“Uncertainty shouldn't be an argument against the cloud!”

Thilo Schumacher from ADN talks about Status Quo Cloud Solutions

Thilo Schumacher is Business Development Manager at ADN and enthusiastic Microsoft Azure expert. With his in-depth knowledge, he is always available to advise Taod. We wanted to know how he assessed the current situation of companies when it comes to cloud solutions.

taod: Tell us something about yourself first, Thilo.

Thilo Schumacher: I am in close contact with our partners in particular. ADN supports IT service providers, software manufacturers and system houses who enable their customers to access the cloud. As a distributor, we are therefore the first point of contact for our partners. My topic is the Microsoft cosmos. I answer questions about Azure on aspects such as security, scalability, performance, and data protection. Constantly new questions and new challenges offer me an exciting change of pace. If my partner then has a happy customer, I can happily close the laptop in the evening. ”

Tell us about your cloud trend 2021.

Openness to Cloud technologies This is probably the fastest trend I can observe. While the topic of cloud has often been a taboo topic in the past, acceptance has increased significantly, not least as a result of the corona pandemic.

Will this trend continue after the pandemic?

I assume that the cloud boom will continue in 2021 and that moving into other cloud technologies via communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams is a good first step for companies and makes a taste for more. For teams, for example, usage is increasing rapidly right now. When I think back to how difficult it was two to three years ago to just hold a video conference! Today, this is everyday life, both professionally and privately.

Accelerated by corona. Do you think that digitization and, in particular, the use of cloud technology will continue to pick up steam rapidly?

Absolutely. The change is already huge. For over a year, our partners have seen tremendous demand for cloud solutions. In order to make it possible to work from home and to create a virtual environment, many companies have suddenly gone to the cloud. The Windows Virtual Desktop, for example, enables secure remote work.

Are customers recognizing the benefits of cloud management out of necessity?

Ultimately, many customers benefit from this, as they can reduce their infrastructure costs in the long term with cloud solutions. Consumption-based billing, higher security, and significantly improved scalability are just a few benefits of the cloud.

Would you say that the topic has recently increased in complexity?

What hasn't increased in complexity? I think there is an artificial word called dynaxity, according to which the management of systems and organizations is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic. So does the cloud, of course. Ultimately, however, the increased complexity is only an advantage for the customer, because more options and potential lead to more complexity. After all, the major cloud manufacturers invest billions every year in the development of their platforms.

We have the impression that many companies are increasingly unsettled because they lack an overview.

Uncertainty is okay, but it shouldn't be an argument against the cloud. There are numerous examples of companies that are already working successfully in the cloud, from start-ups to large corporations. So why not your own company?

That is true. What do you advise?

To ask yourself the big question of how. Companies are becoming more open-minded, but there is often a lack of imagination as to how to get started. Therefore, I can only advise you to choose a trustworthy partner who will accompany you along the way. Since complexity is high, the partner should have a healthy network so that they can find a specialized contact person even on niche topics.

The hybrid cloud has developed from a niche topic to a trending topic. What is the reason for that?

In the case of hybrid cloud architectures, costs in particular can be saved and the portfolio expanded. A good example is setting up an Azure cloud backup. The possible uses here are diverse: Microsoft Azure Recovery Service Agent, Azure VM's, SAP HANA databases on Azure VMs and much more.

You name Azure as an example, Microsoft has already established itself extremely successfully with its cloud services. AWS and Google are also currently playing a major role in the provider market. And what about less well-known service providers?

I am of course not entirely unbiased when it comes to the question. Choosing the right technology should generally fit the internal IT strategy. As part of a hybrid cloud structure, a multi-cloud scenario must also be considered. In the case of Microsoft, the integration of cloud services including Microsoft 365 is of course one of many advantages. Companies get the best advice from technical service providers who have already broadened their horizons and trust them as customers. Yes, trust and experience are important keywords here.

Who should ideally talk to providers and service providers?

More decision makers should be involved in the entire cloud issue. From management, technology, human resource management, accounting and sales.

That sounds like a lot of coordination work. In our experience, however, it is worthwhile.

Yes, because there are different challenges and opportunities for the respective departments when using the cloud.

Let's get to something supposedly very tricky: cloud security.

Oh yes! Recent studies show that cloud hosting is sometimes more secure than on-premise.

Yet so many companies are still afraid to go to the cloud due to security concerns.

Just a few facts: Microsoft invests over $1 billion a year in cybersecurity research and development, employs more than 3,500 security professionals, and has numerous compliance certifications. Who offers the on-premise?

That fits.

We simply have to start opening ourselves up to the topic more; although there are legitimate questions to be clarified, these must not be used as an excuse.

What questions are these, for example?

Data protection is still a huge issue in our house. We and Microsoft are constantly talking to specialist lawyers and data protection experts about this in order to guarantee customers the greatest possible level of protection. In order to create trust, I can point to thousands of projects that are currently running in Germany and the EU on the Microsoft, Google and Amazon platforms. The data is secure, otherwise organizations would not be able to justify the use of cloud solutions from these providers at all.

Sounds convincing. And comforting.

And sure!

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