Building new value into cloud licensing

The cloud has become ubiquitous to work in New Zealand. Research from MIT Technology Review shows that New Zealand ranks 14^th in world for its cloud ecosystem, based on factors such as technology, regulations, and the cloud skills within the nation.

New Zealand is, therefore, considered a highly digital-orientated economy, and those companies that have been able to shift their systems to the cloud enjoy several competitive advantages, including:

• Speed up how they develop and launch new solutions
• Add new functions to software in use
• Expand processing capacity
• Foster collaboration
• Unlock value from data via AI
• Discover new revenue sources

Despite these benefits, and New Zealand’s general appetite and comfort with the cloud, CIOs face challenges in managing cloud environments. Cloud adoption might have the effect of consolidating IT by bringing a host of interactions on to a single platform and shift the cost of running IT from CapEx spending to OpEx, but there is the potential for it to cause licensing “bill shock.” Microsoft – just one provider of cloud services – has over 120,000 products, and when engaging with that many potential services, the waste and inefficiency of licenses are a real risk without having a single pane of glass view into expenditure.

Introducing Cloud Navigator portal

2degrees has partnered with Microsoft and Umbrellar to launch a solution designed to help CIOs gain control over their cloud licensing. The Cloud Navigator service consolidates cloud expenditure to a single, simple monthly bill, and provides a self-service platform for accessing services. This immediately provides users with a more transparent understanding of what they are spending money on, allows them to easily scale services based on the need, and manage multiple cloud services simultaneously.

“We want cloud technology to be available for all Kiwi businesses from the beach, the park, or the home office. We are fighting for kiwi business’ freedom to deliver their customers the best of what they do, from wherever they want to do it,” 2degrees General Manager Business Product and Marketing, Richard Hann, said.

This service is backed by NZ-based customer support and our partner Umbrellar, which will help CIOs select the right tools for their business needs, and then provide further tech support when needed. With the involvement and support of Umbrellar,  Microsoft’s 2019 Country Partner of the Year (NZ), CIOs gain access to deep enterprise capabilities across the service.

“NZ’s telco sector has ceaselessly remained at the forefront of digital transformation and technology sits at the core of its integrity and innovation. Umbrellar upholds its responsibility to promote transformation and uses its expertise to support the ongoing success of all New Zealanders,” Umbrellar Head of Strategic Partnerships, Shavvah Aldred, said.

“We are excited to be at the start of this journey with 2degrees, with Cloud Navigator destined to provide businesses with the tech they’ll need for tomorrow’s world.”

To further benefit CIOs in making the shift to the Cloud Navigator portal, 2degrees provides annual subscription options, or no upfront costs based on a pay-as-you-go model. CIOs can choose also between fixed-term agreements or monthly fees as preferred.

Commoditisation isn’t the solution in the cloud

Since the advent of the cloud there has been the temptation across the industry to push towards commoditization and have price be the principal concern in service adoption.

However, success in the cloud, and being able to leverage it to transform, innovate, and deliver on the benefits listed above, relies not on commoditization but the value-add that comes from adopting these services. One of the great challenges that organisations face with the cloud is the proliferation of services across multiple different cloud environments. CIOs are managing a host of licenses across hybrid cloud environments, and businesses are increasingly decentralised, with assets and licenses being used remotely.

In this context, “adding value” doesn’t mean providing the cheapest experience, but rather the deepest. CIOs that can come to a better understanding of their environment at a glance and can easily access the consolidated data of the entire cloud environment to use as the basis of making strategic decisions, are CIOs that will be able to make the most of their cloud spend.

Cloud Navigator has been designed around the value-add, rather than commoditization. CIOs can use it for driving efficiency in expenditure, but beyond that, 2degrees has developed a tool that can help customers make strategic decisions about how they use and scale their cloud services.

For more information, on Cloud Navigator, click here.