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By Michael Eggebrecht
As an increasing number of companies turn to cloud computing services in search of cost-savings and efficiencies, the cloud is also having a transformative effect on the IT services providers that cater to them.
Take Champion Solutions Group, whose traditional business is selling hardware, software and the services to integrate them, according to president and CEO Chris Pyle. On Tuesday, Boca Raton, Fla.-based Champion announced that it had launched a cloud consulting division. But by helping clients leverage the cloud, “it’s almost scary that in a way you’re bastardizing your own business,” he said.
Champion, which specializes in virtualization and data management and counts Microsoft, HP, IBM, VMware and NetApp among its partners, focuses on the “upper end of the midmarket,” said Pyle, or companies with between 500 and 2,000 seats. Of its more than 650 clients, he estimates that at least 25 percent are using some kind of cloud services, such as Champion’s own Platform on Demand. For Champion, offering cloud services and consulting is an “absolute necessity,” said Pyle.
In the case of a customer rolling out, say, an ERP system, that means building in the choice of a traditional format, a cloud-based approach or a hybrid of the two. Pyle cited the example of a client who planned to buy 60 servers. Champion suggested that the company buy 30 instead and put the rest on the cloud. When they need capacity, they can use compute on demand.
The cloud “is going to become a more normal part of our business,” said Pyle, though he wouldn’t hazard a guess as to just how large a portion of Champion’s business the cloud will become.
As a part of its cloud consulting services, Champion says it will asses customers’ existing environment and application workload and decide what parts would work well on the cloud. If there’s a fit, Champion advises the client on whether to use a public, private or hybrid approach, then builds the solution and oversees migration.
“The cloud is not for every application; it’s not for every workload,” noted Pyle. “You have to consider which workloads belong up there, and we can help with those cloud assessments.”
Champion is making education a focal point, offering training, seminars and workshops. “We’re seeing a lot of C-suite attending these to learn more about the cloud, because they’re seeing the commercials and they’re hearing about the hype,” explained Pyle.
Where Champion mainly deals with IT directors in its traditional business, “We’re having conversations with CIOs and CFOs” about the cloud, he said, noting that the company has spoken to several CFOs who want to understand the financial benefits of the model.
Security, application performance, and the migration of data without business interruption remain concerns, he added. But the interest in potential cost reduction is high. Pyle pointed to disaster recovery (DR) as an area for savings. “A lot of people are saying, ‘You know what? I’m paying all this money for DR, and here I can go ahead and, if I see a hurricane coming, spin up some severs. Let’s go ahead and start moving some of our apps up there. And, just in case the thing does hit, then we’ll have you apps up there, and when we’re done using it, we can turn it off.’”
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