Cloud
Cloud & Azure Services
Cloud is a tool, not a destination. Some workloads are cheaper and safer in Azure; some are cheaper and faster on a box in your building. We are happy to tell you which is which.
The problem
Lift-and-shift usually costs more, not less
Moving a server into the cloud unchanged tends to produce a monthly bill larger than the hardware it replaced, because a virtual machine that runs all day is not what cloud pricing rewards. The savings come from re-platforming — or from not moving that workload at all.
Our approach
Workload by workload, with the numbers written down
We look at each system on its merits: what it costs today including the hardware refresh, what it would cost in Azure, what the recovery position looks like, and whether latency matters. Some things move, some stay, and you get the comparison in writing rather than a slogan.
What you get
Included as standard
Not an upsell list. These are the things that make the difference between a service you pay for and a service that works.
- Honest cost comparison including hardware refresh cycles
- Hybrid designs where they genuinely fit
- No hardware to replace every five years for migrated workloads
- Capacity that scales with the business
- Geographic redundancy for disaster recovery
- Access from anywhere without exposing servers to the internet
- Ongoing cost review — cloud bills drift upward without one
- Documented architecture you own
How we work
What actually happens
- 1
Inventory
List every workload, what it depends on and what it costs today, hardware included.
- 2
Model
Cost and risk each option: stay, lift-and-shift, re-platform, or replace with SaaS.
- 3
Migrate
Move in stages with rollback, out of hours, with users tested before the old system is retired.
- 4
Optimise
Review consumption quarterly. Unreviewed cloud spend only goes one direction.
Technologies
What we build on
Vendor-neutral where it matters. We will tell you when the cheaper option is the right one.
- Microsoft Azure
- Azure Virtual Desktop
- Entra ID
- Site-to-site VPN
- Azure Backup
- Hybrid file services
Questions
Cloud Services questions
Is the cloud cheaper?
Sometimes. It is almost always more flexible and usually more resilient, but a like-for-like move of an always-on server frequently costs more per month. We show you the comparison rather than assuming the answer.
What about our line-of-business software?
Much of it runs fine in Azure, some needs the vendor's blessing, and some genuinely belongs on local hardware. We check with the vendor before anything moves.
What happens if the internet goes down?
It becomes a single point of failure, which is why cloud projects usually come with a second connection or a cellular failover. We design for that rather than discovering it later.
Related
Often paired with
Microsoft 365 Management
Licensing, migration, hardening and day-to-day administration of Microsoft 365 — including the security settings that ship switched off.
Learn moreBackup & Disaster Recovery
Backups that are tested on a schedule, with a recovery time you have actually seen demonstrated — not assumed.
Learn moreNetwork Design & Firewall Management
Segmented networks and managed firewalls, so one compromised laptop cannot reach your servers or your card data.
Learn more
Ready to secure your business?
A free assessment: we review your network, backups, Microsoft 365 settings and exposure, then hand you the findings in writing — whether or not you hire us.