Deft Blog
Keep up with the latest in colocation, cloud, and disaster recovery services.
Azure cost optimization best practices take mindset shifts
Azure cost optimization best practices are less of a checklist and more of a series of evolving choices. Here’s how to make the best ones.
Azure cost management depends on governance and transparency
The biggest threat to Azure cost management doesn’t have to be service spikes or secret charges. Shortcuts and complacency are more than enough to send bills spiraling out of control. The solution is twofold: Create clear governance structures to keep cloud costs...
The pitfalls of Azure cost optimization, and avoiding them
Managing Azure cost optimization is all about balance. Security, scalability and efficiency, none of these can be compromised. At the same time, they can all span the range of affordable to astronomically expensive. Paying more doesn’t necessarily mean getting more...
How to prepare for a ransomware attack
If you’re diligent about having up-to-date backups, recovering from ransomware is as easy as cutting off infected infrastructure and restoring your backups.
Amazon S3 Object Lambda – What, Why and When
AWS S3 Object Lambda is powerful. When is it worth executing an S3 Object Lambda invocation for each reader vs. saving a copy of the file?
Lessons learned from supporting a remote workforce
Here are my top 3 lessons learned from supporting a remote workforce since March.
Practicing safe DevOps
Safe DevOps means that all changes to the environment should be made through the configuration and change management system. Here are some examples.
Goodbye CentOS, hello CentOS Stream
From now on, there will be no CentOS Linux — just CentOS Stream. Here’s how it will affect the IT industry.
The downside of scaling up
The ability to quickly provision resources is one of the most well-known cloud benefits. But it can present as many problems as it solves.
Chicago colocation pricing — how to avoid the hidden fees
Chicago colocation seems simple. Power. Space. Cooling. Connectivity. Support. You pay for each one based on your needs, and in turn, Chicago colocation providers deliver everything you need to run your critical IT infrastructure. When you start to dig into the each...
Your disaster recovery plan has to work
It’s important to have a disaster recovery plan, but it’s equally as important to make sure that it works. Here’s how.
Why everyone says data centers are dead
No one wants to deal with building their own data center anymore. But cloud isn’t the only alternative.
Fighting the coronavirus with computers
COVID-19 research is performed in labs — but not the kind you might think. Thanks to the biomedical research platform Folding@home (F@h), computer labs operating out of regular people’s homes are actually running the complex calculations that will help scientists understand the coronavirus. Here’s how to get involved.
Secure your backups in 5 steps
To secure your backups, start by combining a local NAS or USB backup with a remote cloud backup (e.g., AWS or Google) for remote employees using storage.
What companies get wrong about disaster recovery
Most businesses have a DR plan. But 23% of them admit to never testing their plans. That’s a problem — but not an unsolvable one.
Buzz vs. substance: which cloud technologies are actually viable?
Here’s a quick overview of the buzz (and substance) behind three of the most talked-about cloud technologies.
Northern Virginia Colocation Price Traps
Here’s how to avoid common colocation price traps in the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. area.
Avoiding cloud bill surprises, what smart companies do differently, and more
Read excerpts from a convo between two employees about how to avoid cloud bill surprises, why smart companies approach tech differently, and more.
Deft ranks as top cloud consulting and managed IT services firm
Clutch.co has recognized Deft as a Top 5 Global Cloud Consultant and a Top 5 Managed IT Services Firm.
Guiding customers along each step of the cloud transformation journey
Deft defines itself as a next-generation MSP by its ability to help customers execute a long-term cloud transformation strategy.
How much cloud do I really need?
Right-sizing your infrastructure is a critical step in moving to the cloud — and we see companies skip it all the time. Here’s what to know before you move.
To survive your next IT disaster, you need a recovery plan
A strategic disaster recovery plan drastically improves your odds of surviving an IT outage or data loss. Here’s where to start.
Getting started with serverless computing
With serverless, you can build and launch containerized applications without managing a fleet of servers. Here’s how to get started.
Introducing fully managed object storage
Today, we are formally introducing our Managed Object Storage (MOS) service. Learn all about it here.
It’s not colocation vs. cloud — the two grow your business together
Colocation vs. cloud is the wrong question to ask. Both should be working together to move your business forward. Learn more about skipping the debate here.
The hidden costs of colocation
Colocation pricing can be tricky. Let’s cover some hidden costs to be aware of the next time you’re shopping for a colocation contract.
Amazon makes cloud security easy
With AWS, it’s easy to attain Amazon-level cloud security when you’re most certainly not Amazon.
5 easy steps to improve your AWS security
I can’t stress how important it is to safeguard your AWS environment. Here are five easy steps that anyone can do right now to improve their AWS security.
Tips for ordering carrier circuits
Ordering a carrier cross connect in a data center should be easier than it is. Here are some insider tips to help you smooth out the process.
A cloud cost control strategy that works
To work for the long term, cloud cost control has to start with strategy. Here’s a simple way to find one that works.
Unlocking data silos to make smarter decisions
Data silos help keep information private within departments, but that privacy can cloud the clarity of vision across the business. Here’s when and why to unlock siloed data.
The questions everyone asks about cloud migrations
Here’s what our customers ask us about cloud migrations, like, “Why does my app perform worse in the cloud?”
Prepare for a cloud consultation by answering these 5 business questions
Knowing the answers to these five questions can help any cloud consultant recommend the best plan for your long-term goals.
Virtual machine management in the new Managed VMware Cloud portal
Virtual machine management has never been easier in SCTG’s Enterprise Cloud. Here’s how the upgraded interface affects VM management and administration.
Cloud cost optimization starts — and ends — with strategy
Learn cloud cost optimization strategies that are worth your time. If you get them right, you won’t have to worry about this month’s bill.
Why we updated our Managed VMware Cloud software to an HTML5 interface
The SCTG Enterprise Cloud UI has been upgraded to vCloud Director 9.5. The new, HTML5-based interface improves upon homescreen controls, navigation, vApps, and affinity/anti-affinity rulemaking.
Managed VMware Cloud gets vCloud Director 9.5 upgrade
SCTG has been hard at work testing VMware vCloud Director 9.5.0.2. It introduces several new features, the most important of which is a new tenant UI. Here’s a look at what vCloud Director 9.5 has to offer.
Not just computing: 5 cloud migration business benefits
Sometimes things that don’t look like cloud problems actually are. A look at five business problems that cloud migration might help solve.
Solving data center emergencies
We pull through for our customers. Here’s one story about how we solved one customer’s data center emergency.
Methods for achieving a DevOps culture
There are many ways to implement a DevOps culture, but some methods work better than others. Here are a few that stand out.
The birth of DevOps
The birth of DevOps changed everything. It hugely impacts legacy code deployment strategies by combining Dev, QA and Ops, removing the walls and barriers, and softening the distinction between these teams. Here’s why it matters.
From backups to replication to disaster recovery: what’s right for you?
In our experience, a good disaster recovery plan completely depends on the revenue and operational implications of downtime. The technology comes after.
5 key questions: backup as a service
Check out this list of five key questions you should ask before investing in your next backup as a service (BaaS) or managed backup solution.
I want to talk about the AWS Transit Gateway
I want to talk about the AWS Transit Gateway announced at re:Invent. This is really exciting for anybody that's dealing with large, complex AWS environments, or has a sizable networking environment that they manage on-premise today. There's been a problem with moving...
How best to prepare for adoption of a cloud-based EMR
This post originally appeared on EHRIntelligence.com. It has been updated and condensed for clarity.Many hospitals and healthcare centers remain skeptical about cloud-based electronic medical record (EMR) solutions. But the truth is this: The cloud offers a robust,...
The benefits of cloud computing in healthcare start with migration
At this point, one thing is clear: The longer you wait to migrate off physical servers, the longer you miss out on the benefits of cloud computing in healthcare. While the disadvantages of cloud computing in healthcare may loom large — they’re nothing compared to the...
Tips for building a cloud migration plan
Deft has done innumerable cloud migration plans for clients. The biggest element that we see causing issues for organizations is not computing issues, but not preparing a meticulous plan for execution. Planning is the biggest step for the migration to cloud computing....
Northeastern Illinois University modernizes IT infrastructure
Chicago, IL — NEIU CIO Sam Kann recently moved the university's on-premise infrastructure to a hybrid cloud solution architected and managed by ServerCentral Turing Group (SCTG). The modernized infrastructure provides NEIU with the tech credibility it needs to attract...
Why Chicago colocation beats everywhere else for speed and safety
Whether you’re looking for the fastest speed coast-to-coast, the security of a stable environment, or access to all types of services, hosting in Chicago is almost always a smart move.
Cloud’s growing importance to higher education
While working with several public and private colleges and universities to help them make the shift from IT-centric to user-centric computing, I have found very similar outcomes. Removing the day-to-day firefighting off their hands had these effects: Allowed the IT...
