Transitioning to the cloud can strap a rocket to your business, but it shouldn’t be a one-way trip. Like the lunar lander, you’ll want to keep coming back to the cloud to further integrate it with your business, a multi-stage evolution known as cloud transformation. While it isn’t quite as complicated as going to space, it does still involve processes like migration, security, and optimisation—all areas where you may be better off partnering with experts.

At Sota, we’ve spent decades helping businesses bridge the gap between ageing on-site hardware and the power of the cloud. We’ve seen first hand how a managed cloud transformation can completely reimagine the way businesses use technology to drive value. Read on to learn how shifting from expensive hardware to using IT as a service can benefit you, and why an expert partnership is key to unlocking the benefits of the cloud.

What are cloud managed services?

Cloud managed services refer to the partial or complete management and control of a client’s cloud platform. While public cloud providers like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services provide the connectivity and raw computing power, they don’t typically manage the day-to-day operations of the applications and data sitting on top of that infrastructure.

This is where managed services come in. From basic monitoring and reporting, to complex security management and performance tuning, a managed service provider helps oversee the health of your cloud infrastructure. This includes ensuring that virtual servers are patched and up to date, that backups are running successfully every night, and that the environment is shielded from the latest AI-driven cyber threats.

For a business, the primary advantage of these services is the removal of the heavy lifting associated with IT. Instead of bogging down your internal IT team with troubleshooting or managing server updates, routine tasks are handled by a dedicated Network Operations Centre (NOC). This allows your organisation to treat cloud resources more like a utility, only worrying about the resources you’re using, while retaining the expert oversight needed to prevent downtime.

What is a cloud managed service provider?

A cloud managed service provider (MSP) is a professional organisation that offers the expertise, tools, and infrastructure to manage a client’s cloud environment. However, not all MSPs are created equal. The most effective providers tend to be those that offer both global reach and local accountability, providing the resources you need while also being easily contactable and fully accountable.

Sota’s status as an independent network operator makes us a highly effective cloud managed service provider. Because we operate our own high-security data centre campus at the Kent Science Park, we can provide our own cloud services, or a hybrid solution that utilises both our servers and those of a third-party provider. This gives you greater control and sovereignty over your data, meaning you know exactly where your data is stored, ideal for both direct access and data protection.

We will typically start by auditing your existing IT estate to identify which applications are ready for the cloud, and which might require a different approach. We’ll then build a cloud environment that’s bespoke to your needs, and manage the migration process to ensure no data is lost. Our 24/7 UK-based support can then help to resolve any issues, and provide ongoing support to ensure you get the most out of your new cloud environment.

What is hybrid cloud management?

The scale of many businesses’ IT estates means that very few will move their entire operations to the cloud overnight. Most take a hybrid approach, where some data remains on-site for speed or legacy reasons, some is hosted in a private data centre for security, and some is moved to public platforms like Azure. Hybrid cloud management is the art of managing this mixed environment so that it functions as a single, seamless entity.

Managing a hybrid estate is significantly more challenging than managing a single-site setup. An MSP will use sophisticated tools to monitor performance across different platforms, ensuring that data flows both quickly and securely between each point. The goal is to eliminate data silos, where information becomes trapped in one part of the network and inaccessible to another.

At Sota, we specialise in hybrid cloud management because it offers the utmost flexibility for the modern workforce. We can link a client’s on-premise servers directly to our SotaCloud environment and Microsoft Azure via our own regional fibre-optic network. This ensures low-latency performance and a consistent security policy across your entire estate. Crucially, it allows businesses to keep sensitive data under lock and key in a private cloud, while still harnessing the power and scalability of the public cloud for less sensitive tasks.

How to manage cloud storage

One of the most common pitfalls in cloud transformation is the hoarding of data. You might have experienced something similar when you buy a large new hard drive: the temptation becomes to fill it with downloads, simply because the space is suddenly available. Without proper management, cloud storage can quickly become cluttered with all manner of data, not only becoming disorganised, but increasing your costs. Managing cloud storage effectively means setting a clear policy, but also using tools and regular auditing to keep it on track.

The first step is data categorisation. In the same way that you might backup old photos on an old hard drive, but store things you regularly access on an SSD, five-year-old files don’t need the same high-speed, high-cost storage as a live client database. Managed storage involves moving this ‘cold’ data to cheaper, long-term archival tiers, while keeping ‘hot’ data on high-performance flash storage. This tiered approach ensures that users get the speed they need without the business paying a premium for storing redundant information.

The second key pillar of managing cloud storage is security. In a managed cloud environment, storage is typically protected by granular access controls and encryption. We ensure that only authorised personnel can access specific folders, and that every action is logged for auditing purposes. We also utilise immutable backups (backups that cannot be changed or deleted by ransomware) to ensure that even if a cyberattack occurs, your business can quickly restore its data to a clean state, with minimal downtime or loss of progress.

How to manage cloud costs

The most significant shock for businesses new to the cloud can be the transition from fixed hardware costs to a variable, consumption-based model. Left unmonitored, cloud costs can spiral as quickly as energy bills, as developers spin up virtual machines and forget to turn them off, or as storage grows without a finite hard drive size to check it. One of the biggest aspects of managed cloud transformation is monitoring, reducing costs through strategic planning, and ensuring your cloud estate is the right size for your needs.

Cloud managed service providers will typically use tools to track your spending in real-time, giving you a detailed look at where your money is going. This tracking allows us to spotlight services that are being paid for but are not actually being used, and work to decommission them. We also practice ‘right-sizing’, where we gauge the actual performance needs of an application, and adjust the assigned cloud resources to match.

We also aim to help businesses leverage reserved instances and hybrid benefit licensing. By committing to certain resources in advance, or utilising existing software licenses in the cloud, businesses can save up to 40% on their monthly Azure bills. Managed cloud transformation means having a partner who proactively looks for these savings, ensuring that your IT budget is spent on driving innovation, rather than paying for wasted capacity.

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Managed cloud transformation isn’t something you can pivot to overnight, but rather an ongoing process of iterative improvement. By partnering with a provider that has decades of experience in digital transformation, organisations can ensure that their move to the cloud minimises the complexity, and provides a smooth on-ramp to a more efficient IT estate.

At Sota, we combine our technical heritage with a family-business commitment to service. Our unique combination of independent infrastructure, strategic consultancy, and 24/7 support can help you harness the cloud, and transform it into a powerful engine for growth. Whether you’re taking your first steps away from an on-premise server, or looking to optimise a complex hybrid estate, we can help—simply get in touch with us today.