Cloud & Data

Better service, better applications, better business

Choose the agility of the cloud to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and seize business opportunities. With Microsoft Azure’s industry-leading technology and services, you get a flexible and highly secure cloud infrastructure that scales as your business grows. 

Scale up or down, whenever you need to

Our cloud experts transform your time-consuming and error-prone processes into automated and repeatable tasks that take minutes to complete. Whether it’s configuring security or networks, installing software patches, services and applications, providing valuable insights through analytics and reporting, or activating storage, the result will make your business ready for the future.

“Everything we do at Xylos happens with your end users in mind. Because what really counts are applications in the line of business. Only the end justifies the means. That’s why we always build from the top down.” – Patrick Leysen, CEO at Xylos

AI and the cloud: two peas in a pod

Leverage the power of big data analytics to gain deeper insights and make smarter decisions in your cloud environment.

We believe that Artificial Intelligence can push your cloud and data experience to the next level. That is, if you use the technology right. Immerse yourself in the possibilities and challenges during our half-day inspirational session and discover what AI has to offer your business.

Our cloud solutions provide organizations with advanced analytics and reporting tools to transform data into actionable insights.

Trust in our fully managed cloud service approach

Everything you need to know
about the cloud

The cloud refers to services and applications that are delivered and accessed over the internet, rather than being hosted on local hardware. It includes various services like storage, computing power, and databases that can be accessed on-demand, making it a flexible and scalable choice. Cloud solutions enable businesses to avoid the costs and complexities of owning and maintaining their own IT infrastructure.

Cloud solutions come in three primary service models

  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers virtualized computing resources over the internet. It offers a foundation of computing power, storage, and networking. For example: Microsoft Azure.
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a platform that allows customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure. 
  • Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers software applications over the internet. SaaS is widely used for business applications such as CRM, email, and virtual meetings. 

Cloud computing is a game-changer for businesses, streamlining operations through cost efficiency, scalability, and enhanced collaboration. It eliminates the need for physical hardware, reduces capital expenditures, and provides the flexibility to scale resources as needed. In addition, cloud services ensure data security and compliance, and facilitate efficient disaster recovery solutions. By enabling remote access and real-time collaboration, as well as reducing the burden of IT management, cloud computing empowers businesses to focus on core competencies and foster innovation.

The cost of cloud services can vary widely depending on the specific needs and usage patterns of a business. For some organizations, cloud computing can be more cost-effective than maintaining on-premises infrastructure, because it eliminates upfront capital expenditures for hardware and reduces maintenance costs. 

Cloud services typically offer flexible pricing models, such as pay-as-you-go, where you only pay for the resources you use, which can be economical for fluctuating workloads. However, for certain organizations with predictable and high-volume workloads, the operational costs of cloud services can add up over time and may be perceived as expensive. 

Implementing FinOps, a financial management approach tailored for cloud computing, can help organizations optimize and monitor cloud spending to ensure cost efficiency and financial accountability. It’s important for organizations to carefully evaluate their specific needs and perform a cost-benefit analysis that incorporates FinOps practices, to determine if cloud services are the most economical option for them.

The security of cloud services can be robust, depending on both the provider and the user’s practices. Trusted cloud providers invest heavily in security, ensuring that data is encrypted and that they have defenses against hacking attempts. Users must also adopt best practices such as Zero-Trust and passwordless authentication. Choosing a cloud service with a strong security track record, compliance certifications, and transparent security policies is vital.

Cloud computing can dramatically improve collaboration in your organization by enabling teams to communicate and share information seamlessly, regardless of physical location. Here’s how:

  • Real-time collaboration: Cloud-based tools such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 allow team members to work on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations simultaneously, enabling real-time collaboration.
  • File sharing and accessibility: Cloud storage solutions like Dropbox and OneDrive make it (easy to share and access files. Employees can access the files they need from anywhere, anytime, as long as they have an internet connection.
  • Communication tools: Cloud-based communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams enable instant messaging, video conferencing, and group chats, helping teams to stay connected.
  • Project management: Cloud-based project management tools like Asana and Trello help organize and track the progress of projects, making it easier for teams to collaborate on common goals.
  • Centralized information: A centralized cloud database ensures that all team members have access to the same information, reducing inconsistencies and improving decision-making.
  • In the public cloud, services and infrastructure are delivered off-site over the internet. Public cloud services are highly scalable and are typically billed on a pay-per-use basis. One example of a public cloud is Microsoft Azure.
  • A private cloud is used by a single organization. It can be located on-premises or at a remote location and is maintained on a private network. This setup provides greater control over security and privacy. The private cloud is well-suited for organizations with specific data security, compliance, or customization needs.
  • The hybrid cloud combines elements of both public and private clouds. It allows data and applications to be shared between them. The hybrid cloud gives businesses greater flexibility and more data deployment options by allowing them to use the public cloud for non-sensitive operations while keeping sensitive data in a private cloud.

Cloud scalability refers to the ability of a cloud system to easily increase or decrease its resources and services in response to an organization’s changing needs. This means that as your business grows or experiences fluctuations in workload, you can quickly adjust the computing resources (such as CPU, RAM, storage) accordingly. The importance of cloud scalability lies in:

  • Cost efficiency: Pay only for the resources you use, which is especially beneficial for organizations with fluctuating workloads.
  • Performance optimization: Ensure that your applications run smoothly during peak periods by scaling resources as needed.
  • Business agility: Respond quickly to market changes and opportunities with the ability to scale resources as needed.
  • Customer experience: Deliver a consistent, high-quality user experience by ensuring that your system can handle the load at any given time.

Cloud computing plays a pivotal role in supporting remote work and a distributed workforce by facilitating accessibility, collaboration, and security:

  • Accessibility: Employees can access work files and applications from anywhere with an internet connection, enabling a more flexible and mobile workforce.
  • Collaboration: Cloud-based collaboration tools, like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, allow team members to communicate and work on projects simultaneously, regardless of their location.
  • Security: Cloud providers often have strong security measures in place to protect data. This ensures that employees can securely access company data remotely.
  • Centralization: A centralized cloud database means that all employees have access to the same information, which is essential for consistency and effective collaboration across a distributed workforce.
  • Resource availability: The cloud ensures that remote workers have the resources they need, such as computing power and storage, without the limitations of a physical office infrastructure.

Cloud computing can significantly streamline and automate business processes, helping  to increase efficiency and productivity. 

  • Integration with tools and services: Cloud platforms often offer integration with a range of tools and services that can be used to automate tasks such as data entry, invoicing, and email marketing.
  • Workflow automation: Cloud-based workflow automation tools enable businesses to create automated workflows for tasks and processes. This ensures that tasks are performed consistently and can be easily monitored and adjusted.
  • Scalability: With the scalability of cloud computing, organizations can easily scale their automation efforts up or down as needed without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.
  • Access to the latest technologies: Cloud computing provides access to the latest technologies, such as AI and machine learning, which can be used to improve automation strategies, especially in data processing and decision making.
  • Cost savings: Automating business processes through cloud computing can lead to cost savings by reducing manual labor and improving resource utilization.
  • Data analysis and insights: Cloud computing enables organizations to automatically collect and an

Cloud-native applications are designed and built specifically to run in the cloud environment. They take advantage of cloud architectures and services to improve performance, scalability, and reliability. Here are the benefits:

  • Scalability: Cloud-native applications can scale seamlessly to accommodate varying workloads. This ensures optimal performance even under heavy traffic.
  • Faster time to market: Using microservices and containers, cloud-native applications can be developed, tested, and deployed more quickly, significantly reducing time to market.
  • Cost-effective: Cloud-native applications typically use a pay-as-you-go model, meaning you only pay for the resources you need. This can result in cost savings compared to traditional architectures.
  • Resilience: Built with a distributed architecture, cloud-native applications are more resilient to failures. If one component fails, it doesn’t necessarily affect the entire application.
  • Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD): Cloud-native development practices often include CI/CD, which allows for automated testing and deployment, ensuring that applications are always up to date and bugs are fixed quickly.
  • Improved developer productivity: The tools and practices common to cloud-native development, such as containers and microservices, allow developers to work more efficiently and focus on coding rather than infrastructure management.