By Zach Dickson
I have finally got round to doing this last blog in the Windows Server 2016 series, I know you have all been waiting with baited breath since my last post on how you can reduce costs by increasing IT productivity. With IT Productivity covered, and Security ticked off in the first post of the series, it is now time to have a quick run through the Cloud Readiness of Windows Server 2016.
A 2014 Intuit Inc. study, How the Cloud Will Transform Small Business by 2020, states that 80% of small businesses in the USA will be fully adapted to Cloud Computing by 2020. This is more than double the current rate of 37%.
With New Zealand having some of the highest rates of cloud adoption in the world, thanks in part to strong Office 365 uptake, it would not be a surprise for New Zealand businesses to be adopting cloud at a world leading rate by 2020.
Windows Server 2016 could well be the tool that facilitates this growth; Applications are now the heartbeat that many businesses are built around, whether it is their accounting software, such as MYOB Exo or Xero, their day to day use of Office applications or proprietary apps that are specific to their business, organisations need their apps more than ever.
Windows Server 2016 offers businesses options in ways to deploy and run native cloud apps and existing apps, whether on-premises or in Microsoft Azure. A hybrid cloud solution, where some of their apps reside on-premises and some in the cloud is becoming a common deployment across the whole NZ market. Both the Nano Server and the Containers that were mentioned in my previous blog, facilitate this type of deployment, as does Microsoft’s agreement with Docker.
The upcoming release of Lucidity’s new remote desktop, Managed Desktop, is running on Windows Server 2016, offering a great option for hybrid deployments. If you have applications that are currently run on on-premises hardware, these can instead be hosted on the Managed Desktop platform. This can drive cost reductions in maintaining on-premises hardware, as well as offering a more secure, protected environment for your business, which is especially important with the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks such as WannaCry.
If you want to ensure your business is protected, Lucidity would be happy to provide a security assessment that can highlight any potential vulnerabilities. Contact the team to discuss today.
Lucy Farrington
