A quick Q&A with Jonathan Pike to discuss his thoughts on the cloud.

Can you sell cloud services without managed IT services?

Yes, and that’s what is unique. We have data centers for an unmanaged service and then we have the MSP side, which is the opposite of that. The cloud can take that same approach, where the cloud environment can be an unmanaged service. Then there’s the managed model where we still deliver the same thing, but with that extra layer of management on top.

Do you think most people would prefer unmanaged or managed cloud?

From our experience so far, the majority are going to be managed environments. They start out as unmanaged and they may evolve into us being more involved. We have a lot of clients that start out that way, and then say, “Hey, can you just provide us this infrastructure?” And then we support them, we get involved with them, and the next thing we know, we’re helping manage that environment.

Are the cloud services that you’re providing in your own data center, or are you selling cloud services from other data centers?

Our primary goal would be to control that cloud environment. But we’re also not going to shut the door on a hybrid cloud model where we integrate Azure or AWS. It really depends on the client and their needs. But most of the time, our goal would be to provide the actual cloud services from our own infrastructure, from our own data centers.

A lot of companies have invested heavily into their IT infrastructure and their IT departments. Is this potentially a total replacement?

I think it’s something that can be added on, and as that infrastructure begins aging, it will help transition them off that to the cloud. We have clients like that who may want to continue running their servers with a roadmap that they will eventually phase out and transition away.

Do most business leaders think they can outsource this or move to the cloud to save money?

Yes! That’s the trend. There’s a couple of things in there that are missed, though.

1) They don’t anticipate how the cost in these public clouds can vary, and they can really get burned; “This is not the cost savings I was expecting and they charge you for every little thing.” That’s something we’ve heard a lot. “I went to AWS and I’m getting killed. It’s costing me more now!”

2) The complexity. “I need a team now or a staff to manage the cloud environment because it’s much more complicated than what I had before.” We also hear this a lot about the public cloud.

What is Global IP Networks’ cloud offering?

We provide public and private cloud services, and a custom-built cloud for customers that need it. If you go to AWS, you basically get a box of parts. Could you build something fantastic? Sure, but you would need the expertise required to do so. We don’t just give you a box. We present something to you that’s turnkey and ready to be utilized and built around your specific use case. We don’t push this; it most often happens organically as a customer recognizes a need and we have the turnkey solution for that.

Insight from experts like Jonathan make a world of difference. Call the experts at Global IP Networks today. The consultation is free, and their expertise can lead to a huge change within your own company.