iomart: Making the cloud straightforward

Founded in 1998, iomart began providing cloud services as the new millennium arrived. In the quarter of a century since, the company has grown into one of the U.K.’s most successful and trusted providers of cloud services and solutions.

Today, the Glasgow-based firm has customers in both the public and private sectors, including businesses in virtually every industry. More than 400 employees and an extensive team of cloud experts work from six offices located within the U.K. and the 13 data centers iomart owns and operates throughout the country.

We recently caught up with Aaron Tebbutt, strategic vendor alliance manager, to learn more about iomart, get his thoughts on what it means for the company to be among the prestigious providers to have earned the VMware Cloud Verified distinction, and learn what he sees as the pivotal issues shaping the cloud.

“We like to make the cloud straightforward for our customers,” says Tebbutt. “That means making it clear which problems our technology services and solutions will help an organization solve. Our cloud experts have extensive experience working at every point in the cloud transition roadmap, so we have the knowledge needed to help decide what cloud strategy is best and then work closely with them to execute that vision.”

The company offers private cloud, including a dedicated enhanced cloud, public cloud and seamless integrations with the major hyperscalers, and extensive hybrid-cloud options. Some of its many additional services include Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Backup-as-a-Service, Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service, and a full portfolio designed to address enterprises’ security needs. These include robust, fully-encrypted networking solutions, an enhanced security operations center, and technologies like endpoint detection and response.

Notably, iomart also works closely with its strong ecosystem of partners. In addition to VMware, these include Microsoft, Barracuda, Cohesity, and Dell among others. Such collaborations ensure that enterprises have access to the technologies, software-defined capabilities, and hardware they require on-premises and in the cloud.

“We are very committed to strengthening our partnerships with industry leaders like VMware,” adds Tebbutt. “It ensures we can offer our customers the very latest innovations. Honors like receiving the VMware Cloud Verified distinction are also reassuring to our customers. It shows we know our stuff, and can support and deploy solutions that reflect the very highest standards of our strategic partners.”

Not surprisingly given the many hundreds of organizations that rely on iomart for their success in the cloud, Tebbutt also has visibility into what is motivating enterprises to go to the cloud, and where they need the most help.

“It is difficult for many organizations to decide where to start their cloud journey,” he says. “Our teams work closely with them to develop a clear timeline that plans exactly what will happen and when. It is important to remember there is no one-size-fits-all cloud product. It’s about finding the right approach to address the challenges and demands any individual organization faces.”

Tebbutt also notes that while there are important nuances to consider for specific industries and each organization is unique, several core challenges are particularly common. They include:

• Data security: Organizations are handling more data than ever before. Identifying what is sensitive or deserving of special treatment is essential. Storing it appropriately and cost-effectively – both things the cloud is valuable for – is essential, particularly in heavily-regulated sectors.

• Enabling remote workers: Remote work is essential in many industries, particularly now when it can be so difficult to acquire and retain valued employees. Many companies’ existing cloud assets and strategies are not up to the task.

• Getting the most out of the cloud: The cloud radically reduces enterprises’ CapEx expenditures, but there is great pressure on businesses to wring every last drop of value out of their investments. Organizations want to fully optimize their existing cloud assets, make sure they achieve their full potential to impact the business, and generate a strong return on investment. New investments in the cloud must also directly address business challenges the organization faces.

And the future of the cloud?  Tebbutt sees it enabling business disruption rather than technology disruption.

“We will see a dramatic move to hybrid cloud as organizations address data protection and sovereignty requirements while still taking advantage of hyperscale systems that offer infinite-scale compute and storage capabilities. With this, data will become a currency and a differentiator that enables organizations to make data-driven decisions with confidence, measure and predict customer behaviors, and innovate at an unprecedented pace. Having the tools and horsepower to store, control, manipulate, and draw insight from this wealth of data will be the future of cloud even as data becomes increasingly distributed and unfathomable in size.”

Learn more about iomart and its partnership with VMware here.