Hybrid Cloud Solutions: Amazon Web Service (AWS) and Microsoft Office 365

Can Microsoft Office 365 and Amazon Web Services (AWS) work together?  The answer to this cloud riddle is YES.  

There seems to be an overall confusion between what these Cloud venders provide as services.  To be clear, Amazon Web Services is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider and Microsoft Office 365 is a Software as a Service (SaaS).  

In enterprise deployments of Office 365, many organizations have requirements to manage and synchronize user profiles to Office 365, restrict user access, provide secure mobile access, and advanced Exchange/Lync/SharePoint management (Remote PowerShell and management consoles).  

In order to satisfy these requirements, organizations will need to deploy the following components within their controlled environment:

• Mobile Management Solution (Blackberry Enterprise Server 10)
• Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) internal and proxy
• Exchange and Lync Management Console
• Remote PowerShell for SharePoint, Exchange, Lync, and other Office 365 components

Some of our clients have elected to move these components into their own Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) within Amazon Web Services (AWS) so that they can take advantage of the power of AWS (Elastic, Pay as you go model, network, high availability, etc…) and remove their dependencies on managing their own data centers. Once these components have been deployed they can be configured to integrate/communicate with Office 365 Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and other Office 365 components.

JHC Technology has also designed and implemented virtual application and desktop technology to run on Amazon Web Services.  We are able to deploy the Microsoft Outlook virtual application as well as other office products on AWS and connect them to Office 365.  In this scenario, users are able to connect to an AWS region and access Outlook either via virtual desktop or virtual application from any device and pull down their Office 365 exchange mail securely.

Organizations should not be tied down to use only one cloud model (IaaS vs SaaS). They should look at their overall requirements and choose an architecture that is flexible enough to expand for future requirements.

James Hirmas is the CEO for JHC Technology.  He can be reached at jhirmas(at)jhctechnology.com,@JHC_JamesHirmas, or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Cloud Solution? It's Simple Math

I had a great chance to get super nerdtastic this past weekend with a woman at an insurance underwriting firm.  Her job is to develop the insurance policies of senior management of large IT firms.  When she found out I worked in and around cloud technology, it was her chance to ask about the oft described “cloud solution provider.”  It gave me a chance to think about what that really means.  What makes a company a “cloud solution provider”?

I look at it this way.  There are companies that are, in essence, “cloud product providers,” and companies that are “cloud solution providers.”  Maybe there are even a few flavors in between.  But there’s a big difference?

For me, I think of it in the context of a math discussion.  In math, every problem has a solution.  You can’t give the solution without knowing the problem.  One begets the other.  A “cloud solution provider” digs to the core of your needs and develops the proper answer for your organization.

However, a “cloud product provider” works the other way, just the same as any other off-the-shelf product.  Those firms have a product and you have to find the one that best (but probably not fully) meets your needs.

Therein lies the rub.  IT in the cloud isn’t a one size fits all world.  IT in the cloud isn’t even a two- or three-sizes-fits all.  There needs to be a unique understanding of the problem before you can even get to the solution.

It’s important to draw that distinction among companies offering “cloud solutions”.  Be sure to find one that takes the time to fully understand your needs before offering its solution.  Cloud is a new and dynamic space, full of incredible opportunities.  But it’s also full of potential speed bumps or worse from firms that are simply jumping on “cloud solutions” as a buzzword.  Be sure to know what you’re dealing with and how that provider fits your roadmap.  A “cloud product provider” probably won’t be able to help you move forward.  They might not be able to work with you to develop a roadmap to gain efficiency and agility.  They’ll get you a product and let you figure out the rest. 

If you’re truly ready to leverage the cloud in a big way, or you’re just interested in dipping in your toe, it would behoove you to find that “cloud solution provider,” because that will be your best way forward.

But that’s how I see the “cloud solution” discussion.  How about you?  What makes a company a true “cloud solution provider”? 

Matt Jordan is the Cloud Services Manager for JHC Technology.  He can be reached at mjordan(at)jhctechnology.com, @matt_jhc, or connect with him on LinkedIn.