How Can Azure Stack Hub Work for You?
In this report
Introducing Microsoft Azure Stack Hub
WWT is pleased to be one of the first technology integrators to offer Microsoft Azure Stack Hub, which combines the flexibility of cloud computing with the performance and control of on-premises environments.
Since its first unboxing in our Advanced Technology Center (ATC) several months ago, Azure Stack Hub has brought to multicloud environments the same benefits as Microsoft Azure: a streamlined, turnkey solution to build and deploy applications quickly using familiar tools — all built on powerful Intel architecture in partnership with leading OEMs, including Dell EMC and, coming soon, Cisco.
WWT is excited about the use case possibilities for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub because, with this solution in place, enterprise and federal customers are now able to:
- Support edge and disconnected systems, collecting and analyzing data locally in a disconnected state, and then pushing it to centralized systems for further processing when connectivity is restored.
- Apply Azure web and mobile services, containers and architectures to update and extend legacy applications, using consistent processes on-prem and in the cloud.
- Save by paying only for the services they use, eliminating unnecessary expenditures, just as they would using cloud-based Azure.
- Build applications using a consistent set of services and tools, and then deploy to the location that best meets business requirements, writing code only once.
- Deploy new cloud applications in minutes, not hours or days, using prebuilt solutions from the Azure Marketplace.
- Integrate add-on products easily, such as Commvault Hyperscale data protection technology.
And here's a bonus: a Microsoft Azure Stack Hub, powered by the latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors, delivers 16 percent improved performance over previous generations of Intel Xeon processors. Additionally, it offers 14 percent higher virtual machine capacity, reducing total cost per VM. Combined with the Intel Solid State Drive Data Center family, Intel-powered Azure Stack Hub solutions can significantly boost compute and storage capabilities even farther.
Who benefits most from Azure Stack Hub?
An Azure Stack Hub solution is applicable in virtually any environment that desires Azure capabilities in an on-prem environment, moving workloads between private and public cloud as needed.
Regarding security, virtually every industry must comply with General Data Protection Regulations of some sort, imposed either by customers or by internal policies that were in place before the emergence of cloud computing. Azure Stack Hub satisfies the requirement that sensitive data be stored in a single, tightly managed location.
The use cases across market verticals are almost countless, but right now let's examine those in financial services.
Azure Stack Hub use cases for financial services
In the case of Azure Stack Hub for financial services, security is paramount. Banks, investment houses and other financial entities, understandably, all have their own set of security requirements on top of other financial compliance regulations.
As with other enterprise-size organizations, large financial services providers can host Azure Stack Hub-as-a-service to other business units, so that private cloud becomes a curated, consumable service. In choosing this type of service, business units can avoid the security pitfalls of "shadow IT" in favor of the trusted resource of a private cloud.
At the same time, financial services providers can scale quickly as needed, bursting to the public cloud in times of heavy congestion. In another industry, healthcare, the same capability can be leveraged in, for example, times of open enrollment for coverage.
See for yourself: Azure Stack Hub at work in the ATC
Microsoft Azure Stack Hub gives today's enterprise organizations what they've long asked for: a way to enjoy the scalable agility of cloud computing with the security of an on-prem solution — and the flexibility to move workloads back and forth between public and private environments easily.
WWT is proud to showcase multiple "flavors"of Azure Stack Hub solutions currently deployed in our ATC as we continue to realize our vision for becoming a global hub of innovation — the Silicon Valley in St. Louis. We invite you to visit the ATC, either physically or virtually, and experience an Azure Stack Hub demonstration, pilot or proof of concept that best suits your IT environment and use case.