Microsoft Azure is a public cloud computing platform providing a range of cloud services such as, storage, analytics and networking. Providing users with a flexibility to use their preferred tools and technologies, Azure also offers 4 different forms of cloud computing; Infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, software as a service and serverless.

Microsoft sorts Azure cloud services into nearly two dozen categories, including:

Compute. These services enable a user to deploy and manage VMs, containers and batch jobs, as well as support remote application access. Compute resources created within the Azure cloud can be configured with either public IP addresses or private IP addresses, depending on whether the resource needs to be accessible to the outside world.

Mobile. These products help developers build cloud applications for mobile devices, providing notification services, support for back-end tasks, tools for building application program interfaces (APIs) and the ability to couple geo-spatial context with data.

Web. These services support the development and deployment of web applications. They also offer features for search, content delivery, API management, notification and reporting.

Storage. This category of services provides scalable cloud storage for structured and unstructured data. It also supports big data projects, persistent storage and archival storage.

Analytics. These services provide distributed analytics and storage, as well as features for real-time analytics, big data analytics, data lakes, machine learning (ML), business intelligence (BI), internet of things (IoT) data streams and data warehousing.

Networking. This group includes virtual networks, dedicated connections and gateways, as well as services for traffic management and diagnostics, load balancing, DNS hosting and network protection against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Media and content delivery network (CDN). These CDN services include on-demand streaming, digital rights protection, encoding and media playback and indexing.

Integration. These are services for server backup, site recovery and connecting private and public clouds.

Identity. These offerings ensure only authorised users can access Azure services and help protect encryption keys and other sensitive information in the cloud. Services include support for Azure Active Directory and multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Internet of things. These services help users capture, monitor and analyse IoT data from sensors and other devices. Services include notifications, analytics, monitoring and support for coding and execution.

DevOps. This group provides project and collaboration tools, such as Azure DevOps — formerly Visual Studio Team Services — that facilitate DevOps software development processes. It also offers features for application diagnostics, DevOps tool integrations and test labs for build tests and experimentation.

Development. These services help application developers share code, test applications and track potential issues. Azure supports a range of application programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, .NET and Node.js. Tools in this category also include support for Azure DevOps, software development kits (SDKs) and block-chain.

Security. These products provide capabilities to identify and respond to cloud security threats, as well as manage encryption keys and other sensitive assets.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. This is a wide range of services that a developer can use to infuse artificial intelligence, machine learning and cognitive computing capabilities into applications and data sets.

Containers. These services help an enterprise create, register, orchestrate and manage huge volumes of containers in the Azure cloud, using common platforms.

Databases. This category includes Database as a Service (DBaaS) offerings for SQL and NoSQL, as well as other database instances — such as Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Database for PostgreSQL. It also includes Azure SQL Data Warehouse support, caching and hybrid database integration and migration features. Azure SQL is the platform’s flagship database service. It is a relational database that provides SQL functionality without the need for deploying a SQL server.

Migration. This suite of tools helps an organisation estimate workload migration costs and perform the actual migration of workloads from local data centres to the Azure cloud.

Management and governance. These services provide a range of backup, recovery, compliance, automation, scheduling and monitoring tools that can help a cloud administrator manage an Azure deployment.

Mixed reality. These services are designed to help developers create content for the Windows Mixed Reality environment.

Blockchain. The Azure Blockchain Service allows you to join a blockchain consortium or to create your own.

Intune. Microsoft Intune can be used to enroll user devices, thereby making it possible to push security policies and mobile apps to those devices. Mobile apps can be deployed either to groups of users or to a collection of devices. Intune also provides tools for tracking which apps are being used. A remote wipe feature allows the organisation’s data to be securely removed from devices without removing a user’s mobile apps in the process.

Evotec can help you take advantage of Microsoft Office 365 and increase office productivity with the latest Office software – wherever you need it.

Office 365 is a range of subscription-based plans that offer the latest versions of Office MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Business Skype to your staff over the internet via cloud services.

Your files are stored in the Cloud on OneDrive for Business, with 99.9% up-time guaranteed, so they are always in sync and up-to-date. Since your files are stored online, you can share them with anyone, and work on them together, no matter where you are.

Benefits of MS Office 365 include:

• OneDrive for Business gives each user 1 TB of storage they can access from anywhere and that syncs with their PC. Easily share files internally and externally and control who sees and edits them. Automated backup of your files
• Sync files to devices for offline viewing and editing – use Office on 5 devices per user (depending on plan)
• More productivity – delivers a single software solution across all operating system – everyone uses the latest apps
• Improved collaboration – low entry costs to Sharepoint – makes Sharepoint deployment easy – your staff will work on projects more closely and more efficiently
• Workforce mobility improves – staff can work securely from any compatible mobile device including Windows or Mac laptops, tablets and smartphones when connected to the internet
• Cloud-based services makes it easier to cater for remote and home workers
• Manage costs – makes software costs predictable on a monthly basis and only pay for the software you actually use
• Makes software an operating cost, rather than cap ex
• No server to set up and maintain – save on in-house IT costs
• Easy way to retire an end-of-life server – just move everything to the cloud
• Reduces IT infrastructure costs and total cost of ownership – IT staff can focus on their important goals
• Improved security and reliability – up-to-date industry-leading anti-spam and antivirus protection, 99.9 per cent service availability with service credits if service levels are not met and robust disaster recovery capabilities with geo-redundant backups.

Evotec is qualified to deliver Sophos security solutions – a complete endpoint, mobile, data and web security licensed by the user — not the device.

Sophos protects all tablets, phones, laptops or desktops — everywhere your users go.
You get antivirus, mobile device management, data and web protection, patch assessment and much more.

Sophos makes security:

Easier: Whether it’s enabling BYOD, day-to-day administration with streamlined management, or getting support when you need it.

Sensible: Makes financial sense with protection for every device, licensing on a per-user basis, and we include all updates at no cost.

Endpoint, mobile, data and web protection

EndUser Protection — includes endpoint security, mobile device management, web protection, data protection, network protection, email protection and central management.

Endpoint Security — proven protection for your laptops, desktops and servers that’s certified by independent testers. It gives you everything you need in a single high-performance agent.

Fast and effective antivirus — Sophos delivers complete protection against today’s threats. Protect and manage all your platforms: Windows, OS X, Linux, UNIX, and visualised environment from a single console.

Easy device control — Reduce the risk of data loss and malware infection with built-in control of removable devices like USB keys, drives and wireless networking devices.

Active application control — Sophos gives you control over the apps that can cause security, legal, productivity or bandwidth problems. Its unique Active Protection provides and maintains detection of hundreds of Windows applications — so you don’t have to.

Threat-aware patch assessment — Sophos has a Windows endpoint agent to prioritise the really critical threat-related patches for popular apps including Microsoft, Adobe, Apple and Java.

Mobile Device Management — Sophos makes BYOD easy and affordable with easy-to-implement mobile device management (MDM). It lets you secure and manage all your users’ devices: iPhones, iPads, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone.

Complete smartphone and tablet control — quickly establish policies for giving access to corporate email and data, lock or wipe lost or stolen devices, and manage apps.

Convenient enterprise app store — manage apps with your own enterprise app store. Publish and push apps users need while blocking the ones they don’t.

Lightweight mobile antivirus — protect your users and your data from the growing threat of malicious Android apps. Our Android security app checks for malicious apps and stops them from becoming a problem.

Web Protection — Sophos has integrated advanced web protection into the endpoint agent. You get the most best web threat detection and malicious site protection available — wherever users go.

Safe browsing, built-in web security — Integrated advanced web threat detection right into the endpoint agent scans for malicious web code at the network layer before it’s passed to the browser.

Block inappropriate content, web filtering — Set a smart surfing policy for the 14 most inappropriate site categories, right from within our console. Policy is enforced on the endpoint, wherever your users go.

Data Protection — Data control, with full-disk encryption, plus granular device control and application control, gives you a comprehensive data protection strategy all for the same price as your threat protection.
Proven encryption — Sophos encryption is quick, easy and proven to secure sensitive files. If you need full-disk encryption, that’s available too as part of the EndUser Data Suite.

Built-in data control — Our unique and simple approach to DLP integrates the scanning for sensitive information into our endpoint engine. Making it easy for you to configure, deploy and manage.

Network Protection — Sophos delivers business-grade firewall protection that travels with your users. Your control who qualifies for access with NAC.

Windows Client Firewall — protects your users from hackers, intrusions and rogue applications calling home. It’s centrally managed and integrated into a single Windows endpoint agent.

Integrated Network Access Control — Our Network Access Control (NAC) checks Windows computers accessing your network to ensure full compliance with your security policies before they join.

Email Protection — Your mail server is a major point of attack for spam and threats. Sophos delivers proven security for Microsoft Exchange — You get the latest email protection for Microsoft Exchange to block spam, viruses, spyware and phishing. It scans all inbound, outbound and Exchange message stores.

Central, Streamlined Management

You’ll know what’s happening with your users and you’ll have complete control over it. You get all the enterprise features you’d expect with none of the complexity.
Sophos’ Enterprise Console provides a single pane of glass to manage all your Windows, Mac, Linux, UNIX, and visualised endpoints with drag-and-drop ease. It also makes BYOD easy with over-the-air setup, unique self-help portal, and a full-featured web management console for all your mobile devices.

Sophos is industry-recognised and awarded.

Information technology is the development, maintenance, or use of systems for storing, retrieving and sending information. Computer networking is the process of electronically linking two or more computing devices allowing them to exchange information though data connections.

With the fast-paced and changing landscape of technology and communications, hackers routinely try to break into personal and company networks. As a result, the trained computer networking specialists at Evotec are being called on more and more to protect company information through constantly changing security processes.

Access points, routers and switches are important when discussing networking. They allow devices connect to your network. Each has a different function while allowing your network to communicate with devices and other networks, such as the internet.

Switches– A switch acts as a controller allowing devices on the network and other networks to communicate. Switches can save money and increase productivity through the sharing of information.

There are two types of switches, on-premise and cloud managed.

On premise allows you to configure and monitor your LAN, giving you higher control over your network traffic.

Cloud-managed can make your network management easier, with a simple interface and automatic updates delivered directly to the switch.

Routers – Connect m

ultiple networks together along with connecting computers to the internet, routers allow all networked

devices to share a single internet connection. Acting as a dispatcher, it can analyse data being sent across a network, pick the best route for this data and send it to the destination.

Aside from connecting you to the world, protecting your information and giving priority, depending on your security needs, you can pick a router with a firewall, a VPN or an IP communications system.

Access Points – An access point simply allows devices to connect to the wireless network without the need for cables. A wireless network makes it easy to connect devices and provides support to mobile users.

Acting as am amplifier for your network, an access point extends the bandwidth to support many devices. An access point has many other practical purposes such as sharing data with you about the devices connected and providing proactive security.

The decision to buy a high-performance, dedicated server is a critical one for Small to medium-sized businesses.

While cloud computing is gaining popularity, most SMB organisations still prefer the predictable cost, control and security of on-premise servers and storage.

The first consideration is the primary network operating system you’ll run on the server

Then you need an estimate of the number of concurrent users and any storage requirements.

Servers come in three general form factors: Tower, Rack and Blade

Tower Servers

These are upright, free standing units that contain all traditional server components: hard disks, motherboards and central processing units (CPUs), networking, cabling, power and so on. You commonly add a hard drive to a tower server for direct attached storage (DAS).

Tower servers generally require more floor space than blade environments or rack-mounted servers, and offer less scalability by design.

Rack Servers

These are complete servers specifically designed for ultra-compact vertical arrangement with a standardised 19-inch mounting rack or cabinet. Rack-mounted models have expansion slots, known as mezzanine slots, for adding network interface cards or Fibre Channel host bus adapter cards. This configuration uses floor space efficiently, and offers centralised cable and server management. In addition, a rack server configuration increases infrastructure scalability by letting you add servers as needed, and connect to external storage, such as a network attached storage or storage area network.

It’s important to note that relative to server blades and enclosures, rack servers are mote limited in the number of new drives and memory you can install.

Rack servers are generally designed to work as a logical and cohesive whole but without the tight integration found with server blades, which makes rack servers more flexible in some situations. In addition, you can run servers from different manufactures in the same rack unit because the servers don’t share proprietary components.

Server Blades

These are small form factor servers housed in blade enclosures, which are designed for modularity and high-density footprints (enabling you to fit more servers into a smaller space). A blade enclosure includes server blades and room for storage, in addition to many shared components – power, cooling and ventilation, networking and other interconnects – all controlled by and integrated management system.

Blade infrastructure generally require less rack space then rack mounted servers. Blade enclosures also use less power per server because of shared power and cooling, which equates to less heat output and lower cooling costs.

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Each of these server roles require increasingly higher processing power, memory, storage and, ultimately, power and cooling needs. For example, a simple tower server can support file/print services and serve as a dedicated email or host server; however, you’ll find the flexibility and scalability of a rack or bladed environment is necessary to efficiently host enterprise databases, ERP, CRM and so forth.

Available Space

Scalability and Costs

Tower servers remain one of the most economical choices, especially for small and medium businesses looking to make its first server purchase. However, relative to rack-mounted servers and server blades, tower servers lack expansion options that SMBs might need in the future.

Rack-mounted servers and bladed environments enable you to start small, buying only the number of servers and storage options you need today, and add servers as needed in the future. By getting only what you need up front, you can help reduce under-utilisation of equipment and save on initial capital costs.

To determine TCO of various server form factors, visit the HP ActiveAnswers web page and use the HP BladeSystem TCO tool.

An HP BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure, for example, is designed for smaller sites or remote environments needing two to eight servers or storage. The HP c3000 Enclosure is fully compatible with the larger HP BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure, supporting the same server and storage products, so it is highly scale-able.

Selecting a Server Form Factor

Select a tower server if you want an economical and all-inclusive server/storage solution to support file/print or dedicated email or web services. This solution is ideal for first-time server buyers, especially in small offices.

Consider a rack server for maximum computing power in a space-saving design, especially in environments with an adequate power and cooling infrastructure and an existing storage system. It’s usually best to have in-house IT staff to maintain and support a rack server environment.

Choose a bladed solution to support high-end computing in high-density environments in which power and cooling is already reaching its limits. Companies needing an enterprise-level blade enclosure should plan for in-house IT support, but the smaller yet flexible enclosures are designed to quick deployment without a lot of IT expertise.