The State of Public Cloud Services in Canada
Ever since Microsoft announced that its Azure management platform would start API access across Canadian regions in 2016, major development in the managed public cloud services arena have been taking place.
In essence, Microsoft Azure offers a suite of integrated cloud services and open source technologies that can be used for data centre management and other IT solutions. It so happens that Canada is gradually increasing its offering of managed public cloud services not only for the domestic market but also for clients based abroad.
Acquisitions by Foreign Companies
A major American provider of cloud technologies that had opened a large regional office in Montreal was acquired by a French internet giant in April 2017. The French company explained that language affinity in the Quebec province was a substantially attractive factor in the acquisition. The company is interested in establishing a larger footprint in North America, particularly in relation to providing Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions.
Microsoft Azure is a major competitor of the aforementioned French internet giant. At this point, Microsoft sees great potential in terms of leveraging the cloud, and it sees a great opportunity in Canada. One of the strategies that the American company offers is that it can easily expand its data centres and target customers that are already using Microsoft products.
The Microsoft Azure Strategy
For small Canadian businesses and startups, Microsoft already offers Office 365 subscriptions at very low prices. Once these small enterprises grow and expand, Microsoft can entice them to consider Azure services since they are already familiar with cloud solutions such as Office 365, Exchange and SharePoint.
The strategy begins with an offer of migrating business data processes to the Azure class; this starts with an automated assessment that will last less than a day for most organizations. The next steps is handled in part by algorithms that calculate certain aspects such as workload, storage, bandwidth, and access. For most businesses, managed public cloud services will be adequate; however, some companies may also opt for dedicated virtual machines. For more information, there are additional resources available at Carbon60 Networks.
The advantages of Microsoft Azure cloud services are numerous; first of all, the hardware requirements are cut down significantly since powerful business workstations are no longer needed. Companies only need to invest in clients, which can be simple desktops, laptops or even mobile devices. The Bring Your Own Device IT trend can be easily implemented with strong security policies, and certain processes such as disaster recovery are a snap since virtual machines can be booted up from just about anywhere.
With the new API access to the Azure cloud, Canada is now closer to becoming a North American leader in terms of cloud offerings, and this is a trend that is bound to continue over the next few years.
