Ensuring a Seamless Cloud Migration for a Global Building Materials Manufacturer

Maintaining an in-house data center can be a complex and expensive process. With the increased focus on cloud computing, many companies are deciding to get out of the “data center business.” Considering all the benefits of outsourcing data center management to a managed cloud services provider — such as increased scalability, cost savings, accessibility, flexibility, security, and reliability — more companies are choosing to migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud. But before deciding on cloud migration, you must carefully consider the specific needs and requirements of the organization. This was the challenge facing a global building materials manufacturer when it turned to Windsor Group.

The challenge

The company had managed a growing in-house IT infrastructure. After transitioning to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, the manufacturer recognized an opportunity to migrate from an on-premises model to an outsourced, managed cloud services solution. They began looking for a reliable, secure partner to host their IT environment. The company contacted Windsor Group to assist their chief information officer in the search for an enterprise IT partner.

Engagement

Despite an incredibly knowledgeable in-house IT team, the manufacturer relied on Windsor Group to assess their existing environment and identify the specialized skills and expertise needed to execute a seamless and secure enterprise cloud migration. This was a significant driver behind the IT service provider selection.

Windsor Group assisted in formulating the search criteria for vetting potential partners and narrowed the search to two candidates. Beyond pricing, service level, managed security capabilities, and partner-enabled operating system administration, Windsor Group helped the manufacturer evaluate against intangibles, including personalization capabilities, consultative expertise, and company values and culture. Eventually, the manufacturer selected a partner who perfectly aligned with their needs and expectations.

Windsor Group’s strategic approach to IT assessment before the migration also enabled the company to consider the criticality of disaster prevention and recovery safeguards. Prior to their cloud infrastructure, the manufacturer’s disaster recovery efforts involved restoring from tapes with no failover systems in place to aid in the recovery process. On the advice of Windsor Group, the company opted to utilize the new partner’s secure disaster-recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) solution.

Results

The manufacturer’s private cloud migration was a two-year endeavor. Windsor Group worked to help the company establish the baseline of their hybrid IT environment to maximize performance, privacy, and security. Thanks to a proper approach and evaluation, the manufacturer was able to achieve a seamless migration of all systems without impacting any of their users.

Windsor Group also defined the strategic direction for their IT infrastructure, which enabled the company to communicate expectations more effectively with the IT partner. This led to timely modifications, adjustments, and resource allocation during the migration, mitigating potential issues and costs . The result was top-down direction aligned with business objectives and communicated across the scope of migration operations.

As a steward for secure, efficient, adaptive IT oversight, Windsor Group provided the manufacturer with the confidence needed to communicate their needs transparently to their IT partner and to create accountability through clear and honest expectations. Ultimately, the company was able to complete a high-level enterprise migration and switch to a managed IT services model in a timely manner in partnership with a trusted service provider who met expectations across the board.

Insight

Thanks to advisory services provided by Windsor Group, the building materials manufacturer continues to have a fruitful partnership with the IT service provider post-migration. The two partners conduct quarterly business reviews to assess the company’s present and future IT requirements and create actionable objectives to drive strategic growth. This systematic review process is a critical component of the partnership and enables the manufacturer to leverage the most impactful services available.

The guidance offered by Windsor Group laid the foundation for not only effective IT modernization but also a successful ongoing partnership as the company’s cloud infrastructure grows increasingly robust.

To learn how Windsor Group can help your organization with your needs, connect with us today at windzr.com/contact-us.