Cloud services for businesses

Looking for scalable, flexible and cost-effective IT resources? The cloud could be the answer for your business.

At Fabric IT, we have helped companies spanning several industries make a problem-free transition to the cloud. We are boosting productivity, enhancing flexibility and providing advanced cloud security — while avoiding business disruption. As a long-standing Microsoft Gold Partner, we deliver bespoke solutions built around Microsoft Azure.

What are cloud services?

Cloud services, or cloud computing, deliver IT infrastructure, servers, software, networks, and databases via the Internet. Cloud services offer a more flexible approach to traditional IT resources, as you usually only pay for the storage you use, and you can access the cloud from any internet-connected device.

Most individuals and businesses use cloud services on a regular basis – such as checking your emails or sharing documents.

What is Microsoft Azure?

Azure is the world-leading cloud platform, created by Microsoft to allow organisations to run their IT infrastructure online. It can seamlessly integrate a range of more than 200 applications, and enable you to add new functions whenever necessary. Research shows that 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies trust Azure to keep their business running smoothly and securely.

The full range of cloud services

Back up

Did you know that 30 percent of businesses experience some form of data loss every year? The consequences can range from inconvenient to catastrophic, depending on the nature of the data. Switch to Azure, and suddenly all your data is automatically backed up in the cloud. So, whether the information is mislaid by human error, lost through hardware failure, stolen by hackers or wiped by cyber-attack, it can be recovered before any damage is done.

Disaster recovery for business continuity

From fire to flood, unforeseen disasters can destroy your essential data. Fabric IT cloud services will enable your business to continue uninterrupted, whatever the cause of an unplanned disruption. Recover critical files and keep downtime to a minimum with live replication of your on-site facilities.

Cloud hosting

Azure has the power to make all your applications and websites accessible via cloud-based resources, rather than having to rely on a single on-premises server. With no hardware to buy, maintain and update, you only pay for the resources you need. Expand your capacity on demand.

The benefits of moving to the cloud

Cost-effective
Reliable
Security
Agility
Mobility
Scalability
Efficiency
Productivity

Azure Activity Directory

This is the identity protection and access management tool that safeguards your users from the most significant danger to every business: the ever-present threat of cyber-attacks.

Protect your files and data with multi-factor authentication, while making everything easy for the right people to access. Add advanced settings as required, such as conditional access and impossible travel detection. You can also limit data access to specific locations or individuals.

Azure Sentinel Intelligence

Harnesses AI and machine learning to proactively identify security hazards, stopping threats before they can become attacks. For example, if a user has always accessed your network from the UK, and they login from another location, Azure Sentinel Intelligence can cross-reference your HR files to identify whether the user is simply on holiday, or whether it is a legitimate security threat.

Azure SQL Database Hosting

A fully managed database environment that automatically scales up, updates and backs up, so you can focus on application development.

Virtual Networking

Control who can enter and leave your IT environment with firewall protection. Lock down ports, products and locations as required.

Windows Virtual Desktop

You and your team can work remotely from anywhere that has an internet connection. Run your desktop from any device with total reliability and security.

This solution is ideal for businesses such as call centres and organisations with a ‘bring your own device’ policy. Remote workers connect to a centrally managed corporate environment that is easy to update. It is entirely secure, too, because your data never leaves the environment. This also reduces costs, as it can be used with your existing Office 365 license.

Public, private or hybrid cloud?

Public Cloud

Azure is an example of a public cloud, owned by a third-party provider — in this case, Microsoft. They make resources such as data storage and applications available to you over the internet. This means you have a secure area for data storage, but without the need for physical servers on your premises. Azure is easy to scale and expand, and everything is paid for on a subscription basis, keeping your costs to a minimum. Most businesses, even with sensitive and confidential information, can use Azure securely.

Private Cloud

With private cloud, rather than renting resources as and when you need them, you own a portion of a data centre. You are then given exclusive access to your data. This is costly but sometimes worthwhile for businesses that require complete control of their data, perhaps for regulatory reasons.

Hybrid Cloud

As the name suggests, this is a combination of a private and public cloud. It’s an architecture that connects a company’s on-premises private cloud services to a third-party, public cloud. Hybrid cloud is useful if some of your data is not suitable for the latter.

SaaS, PaaS or IaaS?

Sooner or later, any discussion of cloud computing brings up the above acronyms. There are three types of cloud computing, and Azure can be used to deliver all three.

SaaS – Software as a Service

The most commonly used option by smaller businesses, Software as a Service delivers applications, such as Microsoft Office 365, to you via each user’s web browser. The provider manages them, so there’s no need to install, control or upgrade the software at your end. Simply use it when you need it.

PaaS – Platform as a Service

As well as applications, Platform as a Service delivers a platform or framework online, which your developers can use to create customised applications. You don’t manage the IT infrastructure (hardware or operating systems), but only the applications and services you develop.

IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service

Infrastructure as a Service gives you access to virtual servers, networks, data storage and computers — all managed by a third-party provider such as Microsoft. This maximises your flexibility and control over the resources, without the need for physical data centres or servers on your premises.

The benefits of working with Fabric

We don't do one size fits all. The Fabric team will work with you to identify your cloud requirements, creating the right solution for your business.
We give you a dedicated account manager who provides a single point of contact.
24/7 monitoring, spotting potential problems before they become real ones.
Scalable solutions that can grow with your business. Azure can go from one server to fifty overnight, if necessary.
We minimise downtime. Applications are hosted on a network of servers, so there's no need to visit your premises.

Find out more about Fabric's cloud services