More and more independent software vendors (ISV) are discovering how Microsoft Azure can help empower their businesses to be faster and more productive. But the key to optimizing your Azure cloud management isn’t simply about moving everything to the platform and walking away; you’ll better maximize your cloud ROI with ongoing support.
First, let’s briefly touch on how Azure can help streamline your ISV’s workflow before we dive deeper into how continuous Azure cloud management is key to your business unlocking it’s full cloud potential.
Streamlining Your Development Lifecycle Pipeline
With Azure Devops
Many Microsoft Azure success stories will mention its seamless platform for devops.
Azure devops services includes a full-feature platform for ISVs that allows them to store code and apps in the cloud using Azure devops servers. This means it can easily handle source control.
If a developer is splitting off a branch and trying out a new feature or has been assigned to work on a bug or hotfix, they can store that source control in the Azure devops platform.
Azure boards are also a huge compliment to ISVs using an agile or scrum methodology. Azure boards allow them to build out work items and sprints, making it easier to plan, track, and assign work for developers. This substantially improves organization during the software development lifecycle.
What’s more, Azure is so well integrated that your Azure pipelines for development are built much faster and with far less hassle and complications. And with the right managed service provider (MSP) at your business’s side, that process can be rendered near-frictionless, allowing your ISV to take full advantage of all the cloud has to offer.
So now we understand just a few of the many substantial improvements Azure can have on an ISV, let’s take a deeper look at how ongoing support can help your ISV continue to benefit from Azure as the platform – and your business – develop.
Leveraging Infrastructure
as Code in Azure
One major reason we’re seeing so many Microsoft Azure success stories is due to how ISVs and MSPs can take advantage of infrastructure as code in Azure.
Many ISVs want to move their infrastructure to Azure and get right to work using the platform to boost productivity and efficiency.
But in order to do so effectively, you need a strong foundation. And that’s where developing and managing Azure infrastructure as code really pays dividends.
ISVs that don’t focus on the infrastructure first may face ballooning costs, reliability issues, and general mistakes that can cause costly downtime.
A premier MSP (like Executech) will build out and continue to improve and monitor that foundation for you, so you don’t have to worry about running into that initial changeover friction.
As your business continues to grow, you’ll need that infrastructure to scale accordingly. If your ISV lacks proper cloud experience, it could lead to unintended security vulnerabilities opening up, slowdowns, downtime, missed opportunities, etc.
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Think of it like this: if you’re building a town, you have to develop a sewer system first and roads and basic services (like a grocer) before you can have people move in. That’s the same principle with Azure.
An MSP can take charge of that and ensure that your infrastructure right from the start is functioning at optimal capacity, and as your business grows, your infrastructure is developed in tandem to keep up.
Understanding Governance and Its Impact on Microsoft Azure Success
One ISV customer of Executech’s was using a different cloud platform from Azure and initially paying $660,000 a month to that cloud provider. Then the price ballooned to over $900,000 in a single month.
Without a governance policy in place, they were caught totally unaware. Nobody had been tracking how and why that sudden increase happened, causing confusion and wasted time, not to mention a huge monthly cost increase until the problem could be identified and resolved.
That’s one of many textbook case studies that point to the importance of comprehensive Azure cloud management.
In other words, a governance policy in place would have prevented that problem.
Azure policy allows users to set guidelines and restrictions on what types of resources can be created. It can also control for region, cost models, and similar criteria.
But it also provides extra support via Azure blueprints. They allow you, the user, to set up a template that is easily accessible by the appropriate engineers and developers and has all the relevant details already ironed out.
Essentially, proper governance policy allows engineers to function without introducing complexity or problems into the environment.
Getting the Most Out of Your Cloud With Expert
Azure Cloud Management
The Azure platform offers a multitude of improvements to your ISV. But you’ll need expert Azure cloud management to maximize your Azure ROI.
With Executech, we provide monitoring and management services for Azure so you can guarantee that your ISV is getting the most that it possibly can out of the platform.
We’ll catch issues before they impact your bottom-line, and otherwise free up your developers to handle revenue-generating tasks rather than be stuck in the weeds figuring out any of the more complex aspects of the cloud.
What’s more, Executech will send monthly reports so that you have full visibility on everything that’s taking place in your cloud environment.
We’ll also setup disaster recovery and business continuity plans, ensuring that your business is protected in all eventualities.
With roughly a fifth of our Azure customers being ISVs, you can trust Executech’s demonstrated track record of success to power your business forward with performance improvements, automation, and ongoing consulting.
Contact us today to start your digital transformation.
To learn more about cloud computing & backup, check out our Ultimate Guide To Cloud Computing!
