The cloud solves some problems and creates new ones
Network, server room, Wi-Fi and cloud need to be planned together. We decide application by application where each one runs, and we explain the reasoning behind every decision.
Book an intro callCloud or your own server: the question comes up sooner or later, usually when the hardware in the basement is getting on in years or a supplier turns up with an offer. The honest answer is mostly neither, at least not entirely. The ERP system depends on a database, time recording on a terminal at the workbench, the mailbox has been with Microsoft for a while. And the Wi-Fi in the warehouse drops out as soon as someone walks two racks further with a tablet.
Application by application, we set out what moves to the cloud and what stays in the server room. That includes the groundwork: cabling, switches, firewall, access points, virtualised servers, the link between two sites. Every port, every address and every account is written down, and the record is yours to keep. If a move to the cloud only shifts costs around and improves nothing in daily work, we say so.
What is included.
Cabling and switches
We survey the network cabinet, replace runs that are too slow or damaged, configure the switches and label every port. After that, a socket on the wall can be matched to a port number in the cabinet.
Wi-Fi with a site survey
Before any planning, we measure coverage in the rooms where work actually happens, including the warehouse and the stairwell. Then we position the access points, separate guest access from the company network and measure again once everything is mounted.
Virtualisation in the server room
Instead of four metal boxes each doing one job, the systems run as virtual machines on a single host. An individual machine can be backed up, cloned for testing or moved to different hardware without touching the rest.
Services in the cloud
For most companies, mailboxes, file storage and meetings run better on Microsoft 365 than on hardware of their own. We set up the tenants, move the data across and manage licences, permissions and sign-in methods on an ongoing basis.
Connecting sites
Branch office, warehouse and home working all sit on the same network through encrypted tunnels. We build the connections, usually on a Fortinet firewall, and define who may reach which share from where.
Hybrid operation
Sign-in, file paths and printers should work the same way whether a service sits in the building or with a provider. We link the directory service to the cloud accounts, so that an employee has one password rather than three.
How we work.
Walk-through
We open the network cabinet, look at the server room, sockets and access points, and have you show us which programs run day to day. At the same time we collect contracts, licences and access details, as far as they can be found.
Setting the split
Every application gets a place: cloud, your own server or left unchanged for now. You receive the list with the reasoning behind it, a network diagram and the order in which the work will happen. Anything that can wait is marked as such.
Rebuild
Cabling, switches and access points are replaced, servers virtualised, data migrated. Bigger cut-overs go into an evening or a weekend, so that the ERP system starts on Monday morning and nobody is left standing in front of a dead printer.
Handover and operation
You receive the network diagram, port list, configurations and access details, in full. From then on we take over the ongoing monitoring and the changes to firewall, servers and cloud accounts, or your own IT department carries on with the documentation.
Common questions.
Our server is seven years old. Should we move everything to the cloud now?
Probably not everything. Email, file storage and meetings usually belong there. An ERP system with a connected till, machine control software or a specialist application that the manufacturer supports only locally will mostly stay in the building. We look at each application on its own and write down why each decision came out the way it did.
Won't the cloud end up costing more than our own server?
Often yes, if you look only at the monthly invoice. With your own server, though, the spending sits elsewhere: hardware every few years, a maintenance contract, power, cooling, backup media and the working hours spent on updates. We set both sides against each other for your specific environment before you decide. With some clients the server stays exactly where it is.
Does this rebuild make us dependent on you?
No, and we deliberately set the environment up so that it does not come to that. The network diagram, port list, firewall configuration, licence and sign-in details are handed over to you as they are produced. We build on technology that is widely used and that other providers know. If you switch, your successor can work from the documentation instead of starting over.
How long will work stop at our end during the rebuild?
For most steps, not at all. Switches, access points and firewalls can be swapped section by section, often outside core working hours. Replacing a server or moving mailboxes does need a fixed window, usually a weekend. We agree the date with you beforehand and tell you which systems will be unavailable during that time.
We have three sites. Do you need to come to all of them?
For cabling, switch replacements and mounting the access points, yes, that work happens on site. We are based in Schwerin and work across Germany. Configuration, migration and the later day to day operation run largely remotely. Where there are several sites, we set the connections up so that nobody has to drive to another building just to make a change.
Let's talk about your network cabinet
We go through your applications one by one and ask about sites, the age of your servers and the spots where the Wi-Fi drops out. After that we tell you what is worth moving to the cloud and what is better kept in the building.
Book an intro call