JCI offers various services related to cloud migration and software engineering.  Popular services include:

• Cloud Migration
• Cloud Solution Architecture
• Software Engineering
• DevOps
• Database Engineering
• Cloud Security Assessment

Please visit JCI’s Services page for more details on each of the above and always Connect with Us if wishing to discuss custom solutions of any kind.

Current market demand has JCI working mostly with Microsoft’s Azure and Amazon’s AWS cloud offerings.  If organizational strategy requires the use of a specific or multiple cloud providers, JCI will be more than happy to work within your strategic guidelines.

JCI started in 2015 because of a requirement to build some creative and functional tooling.  The original technical staff and their passion for building custom apps and special tooling is JCI’s driving force.

Best way to start a discussion on your unique application and it’s possibilities is to Connect with Us.  E-mail is typically the quickest (and best) way to share ideas, as several staff members will field your discussion request.  One of JCI’s Solution Architects will connect with you within 48 hours and request some time to conceptualize further.

In short, JCI walks clients though a relatively simple process, all depending on the specified scope of course.  Most often the process will include:

Introductions/ Discussions:  Initially a JCI Enterprise Cloud Architect will meet with you and your technical staff to discuss your current technical assets and how they relate to your product and service offering. The Architect will listen to any current cloud architecture and migration strategies you have in motion, or plan to execute, and help distill any anomalies or other considerations.

Conceptualization:  JCI’s cloud migration team will conceptualize various scenarios for migrating your current assets to the cloud and offer any additional solutions to leverage any other associated functionality.

Development:  Approved cloud architecture and migration plans will move through a development stage, where provisioning/ configuring all appropriate systems is underway.

Production:  Once all solutions have been provisioned and prepared for migration, all technical teams move into a production phase. At this stage, data is moved, new systems come on-line, and testing commences. Once all has proven fully functional, DNS is pointed in a new direction to go live.

Support:  JCI follows up with continued support to make sure all in-house service functions are fully able to support all new cloud technology and tools within the enterprise.

More on the above process can be referenced on JCI’s Process page.

Migration to the cloud depends on many factors, some of which include the type of service required (e.g. SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, etc.), number of apps being moved, types of apps being moved, levels of security required, amount of data being moved, amount of redundancy required, etc.

JCI has move applications into cloud environments inside of seven (7) days and has also implemented cloud migrations lasting up to one year. Lengthy projects typically include innovative technologies (proprietary in nature) or the addition of multi-layered security measures requiring a unique dove-tailing with cloud provider security.

The better a scope is defined, the more definitive a time-line becomes. JCI would be happy to help conceptualize various scope highlights and help better define reasonable timing for your project/ migration.

It is important to remember how costs should be compared when migrating to the cloud. An organization is saving a tremendous amount of overhead when utilizing cloud services. For example, costs no longer incurred include hardware, maintenance, applicable licensing, rent for colocation, server administration, info-security, audit resources, physical security, building maintenance, etc. New costs for an organization can occasionally come down to a simple monthly (or annual) invoice. These costs depend on the types of applications running, how many are running, any enhanced security, volume of traffic, amount of transactions, processing power, etc. It may not always feel like cloud services cost less than managing your own applications in-house, however when properly itemized, the end result may be surprising.

Always remember, some functionality doesn’t always show up monetarily. Cloud services offer the ability to instantly turn up (or turn down) processing power, connectivity for anticipated volume, storage capacity, and so on. Yes, there is a charge for some of the above, but it also can be turned down if not needed. The point however is, the ability to turn it up or down “in a moment’s notice” is one of the most powerful and dynamic tools in cloud services. On-line marketing blitzes and promotions really take advantage of the cloud services and the dynamic tools it offers. How about the fact simply deploying a VM in Azure replicates your data in three (3) different storage locations by default. Selecting the Geo-Redundant storage option gives you a second physical location and three (3) additional stored copies. Tough to put a value on this.

Most often JCI will see clients who have migrated to the cloud save over the long-term simply over hardware replacement and maintenance. If your own server fails, another has to be purchased, or you engage a vendor, possibly replace disks, etc. For similar issues in the cloud, you’ll typically receive an e-mail 30 days in advance discussing the upgrade strategy… and within a 10 minute period, the VM in question has been replaced with a newer version.

Also keep in mind, the more you consume the less you pay, in a relative sense. Each successive TB will cost you less. Utilizing SaaS vs. PaaS solutions can lower your costs. An SaaS solution will not only save you monetarily, it will alleviate costs for supporting and managing server instances. Reserved instances provide a significant discount (up to 75%) compared to on-demand pricing, specifically when you commit for several years ahead. Additional savings can apply when paying upfront (all or in part).

Going serverless offers an additional way to save. In this case, organizations pay only for the actual amount of computational services provided. There no longer is a need to pay for VMs. Serverless services may be the next generation of cloud infrastructure.

Organizations should keep a close eye out for unexpected costs. Watch your data governance carefully. Having too much of technical freedom can get an organization in trouble. On occasion, the technical staff may forget to turn off VMs not needed at the time. Monitoring resource allocation is imperative – costs can grow uncontrollably. Planning up to 18 months ahead is advised. Watch your software licenses as well. Enterprise systems, such as database servers, are sometimes licensed per CPU core. The more CPUs in a server, the more licensing will cost. If your cloud solution is scalable and you have numerous CPU cores in the cloud, a license can become cost prohibitive.

Cost Comparison for IaaS

JCI can help organizations better define costs associated with migrations to the cloud and all related cloud services.  Connect with Us.  E-mail is typically the quickest (and best) way to contact us, as several staff members will field your request for info.  One of JCI’s Solution Architects will connect with you within 48 hours and request some time to discuss.

It’s no wonder Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure cloud services initially took over the market. Both have a solid foundation of cloud computing solutions – after all, both originally started by necessity, hosting solutions for their own applications. JCI would like to credit Azure’s assessment on how to choose a cloud service provider, as it’s comprehensive and can be applied to any provider. In short, it’s important to assess a provider’s:

• Business Health and Processes
• Administration Support
• Technical Capabilities and Processes
• Security Practices

For additional detail, a full breakdown of considerations can be found on Azure’s Choosing a Cloud Service Provider page.

When looking at industry best practices and standards, referencing ISO/IEC 27001 would be a good idea.

Another resource for consideration would include the Cyber Essentials Scheme.

JCI would suggest referencing all the above to start your effort in due diligence. As expected, JCI will also share additional thoughts and considerations on all four major cloud service providers.

Security is one of the first requirements an organization should consider when computing in any environment, whether it be on-prem or via the cloud. If proprietary information is available to all, and organization can lose substantial leverage/ value.

Starting with the implementation of best practices in security management of data, authentication, and access controls. Remember however, cloud service providers offer an array of tools best suited for cloud security.

Managing user permissions is key. When it comes to identity and access management (IAM), limiting access for users, operators and developers to resources and data on a need-to-have basis is advised.

Keep an eye on the security of networking infrastructure – this includes managing network topology, firewall rules, traffic security policies, and all points where connected to a WAN.

Watch data security – this includes access control to data storage (files and databases) and encryption of data (mitigating damage if data is leaked).

Be mindful of how secure your software development is – software developed for the cloud should take advantage of industry-accepted best practices. Practice security-first programming, audit code changes, code reviews, security audits, etc.

Keep an eye on credential management – don’t let security credentials get to the code repository – keep credentials in secret management vaults within your cloud solution. This allows easy access to passwords, rotation of credentials, and the ability to revoke access no longer necessary.

Always remember people are usually the weakest link – users must be careful with passwords or access keys. Start with educating users. Remind users regularly of the importance of data security and to not forget to practice a password rotation regimen.

JCI can offer additional pro-tips on where to look when assessing cloud security, whether you’re shopping for cloud services or simply looking to fortify your current cloud solution.

More often then not, organizations will find the stack of pros outweigh the cons. This is the case only because most organizations no longer want the overhead of a comprehensive IT department. Provisioning, maintenance and management of on-prem hardware take a reasonable amount of resources and bring on a bit of unwanted liability.

Operational costs tend to go down – that is the equipment, maintenance, and hardware upgrades are managed for the client. Electric bills, renting data center floor space, and operational resources to run it all are no longer needed. Capital spending goes down considerably.

Cloud solutions bring dynamic computing power and pay-as-you-go options. Numerous cloud solutions are usage-based, making is really easy scale. Organizations are able to increase computing power on demand and of course reduce hardware resources when no longer needed.

Risk mitigation and system availability are huge benefits of all cloud solutions. Expedited disaster recovery, maximum resilience, and sustained uptime are additional benefits worth noting.

Security options are endless. Cloud providers offer solutions in the security management of data, including access control to data storage (files and databases) and encryption of data (mitigating damage if data is leaked). Multiple layers of security exist in authentication, access controls, and more.

Cloud solutions can comfortably manage Big Data and offer advanced analytics. It is possible to store, access and analyze almost unlimited volumes of data. Organizations needing to employ the power of Big Data to enhance their business performance typically need the cloud for properly managing their data model.

JCI can help share more detail on pros and cons…

In so many words, SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS are simply ways in which an organization can utilize the cloud. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud solution which allows a third-party to host their software via the cloud (Internet). Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud solution which allows a third-party to host their hardware and software tools via the cloud (Internet). Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud solution which allows a third-party to use cloud storage, networking, hardware virtualization, and software tools via the cloud (Internet).

SaaS is most commonly used out of the basic cloud services. Clients will host their applications in the cloud making it easy for their users to run the app directly through their web browser – this means downloads and installations are no longer required for those using the app.

PaaS provides cloud components for software or applications running in the cloud. PaaS delivers a framework for developers which can be used to create customized applications. All servers, storage, and networking can be managed by the enterprise or a third-party provider while the developers can maintain management of the applications.

IaaS consists of highly scalable and automated cloud computing resources. IaaS is a self-service program for accessing and monitoring computers, networking, storage, and other services. IaaS allows organizations to purchase resources on demand and as needed instead of having to provision hardware outright.

JCI can help your organization determine how to best utilize cloud services. On occasion, a hybrid of cloud services may best fit your product and service offering.