Why Companies Are Moving Their Analytics to Azure Cloud

Whether you’re a tiny startup or a massive Fortune 500 firm, cloud analytics has become a business best practice. A 2018 survey by MicroStrategy found that 39 percent of organizations are now running their analytics in the cloud, while another 45 percent are using analytics both in the cloud and on-premises.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Datavail has the skills and experience that companies need to make their next Azure cloud analytics migration a success. Below, we’ll discuss both the benefits of Azure cloud analytics, as well as some tips and tricks for companies who are considering a move to the Azure cloud.

The Benefits of Analytics on Azure Cloud

Azure Cloud is the perfect site for many organizations to run their business intelligence and analytics workloads. The advantages of running analytics on Azure Cloud include:

• Lower IT costs:Cloud migrations represent a shift from the capital expenses (CAPEX) to the operating expenses (OPEX) pricing model—that means manageable monthly fees rather than pricey purchases of on-premises hardware and software licenses.
• Increased scalability and flexibility:Scalability is an essential cloud feature to handle the ever-growing amounts of enterprise data at your fingertips. Azure Autoscale helps you dynamically scale your applications to respond to changes in usages and demand.
• Data backup and business continuity:Tools like Azure Backup are essential to protect the integrity and continuity of your business after data loss or disaster.

Tips and Tricks for Moving Analytics to Azure Cloud

While the advantages of analytics on the Azure Cloud are obvious, the roadmap to getting there is less clear. According to a 2017 report, 62 percent of companies with cloud migration projects said that it was “harder than expected,” while 55 percent went over their allotted budget.

Below, we’ll go over some tips, tricks, and best practices for Azure cloud analytics migrations to successfully execute your next project.

1. Don’t be afraid to experiment

   Moving to cloud analytics can represent a new opportunity for your organization to realign and shake things up. One of Datavail’s clients, a Bay Area restaurant chain, was originally using the Infor Birst BI and analytics software. However, the client found that Infor Birst suffered from problems such as a high learning curve and lagging user adoption.

   The client needed a better analytics solution that would provide real-time data and insights across different locations, including a single source of truth. By joining forces with Datavail, the client decided to migrate to Microsoft’s Power BI cloud analytics tool. This switch to the Azure ecosystem—including Power BI, SQL Server, Excel, and Visual Studio—gave the client a common toolset to unify employees across the organization.

 

2. Look for “quick wins”

   Another of Datavail’s clients, a retail merchandising partner, had been using an on-premises SQL Server OLTP database that had some serious flaws, from an outdated architecture and performance issues to security vulnerabilities and the lack of a centralized repository for reporting. Datavail suggested that migrating to the Azure cloud would be an obvious next step.

   During and after the migration, the client was able to realize substantial improvements thanks to a few easy enhancements, such as:

   • Partitioning data to improve scalability and performance.
   • Making changes to system design to eliminate deadlocks.
   • Evaluating ways to reduce the cost of software licenses.

    
   In addition, Datavail helped the client use services such as Azure Data Factory and Azure Data Lake Storage to plan and prepare for its Power BI cloud migration.

Looking for more tips and tricks? Check out Microsoft’s Azure cloud migration checklist.

How Datavail Can Help

Datavail is a Microsoft Gold Partner, with years of experience helping businesses migrate to the Azure cloud. We have the knowledge and skillset to make your next Azure cloud migration a success. Our suite of cloud migration services includes:

• Selecting the right cloud technologies for your business.
• Completing a cloud readiness assessment of your organization.
• Developing a cloud migration roadmap with an appropriate timeline.
• Creating a total cost of ownership (TCO) estimate and deploying a proof of concept.
• Uplifting analytics solutions from on-premises to the cloud.
• Providing ongoing cloud support, maintenance, and management.

Conclusion

Want to see the benefits of moving your analytics to Azure Cloud for yourself? Get in touch with Datavail’s team of cloud migration experts today for a chat about your business needs and objectives—or download our white paper “Across the Continent with Cloud Analytics” to see how 8 of our clients have leveraged cloud analytics to their advantage.