Cloud services simplify and streamline the IT environment at Kommunförbundet Skåne.

For a few years now, the Skåne Municipal Association has chosen to place its entire IT environment in the cloud. Niclas Clausenborg explains how the journey towards cloud services started:

- Three years ago, we started reviewing our server operations. At the time, we had our own server hall in parallel with outsourcing parts of the operation to a couple of different external partners. I realized that it was unnecessarily expensive to have our own scrap standing in the basement and looked for alternatives that could reduce our costs. I was already leaning towards moving server operations to the cloud when I first met WeSafe.

- Initially, I was hesitant to put all my eggs in one basket and started sneak testing Microsoft Azure on my own. I soon realized that we needed to strengthen our expertise in Azure and cloud services and turned to WeSafe, who had made a good impression the first time we met. Since they were a completely untested card for us, we chose to start the collaboration as a small pilot project. In this way, we have had the opportunity to test both WeSafe's technical knowledge and how we work together. In the end, it is the relationship that matters!

High availability of cloud services in Azure

In collaboration with WeSafe, Niclas and his colleagues have gradually gathered all IT resources and consolidated the number of machines. Today, everything from application servers, AD and TS servers to test and web servers runs in the cloud. A number of applications such as financial systems and various municipal services have also been migrated. All cloud services are operated and managed by WeSafe.

- Since we are responsible for many of the municipalities' critical systems, good availability and high security have been absolute requirements from us in the transition to the cloud. With Azure's availability of 99.95 percent and a competent, certified partner, we got the security we were looking for. We have improved the security and availability of the systems, which makes us feel that we have full control.

Puzzle pieces to ensure GDPR compliance

The working environment of the 80 employees has also improved with new cloud services. Today, all users benefit from Office 365 on their standardized Microsoft Surface laptops. All devices are connected to Azure AD, the cloud solution for identity and access management, and, thanks to Windows AutoPilot, can be configured centrally without manual intervention.

- For the Municipal Association of Skåne's IT operations, this means that processing has been greatly reduced. For new end users, it is incredibly easy to get started with their work environment, says Niclas.

As the organization's employees become increasingly mobile, the need to secure mobile devices, applications and corporate data has increased. Through the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS), you now have better control over the devices and their users throughout their lifecycle. Should a device be lost or stolen, it is easy to wipe out corporate data from managed devices.

- The implementation of Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Azure AD and EMS have all become important pieces of the puzzle in our preparations for GDPR becoming a reality in May 2018. I now feel confident that we have an IT environment that ensures that we can meet the new requirements for handling data," says Niclas Bendroth.

Scalable and flexible cloud services contribute to a better environment

Like most organizations, Kommunförbundet Skåne operates in a rapidly changing world. Scalability, both in terms of number of users and capacity, has therefore been an important guiding principle for the new IT environment. So have the expectations of cost efficiency and increased cost control.

- With the cloud-based solution, we can now consume IT in the same way as we consume electricity. If the load increases and we need more capacity, the solution is easily scaled up. This means that we don't have to account for economic peaks or future growth today; we only pay for what we actually use. The cloud solution has clearly helped us to simplify and streamline our IT environment and minimize our costs. The fact that the optimization and the ability to shut down resources and cloud services that we do not need has also enabled us to reduce our environmental impact is a direct bonus," Niclas concludes.