Van Oord.
Uncovering and achieving Azure potential with a Well-Architected Review and cloud foundation.
- Delivered Well-Architected Review within 2 weeks
- Followed up with Azure Cloud Foundation
- Secure cloud that supports Van Oord's complex data needs
Project Summary.
The client.
Van Oord has a 150-year legacy innovating sustainable maritime solutions across the globe. The company was six years into its Azure journey and had an ambitious IT roadmap covering the next few years that demanded an optimised, efficient cloud setup.
Project background.
To drive and sustain agile growth, Van Oord chose Nordcloud to be their strategic Azure partner and enable its cloud journey to mature to the next level.
The Van Oord team wanted to level up their cloud resources, but their digital journey had already set sail, and they needed something of a reset. Naturally, navigating existing IT requirements is part of Nordcloud’s aim to help companies wherever they are on their cloud journey.
To kickstart the partnership, Nordcloud assessed Van Oord’s cloud environment via an Azure Well-Architected Review.
Guiding Principles.
Nordcloud’s Azure expertise and end-to-end Azure capabilities mean we’re ready to dive deep into problem-solving, wherever a customer is on their cloud journey.
- Digitalisation Journey
Nordcloud’s work fitted into Van Oord’s digital transformation programme, which aims to equip global staff with the resources required to make data-driven choices.
- EA Principle Compliance
Nordcloud worked to strengthen Van Oord’s existing management of cloud resources by aligning with their Enterprise Architecture principles.
- Compatibility with IT Roadmap
Van Oord’s IT strategy and roadmap was guided by a movement toward mature, sustainable Azure best practices.
The Nordcloud team collaborated very well with us across the board. They synced well not only with our cloud teams, but wider units like the network connectivity team who host part of our infrastructure. Their efforts to truly collaborate built a lot of trust.
Priorities.
Van Oord were wary that, with cloud adoption so crucial to the strategic growth of the company, without a solid cloud foundation in place, problems could arise. The following areas were identified as priorities:
Security Upgrades
Van Oord was taking a proactive approach to the long-term health of its cloud resources and needed an Azure setup that was secure by design.
Effective Cloud Management
Van Oord wanted a cloud environment that runs at the speed of their innovations, with effective management of operations, reliability and security in the Azure environment.
Scalability Improvements
IT teams nowadays have to facilitate dynamic and flexible operations, keeping companies adaptable to changes. For Van Oord, who operate worldwide and in diverse environments, scalability, continuity and availability of cloud resources were vital.
Optimisation
Van Oord wanted technology that keeps pace with their ideas – that doesn’t drag like an anchor behind them. The fuel for that kind of momentum? Insight-driven optimisation.
Solution: Righting the Ship.
- Well-Architected Review
Nordcloud conducted a comprehensive, strategic review of Van Oord’s cloud setup, in-line with Azure’s Well-Architected Framework, providing insights into cost optimisation, operational excellence, performance efficiency, scalability, reliability and security.
- Informed Next Steps
Based on the Well-Architected Review and Van Oord’s goals for scalability and upgraded security features, Nordcloud identified a greenfield cloud environment as the suggested next course of action, founded upon Nordcloud’s Azure Cloud Foundation.
- Cloud Foundation & Partnership
Nordcloud delivered the new Azure Cloud Foundation, and the project kick-started a strategic partnership with Van Oord based on in-depth discussions, shared priorities, co-creation and an open exchange of expertise and knowledge.
Nordcloud are a knowledgeable partner and together we delivered a successful project. The Well Architected Review was an important first step in the journey to where we are today with our Azure environment and I’m very satisfied with our cloud foundation.
Nordcloud’s Well-Architected Review.
Nordcloud’s Azure Well-Architected Review offering is grounded in deep technical expertise, as a Microsoft Gold Partner and Azure Expert MSP, helping businesses maximise value from the platform. The key values, pillars and deliverables of the review are as follows:
Key values
- Standardised review based on Microsoft Framework, enhanced with Nordcloud’s experience and best practices
- Fast execution time, report ready in 1-2 weeks from kick-off
- Extensions providing in-depth insights on specific focus areas
5 Pillars of architecture excellence
- Cost optimisation
- Operational excellence
- Performance efficiency
- Reliability
- Security
Deliverables
- Clear report of recommendations and concrete steps on how to improve environment
- Effort estimates
- Brownfield vs. greenfield recommendations
Nordcloud’s Azure Cloud Foundation.
Consistency across clouds
Standardised and controlled setup for applications across multiple cloud environments.
Control at scale
Automation and provisioning of resources at scale, with every deployment inheriting best practices and compliance controls.
Rapid deployment
Built in IaC meaning fast deployment and short lead time to value, so teams can focus on development.
Enterprise-ready
Designed in-line with hyperscaler frameworks, enhanced with Nordcloud’s cloud-native best practices and tooling.
Fixed cost
Landing zones are delivered at a fixed cost and time, with no external dependencies, components or licenses.
Customisable
Landing zones can be customised to suit different requirements, and are future-proof with upgrades, and advanced services.
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Results.
Nordcloud’s Well-Architected Review enabled a thorough health check of Van Oord’s Azure environment according to the Microsoft Azure Well Architected Framework, combining insightful recommendations with deep expertise.
This led to the decision to embark on a truly collaborative co-creation of Van Oord’s cloud environment via Nordcloud’s Azure Cloud Foundation greenfield implementation.
The new landing zone has automated deployment and alignment with the framework pillars – cost optimisation, operational excellence, performance efficiency, reliability and security – built in.
Van Oord’s Azure environment and capabilities meet best practices and are now secure by design. Additional security features were instituted, and the company’s cloud resources are configured with scalability in mind to allow for a flexible and dynamic business-driven approach.
We’re embarking on a digital transformation journey within our company, making more use of data and modernising our applications at scale.
With that vision in mind, designing and building a solid Azure public cloud infrastructure was fundamental. And that’s what Nordcloud and Van Oord have achieved together.
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