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In this case study:
Migrating data and analytic workloads to Azure gives organizations the ability to innovate faster with the Azure Data Platform. To enable organizations to unlock this potential quickly by simplifying and accelerating their move to the cloud, Quisitive, along with Microsoft Cloud Solution Architects developed a unique approach called the On-Ramp to Azure Data program.
Powered by Microsoft’s Dpi30 and created and customized by Quisitive, On-Ramp to Azure Data is transforming the way that organizations from numerous verticals innovate in the cloud.
Who uses the On-Ramp to Azure Data Program?
On-Ramp to Azure Data is an ideal process for organizations across multiple verticals and sizes. While the reasons for engaging with On-Ramp to Azure Data might differ, the benefits these companies experienced from going through the process are consistent, as are the benefits to Microsoft.
Here are 9 ways both companies and Microsoft have benefited from Quisitive’s On-Ramp to Azure process
1. How a home improvement company renovated its processes with Azure
A nearly 70-year old business had grown into one of the leading home improvement companies in the United States, yet still relied heavily on paper-based systems. As such, technicians manually record specifications at homes, which were then translated into business planning documents needed to implement custom solutions for its customers. This growing company wanted to understand how Azure could be leveraged to increase automation, reduce human labor, and make their business processes more efficient. It turned to Quisitive to leverage its On-Ramp to Azure Data process.
With a goal to help the customer save time and money by automating the day-to-day work of their technicians and sales staff, Quisitive enabled the company to leverage smart devices for each of their technicians, allowing them to create customer records in the cloud, instantly create and translate specific requirements to actual business solutions, and reduce the human labor needed for day-to-day operations. Azure Data and analytics were able to turn a largely paper-based record system into a more elegant digital network of systems that provide greater insight into the customer’s environment and aid decision-makers in making better data-driven decisions in their business.
2. How a resort leveraged Azure to enhance customer relationships
Massanutten Resort, a 6,000-acre resort well known for year-round family vacations and activities, was looking to enhance its customer relationships by better understanding customer sentiment from different social media platforms. After engaging with Quisitive, the company went through the On-Ramp to Azure Data process, and in one month had a complete Data and Analytics Platform environment in Azure. Quisitive delivered an Azure Data and Analytics platform that allowed the resort to consume a variety of data from travel social media sites. It included the deployment of Azure Data Lake Stores, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Analysis Services, and Azure Data Factory.
3. How a commercial construction company built a cloud data platform
A commercial construction company in the northeastern United States that specializes in complex projects in the aviation, federal/military, healthcare, higher education, industrial, and science and technology fields, came to Quisitive as it was looking to make a move away from its legacy on-premise data solutions. Putting the company through the On-Ramp to Azure Data process, in one month the Quisitive team delivered a complete Data and Analytics Platform environment in Azure.
This Azure Data and Analytics Platform included the deployment of new data services such as Azure Data Lakes Store, Azure Analysis Services, and Azure Data Factory, and rehosting their on-premises SQL servers into Azure SQL Managed Instances. This move into Azure enabled the company to consume a variety of data from on-premise stores and begin its digital transformation.
4. How an aviation company hit new heights with Azure Data and Analytics
An innovative aviation solutions company that serves government and commercial customers around the world was looking to enhance its customer relationships by better understanding customer sentiment from different data sources. Additionally, it wanted a real-time data analytics platform. Turning to Quisitive, the company underwent the On-Ramp to Azure Data process and had a complete Data and Analytics Platform under their Azure environment in one month, including Azure Data Factory, Azure DevOps, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Analysis Services, and Data ingested from source to Azure Data Factory. The Azure Data and Analytics Platform provides the company with better insight into their data, enabling them to better engage with customers using leveraged data from their source database.
5. How a consumer credit reporting company scored with Azure
A multi-national consumer credit reporting company that heavily relies on AWS for its cloud strategy, sought to develop a new platform in PaaS centered around a need for automation to stand up a cloud vending machine. Following an Azure assessment, Quisitive’s solution was to take the company through the On-Ramp to Azure Data process and create a PaaS platform. This platform was designed to allow business units to quickly spin up resources within Azure, which introduced a dual-cloud strategy within the company. Now, the company can quickly spin up new Azure subscriptions and cloud resources for different business units within the organization, leading to better access to the cloud and increasing automation and time savings within the company.
6. How a water utility company created a better flow of data with Azure
A water utility company that delivers the resource to more than a million people throughout California struggled with a lack of consistency between reports, which created additional problems in terms of ease of access to data and security issues. The company wanted to understand how best to gather data and create consistency between reports. Quisitive’s solution was to use the ideate phase of the engagement with the company to provide a foundation for the structure of the On-Ramp to Azure Data program. Quisitive analyzed the company’s environment and proposed solutions for dealing with the business and technical sides of their operation, closely focusing on people, process and technology. During deployment, Quisitive migrated five different data sources to Azure and established a governance framework for the company, providing much better access to data and eliminating inconsistencies in reporting.
7. How Azure delivered better access to data for a shipping company
A shipping company with terminals located throughout the United States knew they wanted to move to the cloud, but didn’t feel they had the right skill-set or education needed to deploy a successful strategy within Azure, particularly in data and analytics. Quisitive’s solution was to use the ideate phase of their engagement with the company to provide a foundation for the structure of the On-Ramp to Azure Data program. Quisitive supplied the governance and foundation pieces for the shipping company and connected two different data sources to the new deployment in Azure. This provides the company with better access to data so it can use the deployment as a proof of value case in favor of a full migration into Azure for its entire data estate, as the company intends to scale its new cloud deployment.
8. Why a credit union banked on Azure
A not-for-profit credit union with thousands of employees in the western United States wanted to expand its cloud presence to help enable its business while facing internal migration pressures. With a tight deadline to migrate out of its on-premises colocation in order to establish an Enterprise Data Warehouse in Azure, the credit union needed a solution requiring minimal refactoring and was looking for an analysis that was prescriptive with a few proposed target cloud options. It was looking to migrate to Azure two on-premises SQL Servers and 25 TB with 20 data sources feeding them.
Quisitive’s On-Ramp to Azure Data solution outlined the delivery of an enterprise data warehouse based on prescriptive IP, which allowed the customer to go fast, push the boundaries for what’s possible, enable data-driven decisions, simplify their processes, and establish a communications plan to the business for adoption. The solution showcases technologies that either extend their current capability on-premises to Azure or advance their capability in a cost-effective manner.
This approach is augmented by a dynamic cost model, a work breakdown structure for migration, and a RACI matrix, all advancing the company’s digital transformation. As next steps, a proof of value engagement piloting a subset of data sources to Azure DW will enable an end to end platform display of the benefits and capabilities of moving their EDW to Azure — a final step to enable a full transition once the value has been presented to company executives. Moving their full environment to the cloud provides the credit union better control over their environment, access to new technical capabilities, and drives a cloud-focused IT strategy going forward.
9. The Global Agency
A global agency devoted to connecting people around the world in support of freedom and democracy was looking to set up a modern data platform hosted on Azure in order to unlock content within survey data (flat files) and social media profile data. Quisitive engaged the client with its On-Ramp to Azure Data Program and delivered an Azure Data and Analytics Platform in one month, which allows the organization to consume a variety of data. During the process, Quisitive performed a live demo on Azure Portal, Azure Data Factory, Azure DevOps, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Analysis Services, and data ingested from source to Azure Data Factory as part of the company’s platform in Azure.
By implementing the Azure Data and Analytics solution, the organization has improved access to data and is able to eliminate inconsistencies in reporting that existed through previous data generation processes. Quisitive is continuing to support the ongoing development and delivery of its Azure Data and Analytics platform, is providing managed services for the organization, and is maintaining momentum by engaging in a project to automate the data ingest process.
