Sarenet competes in the cloud market with a proposal based on quality of service with close and efficient technical support. We spoke with Aitor Jerez about the evolution of the cloud in business environments.
Interview with Aitor Jerez, commercial director of Sarenet
Given the amalgamation of cloud providers on the market, what should a company assess when choosing one?Companies require a strategic partner to advise them in their digitization process and transition to cloud computing. Although many companies understand the nature of their business, they lack the technological know-how to optimize their operations. Sometimes they come across cloud service providers who overlook this reality. Imagine you go to a car dealership and find shelves full of parts that you have to select and assemble on your own. If you manage to assemble the car, you can save a considerable amount of money, but at the expense of having to study mechanics, when in reality your goal was simply to acquire a vehicle to visit your clients. Well, a similar situation is occurring today. Businesses search the web for the most popular companies for cloud services and end up lost among options, information to digest, and fees that are impossible to decode. Therefore, during the cloud adoption process, companies must look for a provider that adjusts to their level of technological maturity and the resources of trained personnel they have. They must have someone to advise them in their choice.What makes the cloud proposal offered by Sarenet different?We can start by saying that our cloud proposal is differentiated by its personalized approach, and its commitment to service quality with close and efficient technical support backed by a network of Data Centers located exclusively in Spanish territory. However, there are two key characteristics that They really stand out on Sarenet. First of all, although surprising, it is not limited to Data Center services, but we cover a comprehensive perspective as a 360º provider. This means that we not only take care of cloud services, but also control the communications of our clients to ensure their connectivity with the hosted platforms and provide them with the necessary cybersecurity solutions. The second is our concept of hybrid solutions. For us it is not limited to the differentiation between a public and a private web environment. Our capacity allows us to host client computers in our data centers, provide them with virtual machines in our cloud infrastructure, and connect them through virtual private local networks that span our entire infrastructure. We can even establish private connections to platforms hosted by hyperscalar providers and add them to this local network. In addition, this virtual local network can act as the DMZ of a firewall to guarantee security. In summary, what distinguishes us is the customization of our services, high-quality technical support, our strategic geographical location, our 360º vision that covers communications and cybersecurity, and the flexibility of our hybrid solutions.Do you think companies have a correct migration strategy to the cloud?Not all have an adequate strategy in this regard. In some cases, transferring workloads can take place without proper planning and can result in a frustrating experience during the migration process. To avoid setbacks, it’s critical to consider your existing infrastructure, security requirements, application compatibility, and team experience before proceeding with your cloud migration. It is essential to keep in mind that the usual thing is that not all projects are fully “migrable” to the cloud. There are several factors that make it necessary to maintain a coexistence between cloud-based and local solutions. Some examples include: reliance on systems or applications that are not compatible with available cloud platforms, regulations and regulations that prevent data extraction from on-premises, reliance on physical or local resources, performance or latency limitations, and the high license costs in the cloud model. Despite these challenges, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and while you can’t outsource the entire environment, there are benefits to taking this approach. To ensure a successful and enjoyable migration process, it is crucial to choose a partner or provider that provides constant advice throughout the entire process.What do you think are the main mistakes organizations make when moving loads to the cloud?First, it is crucial that companies understand that migration involves a change in the operating environment. For example, if it is an internal service that users accessed through a local network and it is moved to the cloud, it is important to take into account that the user experience may vary, improving for external users but worsening for others. internal. Therefore, companies should do extensive assessment and planning before migrating such loads, as a hasty move can have unintended consequences. The second common mistake is related to cloud service costs. Sometimes the offers in the marketplace are complex and are subject to various factors, such as data transfer volumes, countries between which the data moves, and whether the transfers are up or down. This complexity can make it difficult for the business to accurately estimate monthly costs, which can lead to unpleasant financial surprises. Therefore, it is important to carry out a detailed cost analysis and fully understand the terms and conditions of cloud service providers. Last but not least is the aspect of data security. When moving from a controlled on-premises environment to a public one in the cloud, it is essential to implement adequate security measures to protect sensitive company data. This means evaluating and applying cloud security best practices, such as data encryption, access control, and identity management, and being aware of relevant security policies and regulations. In short, the three biggest mistakes Common ones I understand are: underestimating the impact on the user experience, not fully understanding the associated costs and not properly prioritizing data security.What is the evolution of Sarenet being in cloud environments?Throughout our history, we have maintained a constant adaptation to the changing needs of our clients. I clearly remember how, 25 years ago when I joined the company, the only requirements for cloud services from our customers were limited to email accounts, FTP data transfer services and some web pages. However, we have undergone a remarkable evolution since then, now offering a wide range of services that we could not even have imagined back then. Today, we provide solutions ranging from switchboards to firewalls and CMSs, all ready to go. In addition, we also offer virtual infrastructure rental services and provide hosting for our clients’ equipment, complemented by robust cybersecurity solutions. If I were to single out one key milestone in our evolution, it would be the advent of virtual systems, which have revolutionized the look and efficiency of our data centers in a remarkably short amount of time. We are proud to have witnessed and been protagonists of this transformation, and we remain committed to providing our clients with innovative solutions adapted to the constantly changing demands of the technological landscape.What are customers asking for the most right now?In our infrastructure, the services most requested by our clients cover a wide range of solutions. Among them, cloud backup and replication services rank high, providing organizations with a robust data protection strategy. In addition, infrastructure rental is a popular option, including virtual machines, firewalls, and virtual voice switchboards. At the same time, we continue to offer traditional and essential services such as email, web hosting, and file transfer and synchronization. Although in smaller number compared to the services mentioned above, we also highlight the importance and value of projects hosting our clients’ teams, as well as the design and management of private platforms customized to meet their specific needs.What developments are you developing in your product portfolio?We continually update our infrastructure in order to offer maximum performance to our customers. However, I believe that the most significant evolution in our portfolio is related to the appearance of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon, both in its application in industrial environments and in the field of smart cities. These two emerging realities are generating massive volumes of data that need to be stored and processed efficiently. At a first level, our main objective is to capture and store this information, in addition to displaying it properly. Subsequently, at an advanced stage, we apply artificial intelligence techniques to extract value and generate predictive models from this data. This context of IoT and smart city projects implies the use of different technologies than what we were used to. Specifically, we have implemented container-based environments orchestrated by Kubernetes to address the challenges of industrial IoT and Smart City environments. This strategy allows us to deploy complex platforms that integrate data capture from multiple sources, its visualization, and the generation of artificial intelligence models. By using containers and Kubernetes, we achieve greater simplicity and greater resilience to potential system failures. It is important to mention that working with these new technologies brings considerable complexity and has led us to focus on designing more mature and operational products and solutions, focusing on the results they provide to our clients, rather than on the internal details of the technological environments that support them. Our goal is to provide complete and reliable solutions that allow you to make the most of the potential of IoT and smart cities.
