Estimates
• Migration Approach and Plan
• Security and Compliance gap analysis and re-mapping for to be the state
• Business continuity and Business Process gap analysis and mitigation plan (IT Infra related only)
• Proof of concepts on Azure (PoC)
• Infrastructure and security services - Deployment Plan
• Zero Friction Managed Service SOW and SOP document (including commercials)
• Project Management and Governance
• IT Staff Training
• Assessment Report
• Migration Strategy, Approach & Timelines
• Security Tools Mapping
• Gap Mitigation Plan
• Azure Estimates
• Migration Estimates
• Azure Landing Zone Readiness & Migration of Workload (Lift and Shift)

Large enterprises, SMBs often rely on SAP ERP systems to drive their core business functionalities. However, the commonly used supporting infra are costly with non-agile resources. This limits their capabilities to leverage cutting-edge newer SAP solutions such as S/4HANA. Migrating to the cloud delivers unparalleled efficiency and flexibility at zero downtime. Here is the list of deliverables Cloud4C helps with clients’ journey of migrating their SAP workloads to Azure.

• SAP Landscape Assessment Report
• SAP to be landscape on Azure blueprint
• SAP landscape migration strategy, approach, and timelines
• Gap Mitigation Plan
• Security Tool Mapping
• Azure Estimates
• SAP Landscape Migration Estimates
• Azure Landing Zone Readiness Plan

As businesses explore options to shift from traditional data warehouses and scale business operations, cloud platforms have gained immense popularity worldwide. Whether it is public, private, or hybrid, enterprises are continuing to move their workloads and applications to cloud infrastructures. Gartner predicts that more than 50 percent of organizations using the cloud today will transition all their workloads on the cloud by 2021

Enterprises will no longer lift-and-shift into the virtual world but will instead refactor and rebuild directly in the cloud. While enterprises might retain some mission-critical workloads on-premise, most enterprise data and workflows would be powered by cloud solutions.

At Cloud4C, automated solutions facilitate database auditing, capacity management to platform-supported disruption management, upgrading, and patching - easing complex and voluminous migrations without data loss and downtime.

Workload Monitoring and Automation: The strategic use of automation enables Cloud4C to protect customers end-to-end. Azure Intelligent managed services automation directly affects the Top-line and Bottom-line workflows. No downtimes, always secure data, and infra translates to unprecedented cost savings, and automating any repeatable and routine tasks allows enterprises to save on resources.

• Remote Monitoring and Management
• Professional Service Automation
• Auto Application Start Automation
• Auto Resolution
• Health Checks, Log Compilation, and Alerting
• Replication Status Checks
• Virtual Patching
• Secure and Cost-optimized CloudOps
• Automated Backup and Recovery

Cloud4C Application Modernization on Azure offerings help enterprises in maintaining, extending, deploying, and managing their applications end-to-end in lieu with their current and future business strategic goals. This also depends on situational factors such as strategic business initiatives, application architecture, time, cost, and available skills. Various approaches and techniques for Application Modernization that Cloud4C supports are as follows:

• Rehost - Also known as “Lift & Shift,” is a common approach to migrating applications to the Cloud. We simply would move the application to Azure with minimal adjustments to the infrastructure as a whole. This Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) enables enterprises to immediately reduce operational costs, free up space in their data center, and considerably accelerate any follow-up to their migration process.
• Refactor - This process is about customizing an application so that it is better aligned with the Cloud environment. This often includes modifying the application itself and part of the code to make more use of Cloud-native functions and the flexibility that they offer. Essentially, we would be switching to a PaaS model including Azure Wireframe Modernization. With Refactoring, developers can re-use languages, containers, and the framework in which they’ve invested.
• Rearchitect - Some obsolete applications aren’t compatible with the Cloud due to architectural decisions made while building the app. In this case, it would be wise to consider “Rearchitecting.” This allows us to divide the application into several functional components that can be individually adapted and further developed. The individual components, or microservices, can be individually transferred to the Cloud.
• Rebuild - A Rebuild migration strategy means that we completely redevelop the application on a PaaS infrastructure – unlike with Rearchitect, where we only modify parts of the application. It involves removing existing code and redesigning the application in the Cloud, after which we can utilize innovative features on the Azure Cloud platform. A Cloud-native application is cheap to use and highly scalable.
• Replace - A Replace migration strategy completely replaces an existing application with SaaS including Azure Wireframe modernization. When an existing SaaS application can provide all the necessary functionalities, Replace is an excellent option to save costs

Data Modernization on Azure

Leading enterprises are doubling their data footprints multiple times each year. Hence, they are looking to simultaneously reduce costs, take advantage of newer forms of big data, and enjoy greater flexibility in analyzing information with powerful AI and analytical algorithms. All these are possible through data modernization i.e. moving data from legacy databases to modern cloud-based databases. As an Azure cloud managed services partner of thousands of enterprises worldwide, Cloud4C brings in certified Azure cloud experts and data scientists to deliver the right advice on data migration to cloud platforms and modernize it.

a. Database Migration Services:

• Database Assessment and Plan
• Cloud4C Migration Factories - Faster Migration
• Database of your choice
• Data security during migration
• Migration Strategy, Approach, and Timelines
• Security Tools Mapping
• GAP Mitigation Plan
• Azure Estimates
• Migration Estimates
• Azure Landing Zone Readiness and Migration of Workloads
• Complex and Large Scale Migrations

b. Database Management Services:

• High Availability and Backup
• Personalized and Customized Approach
• Database Tuning, Database Healthchecks, Disaster Recovery
• Maintenance and Monitoring
• Proactive Threat Detection and Prevention powered by AI and ML
• Near-Zero Management
• Automated and Optimized - First time and Every time

c. Managed Advanced Data Analytics and BI:

• Data preparation - Single source of truth, Data lakes, Data Marts
• Data visualization

Microservices Management on Azure platform

Microservices architecture is a must for Applications at Scale. Management of Microservices is a nightmare unless it is effectively administered via automated solutions and state-of-the-art instrumentations. Our deep experience in managing large-scale Microservices Architecture-based B2B and B2C solutions can be leveraged to seamlessly manage an enterprise’s Microservices platform and products.

Cloud4C delivers scalable and cost-optimized Infra as well as DevOps processes for Microservices-based applications via next-generation Containerization. We eliminate the risks and uncertainties associated with Microservices management.

• Define Microservices and DevOps Strategy
• Managed Container Orchestration
• Scalable and Cost Optimized Infra
• Hybrid Cloud/Cloud Agnostic Setup

Microservices Consulting:

• Tailored, microservices architecture-inspired DevOps Strategy and Implementation.
• Gain the right Application Architecture Strategy coupled with customized DevOps tooling and support to ensure that the Microservice Management can be simplified.
• Microservice based architecture – Deploy istio based applications using EKS, Kubernetes Clusters
• Calico – Pod Security, Network Security – istio control pane

AIOps-powered Azure Managed Services

Once enterprises opt to run workloads on Microsoft Azure, they have to address various management challenges that necessitate significant attention, demanding a business’s time, energy, and resources. Cloud4C can help and take this load off an organization’s shoulders with ease. As an Azure Expert MSP, Cloud4C enables businesses to realize the maximum benefits of Azure cloud hosting through a complete range of managed services.

Our Enterprise Grade Managed services from our Azure Center of Excellence help enterprises meet heterogeneous and complex technology environments through a robust service delivery model built on ITIL, ITSM, COBIT process frameworks coupled with our best practices we gathered handling over thousands of IT Modernization projects.

We determine workload needs, transform and migrate applications without disruption, furnish a secure, stable infrastructure. Our team of Azure-certified cloud experts can manage all the Azure-related databases and infrastructure along with application deployment on Azure. Our team possesses in-depth knowledge and expertise in the Azure ecosystem. We can help enterprises to make the best use of Azure services and tools such as Azure Active Directory, Monitor, ARM templates, RBAC, ATP, Sentinel, and more.

Centralized Azure Cloud Security

Cloud4C with the help of Cloud4C proprietary frameworks, 40+ security control objectives, and 26 security tools, automatically collects and alerts on security data from critical Azure services such as Azure Monitor, Azure Application Insights, Azure Sentinel . The process centralizes and simplifies Azure security monitoring. The service includes cybersecurity management, including Active Directory, firewall, endpoint protection, virtual network, and antivirus which eliminates blind spots and ensures continuous threat coverage.

We offer a cybersecurity-first design coupled with 24/7 security monitoring instrumentation and assisted by periodical audits is the security strategy we follow. We can help ensure a fault-tolerant security setup that helps Prevent, Detect, Protect and Evolve.

CAF-based Security and Industry Standard Compliance Assessment:

• Azure Native Tool Mapping
• Recommended Security Tools configuration
• Azure Security and Governance Policy using Azure Config and Blueprints
• Azure Landing zone recommendation
• Azure Sentinel Demo

CAF Based Azure Governance Assessment

• Azure Platform Break-fix
• Azure Governance MVP (Minimal Viable product) to act as a Governance foundation for current and future workloads
• Azure Policies & Blueprint recommendation (Standard and Custom)