azure Archives | Microsoft Gold Partner in St. Louis, Kansas City & Knoxville

Rolls Royce is Flying High with Azure IoT

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

Rolls Royce has over 13,000 engines in operation around the world, and they provide services to maintain those engines at peak performance. Today’s engines have thousands of sensors that can produce terabytes of data on long-haul flights. Making sense of all that data is critical in transporting customers safely and efficiently. That’s why they use a suite of tools from Microsoft to help iron out what all that data means. But adopting the right tools is easier said than done. Avoiding operating disruptions is crucial to success at Rolls Royce. In fact, a single issue with a plane, and its inevitable effect to an entire airline, can cost up to one million dollars per day! Limiting these disruptions is the biggest reason for their investment in IoT technologies from Azure. Being able to identify problems before they arise has been invaluable for the manufacturer. With early notice, Rolls Royce can reduce inventory costs and maximize availability of parts. Saving airlines...

3 Reasons To Modernize Your Data Estate

May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

There are major benefits awaiting organizations that modernize their data estate, including enhanced security and compliance, significant cost savings, and the ability to empower employees with business insights and advanced analytics capabilities. With an out-of-date data platform, you could be... Missing out on game changing cost benefits Opening your business to potential vulnerabilities Falling behind without modern analytics capabilities What does it mean to 'modernize'? Modernization means taking advantage of the latest technologies to create transformational business benefits. With Microsoft, you have the flexibility to modernize your data estate in the way that’s right for your business: Upgrade to SQL Server 2017: Move to a database with industry-leading performance and security—now on Windows, Linux, and Docker containers. Modernize in the cloud: Move to Azure to get greater cost efficiencies, state-of-the-art security, and powerful data and analytics services - with fully-managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) solutions.Take a hybrid approach: Deploy across on-premises and the cloud to extend your infrastructure and improve business continuity. Why modernize now? Reduce...

Customer Cloud Success Story: Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev)

May 20, 2019November 12, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

If you’ve ever had a beer, more than likely it was an AB InBev product. This global company brews and markets one-third of the beer products sold around the world and stores massive amounts of data in order to do so. With siloed datacenters, AB InBev lacked integrated systems, cohesion between markets and regions, and the agility to get to market quickly. Like businesses of every size, they needed a robust cloud solution in their digital transformation journey. Watch this quick video to see why AB InBev chose Microsoft Azure and let Oakwood Systems Group, Inc. show you how you can also break down data silos, increase operational insights, and cut down on IT costs with a modern data platform. ...

Protecting Azure Resources with Recovery Services Vault

May 2, 2019November 12, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

Your data is important. You need the best data recovery service on the market. At Oakwood Systems Group we know how to help you integrate the solutions that meet your needs. With file and folder backup and recovery, virtual machine backup and recovery, and SQL running on IaaS VMs, Azure Recovery Services Vault gives users a strong feature set and an easy-to-use data protection service for businesses to protect their data. Like many businesses, as their organization began rapidly migrating and deploying solutions to Azure, the demand for data protection in the cloud has also increased. That's why Microsoft developed Azure Recovery Services Vault to help manage their backup and disaster recovery needs natively in the cloud. Microsoft implemented Azure Recovery Services Vault to provide data protection services for their growing Azure virtual machine infrastructure. Recovery Services vault is a cloud-based PaaS solution⎯by using it, their employees can quickly obtain access to data protection for Azure resources. It’s flexible and adaptable enough to...

The Power of Backing Up in Azure

April 19, 2019May 13, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

Data has never been more critical to your enterprise as it transforms in this digital world. Azure Backup helps you retain rapidly increasing amounts of data while keeping storage costs low. It makes it easy for you to backup and restore your most important information when the unexpected happens. As ransomware attacks increase, built-in protection from Azure keeps your data safe. Azure Backup gives you a cost-effective, simple and secure backup solution that protects your data. Benefits of Azure Backup: Simple, Secure & Cost-Effective Setting up Azure Backup for your virtual machines can be accomplished in just three steps. Once the initial backup is completed, only incremental changes are sent based on a defined schedule. You can then retain your backups for as long as your compliance(s) require. Built-in protection against ransomware helps you protect your data from unauthorized requests to delete your backups. Before ransomware has the chance to corrupt your data, you’ll be notified so you can save...

Interested in a 212% ROI?

April 16, 2019November 12, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

When you think about switching from running and housing your SQL Server on-premises to Azure, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the infrastructure maintenance savings. But what about hidden savings? Like efficiency savings for your IT team and database admins? Or the freedom to expand your capacity as soon as you need it? Just last week we detailed that SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 will no longer be supported by Microsoft starting in July 2019. Outside of the reasons stated above, here's a few more on why this is an issue to be addressed sooner than later. Mitigate risks with platform security and compliance: There will be no access to critical security updates, opening the potential for business interruptions and loss of data. Upgrade to better cost efficiency: Maintaining legacy servers, firewalls, intrusion systems, and other tools can get expensive quickly. Modernize to innovate: Grow your environments with data, analytics and the cloud. In...

Six Common Cybersecurity Mistakes You Can Fix Now

April 15, 2019November 12, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

Cybercriminals are clever and on the lookout for vulnerable businesses. They exploit common mistakes and flaws to breach systems, then steal, disrupt, or hold businesses for ransom. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to be an easy mark. You can make changes right now to reduce the likelihood of a successful attack. Here are six common cybersecurity mistakes and how to fix them: Mistake 1: Piecemeal approach It’s tempting to stack new security measures on top of existing ones as new threats emerge. But this results in too many products and not enough integration. Every product has its own dashboard, controls, and alerts. And someone has to stay on top of it all. This lack of integration between security products makes it difficult to see threats holistically, and even harder to respond quickly and effectively. Instead, look for products designed to work together, and partner with companies that actively seek collaboration with the security industry. Mistake 2: Insufficient Security Expertise Cyberthreats...

We get it. Change is scary!

April 12, 2019May 13, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

We get it. Change is scary. If you've been running the same operating system for many years, a large-scale overhaul is understandably intimidating. However, with service ending for SQL and Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, now is the time to make the switch to Azure and experience the latest in innovation and security. If you are still running either of these, don't panic! Microsoft has put options in place to give you the time you need, and we at Oakwood Systems Group, Inc., are here to assist you with a smooth transition. Almost any business using technology is producing enormous amounts of data. Unfortunately, much of this data comes in a wide range of formats and most businesses don’t have the tools or know-how to fully utilize it. This is exactly what SitePro observed in the oil and gas industry, where large amounts of data were being generated but not used to their fullest extent. Using Azure, SitePro was able to compile this data and channel it all through a single, user-friendly application available to their customers. Suddenly,...

Move Forward Securely with Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

April 9, 2019May 13, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

When thousands of hospitals, health systems, community practices, and pharmaceutical companies rely on your software to deliver smarter, more effective patient care, you had better make sure it’s secure and reliable. That’s why Allscripts, a leading healthcare software manufacturer, uses Microsoft Azure. Having a reliable and secure IT service provider was more than acquiring 1,000 VMs needed to run the show. Allscripts, a leading healthcare software manufacturer, acquired two companies in 2017. To ensure their new datacenter assets had a home fast, they brought on Microsoft Azure. The reliability of built-in disaster recovery protections means Allscripts doesn't have to worry about losing their data. You can do the same. Using Azure Site Recovery, Allscripts was able to easily move 500 development VMs running critical healthcare applications to Azure. In just three weeks, the company lifted and shifted dozens of acquired applications running on 1,000 virtual machines, ensuring they met & Allscripts’ governance policies and security requirements. Running your business on the...

Azure Database Migration

April 2, 2019May 13, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

The ability to innovate is what separates long-term successful businesses from the pack. However, a business can have all the game-changing innovative ideas in the world, but it won’t do them any good unless they are actually implemented. SitePro gained a competitive advantage by combining onsite sensors and data collection with online data processing and management using Microsoft Azure. As a result, they were able to provide faster and more effective service to their customers, which in turn strengthened the offerings of their customers. It's a win for everyone. “We realized we were leaving too many good ideas on the side,” Aaron Phillips, President and CEO, SitePro. SitePro, a software platform that supports oil and gas facilities, knew that to power the kind of data collection and usage they imagined, they were going to need to switch from an onsite infrastructure to a scalable cloud service. They found the solution they were looking for in Microsoft Azure. Now, they alone can provide data services that usually require multiple companies to perform, and they are passing on those benefits in cost savings and efficiencies...

Drive secure and scalable business success with a modern data platform

April 1, 2019May 13, 2019 by Oakwood Marketing Comment Closed

If you really want to make a difference in your organization, you can start by modernizing your IT infrastructure. That’s what Kyle began with when he started to work for the City of Corona. He worked hard to help the citizens of Corona by moving the city’s IT services to Microsoft 365 and Azure. This allowed the Corona government to provide real-time data and insights for their traffic management professionals; enable better communication with first responders via mobile devices; and connect with the community. Editing in Microsoft Teams and being able to access features from a mobile platform brought huge time savings and removed redundant efforts among the staff, saving time and resources. With Azure, the city can now access and analyze data quickly, so they can respond to the changing environment faster and with greater accuracy. Thanks to Kyle and Microsoft, Corona’s shift to a modern IT platform helps them to rapidly meet the changing needs of the city...