Steps to Choosing the Right Azure Consulting Partner for your Business

Digital transformation is an ongoing process and businesses require expert partners that can help them solve problems, mitigate risks, enhance customer engagement, and innovate with AI and data. Cloud is a major enabler in the digital transformation journey and an expert cloud partner is essential to migrate, modernize, build, and drive growth on the cloud. Azure platform is one of the most used cloud platforms by enterprises and finding an expert Azure consulting partner who can help you succeed on the cloud is the first and foremost step. There are multiple Azure managed service partners that offer specialized and managed services but how do you choose the right Azure migration service partner for your business?

We have listed down the criteria to identify the right Azure partner below,

Azure Expertise and Experience

Expertise and Experience in Azure cloud are the most important Azure Partner Requirements. Partners with proven skills and capabilities will have the experience and knowledge to meet your business needs. To find out the level of expertise and experience, you can check,

• Certifications, partners with Azure Advanced Specializations, and Azure Expert Managed Service Providers are vetted through a rigorous process and are verified yearly.
• References, clients whom the Azure partner has worked with to understand the nature of partnership and the results delivered.
• Industries that the Azure cloud migration services a partner specializes in, and the types of solutions and services provided for other clients.
• Case studies of previous Azure cloud engagements and testimonials from clients can give you an idea of the domain expertise and the results delivered

Skills and capabilities

The azure landscape changes fast with new services and offerings added on a regular basis. Your Azure consulting partner should have the agility and mindset to adapt quickly so that you and your customers can enjoy the best of Azure cloud services. Microsoft Azure offers a range of certifications so that professionals can specialize in services in the following tiers, such as

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) for solutions associates
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) for developers and solutions architect

Each tier has multiple certifications in them. The five Azure Certification paths include,

• Azure Fundamentals
• Azure Administrator Associate
• Azure Developer Associate
• Azure Solution Architect Expert
• Azure DevOps Engineer Expert

If your partner has enough certified professionals with them, you can ensure that you have professionals with the right skill set, experience, and expertise.

Security and Safety

Security is a major concern of enterprises operating in the cloud and your Azure partner should have a security-first approach to safeguard your data, applications, infrastructure, and privacy. Azure offers a shared security model for its various services. Azure offers various services and features such as Identity and Access Management (IAM) and its globally distributed data centers are monitored, operated, and administrated by Microsoft. The Azure data centers comply with key industry standards, such as ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and NIST SP 800-53, for security and reliability and your Azure partner should be able to data in transit, data stores, and data at rest, operating systems and applications, policies, and configuration.

Some of the other security features to look for in your Azure cloud partner include,

• Governance, Risk, and Compliance such as PCI, HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOX, NYS DFS, HITRUST Compliance
• Network and Infrastructure Security
• Security monitoring, operations, automation, and incident management
• Secure Network Architecture Design, implementation, and maintenance
• Business continuity and disaster recovery plans
• Vulnerability and configuration analysis
• Threat detection and response
• Critical security updates and emergency security patches

Compliance and security failures can be costly mistakes which is why you should have an Azure cloud consulting service partner who can improve the overall security posture of your organization.

Global presence and reputation

Your customers need reliable, secure, and responsive services and solutions and if you have an Azure partner who works with different industries across the world, you will have the expertise available 24×7, 365 days a year in order to avoid interruption of your services. You can also check out what their peers in the industry, clients, and employees are saying to understand their track record in Azure migration consulting.

Services and Portfolio

Having an Azure cloud consulting partner is a long-term commitment, and your needs can change over time. You might need a multi-cloud strategy or develop an application, automate workflows, or need business intelligence to improve customer experience. Therefore, it is important to understand the services and offerings of your Azure cloud partner. Does your Azure partner work with other Cloud Service Providers? Do they offer application development, and can they support your IT requirements? While these might not seem like immediate concerns, having a trusted cloud partner with a range of capabilities and services can be an added advantage in the long-term.

Understanding your Azure Cloud Consulting Partner

Microsoft Azure offers a breadth of services and cutting-edge solutions. This can be complex and overwhelming for businesses and can pose a challenge in identifying the right cloud services and configurations, operations, and optimizations. This is why choosing an expert Azure cloud partner like Nuvento that has assisted enterprises across various industries in embracing digital transformation with cloud, AI, and data is important to reap the full benefits of Azure cloud. With a team of seasoned Microsoft Azure consultants, Nuvento specializes in delivering tailored cloud services such as migration, modernization, optimization, operation, and monitoring. IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Nuvento caters to a broad spectrum of industries, including finance, IT, manufacturing, agriculture, education, healthcare, and insurance. The range of services that Nuvento offers comes under Digital ABCD,

• AI and Automation
• Business Platforms and Transformation
• Cloud
• Data and Analytics

With 15 years of experience and expertise in driving digital transformation, and being a Microsoft Azure Partner, we offer our clients achieve their digital transformation with cloud at the core.