Manufacturing
As critical infrastructure ages, organizations arrive at a big decision point –
do we maintain our on-premises presence, or transition to something cloud-hosted?
The Situation
Beginning in October of 2023, Microsoft’s Server 2012 Operating System became End of Life. This means it no longer receives critical security patches, and must be upgraded or replaced. When faced with this decision a manufacturing firm needed to make a choice between replacing aging on-premises infrastructure to accommodate installation of updated server operating systems, or transition that functionality to the cloud. As their IT provider, Kazmarek Technology Solutions guided the firm through this process, ultimately helping them to determine that a cloud migration was the best fit for them.
Our Process
1
A Fork in the Road
Microsoft’s announcement of the end-of-life of an operating system meant our client was faced with a choice – maintain on premises infrastructure with upfront cost, or move to the cloud. KTS began these discussions early, so that our client had ample time to make an informed decision on what was best for their business.
2
Implementation
Once a decision was made to move the client to cloud-hosted services to replace their server, KTS got to work! Some services were able to be transitioned to existing equipment, like DHCP and DNS, which were moved to the existing firewall. Other services, like Active Directory, were instead replaced by their cloud-hosted components, like Entra ID. Other services, like file sharing, were transitioned to Sharepoint and OneDrive.
3
A Solution with Longevity
By eliminating on-premises server infrastructure, KTS was able to transition our client into a solution that scales up or down with their business. This flexibility is one big benefit of cloud-hosted solutions, but that doesn’t mean they’re a fit for every business. Decisions of this magnitude should not be made lightly, and a trusted partner like KTS will reduce anxiety throughout that process.
The Results
Although Cloud-hosted services are not a panacea, they often represent the best choice for a given set of circumstances, like we encountered for the client discussed here. Not only did elimination of their on-premises infrastructure save them considerable capital expense in the short term, it also enhanced their overall security and business continuity posture by making our client far less reliant on their physical office space and the infrastructure associated with it. Prior to moving these on-premises services to the cloud, an internet outage at our client’s office would represent a good deal in lost productivity, as even remote workers would be unable to access files they needed hosted on a local file server. Transitioning those files to the cloud makes them what is referred to as ‘highly available,’ in that access to them is resistant to many forms of outages. Additionally, the migration from on-premises Active Directory to Entra ID enhanced their overall security posture, by ensuring that even remote machines in the field are protected behind robust Entra domain authentication and security policies. With an increasingly mobile and remote workforce it is important for organizations to take steps to ensure the security of their data in the field as well as allow the same efficiency of collaboration previously only possible in an office setting. If you think your organization could benefit from a migration to the cloud, speak to your trusted IT provider.
What Our Customers Are Saying
“We’ve been using Kazmarek for at least 15 years and have always been extremely satisfied with the service we receive. We use them for IT purchases, installations, migrations, upgrades, and service desk. Their team is always responsive and technically capable. We couldn’t be happier and have never had a reason to look elsewhere.”
Erik
Owner, Electrical Supply
“After being disappointed by the support we received from a national provider we were looking for a local San Diego IT provider to partner with. We could not be happier with our decision to engage KTS. They are swift, attentive, and collaborative with our IT needs. Their engineers, support desk, and managers are patient and able to effectively communicate issues and solutions to a layperson which speaks volumes about their hiring and customer service-minded culture.”
Carrie
Project Manager, Manufacturing
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Kazmarek team through the years! They are responsive and have a great team to work with, whether it’s day-to-day IT needs or special
projects.”
KC
HR Director, Sports Virtualization Hardware
“Kazmarek is fantastic! I’ve used every size IT company over the past 20 years, and Kazmarek is superior to all of them. We are extremely happy with their service and expertise. One of the things I like most about is that they not only have engineers available to respond to our prioritized needs, but they also have a management escalation plan in place if we feel that responses are too slow. They listen to our needs, are responsive, solution-minded, and speak in a layman’s terms. “
Marisa
Partner, Law Firm
“Both the technicians and all of the support staff at KTS are always friendly, always professional, and always get the job done. We are a small business but are treated with the same excellent service and attention I would expect for a larger account. Earlier this year, they helped us through a website migration and another tricky technical update. The whole team made sure communication was clear and went out of their way to research potential problem points.”
Kim M
Executive Assistant, PR and Marking
“We have been working with Danny and his team at KTS for more than 10 years. They are very responsive and have made us a better organization. Along the way, we successfully migrated our infrastructure to the cloud. They are a class organization and have always taken care of our people and technology.”
John
President, Lease Accounting Services
“We’re building a solid IT foundation to be able to go where we need to be for growth and success. I couldn’t be more pleased with KTS’s performance and progress on our IT Projects. ”
Shawn
CFO, Branding Company
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