Integrating cloud-native services. From on-premise to Azure:
CSD has been in the software development business for 30 years. In the past, on-premise was the standard, but in today's IT landscape, the cloud is here to stay. CSD was on the look out for a partner to transition from on-premise to Azure and to integrate cloud-native services for Qnetex.
Senior analyst and technical Project manager at Qnetex, Jon Sessions, is responsible for IT infrastructure and deploying systems for new customers within Qnetex. Together with the team, he reached out to Intercept for a partnership.
Deploying new environments, implementing updates & maintaining systems:
Working on-premise had as consequence that rolling out new environments, implementing updates, and maintaining the systems took a lot of time.
Jon: "We started our cloud journey independently by implementing Qnetex cloud, for one customer firstly. To increase our in-house knowledge, we participated in Intercept's digital workshops. That's how we managed to set up the cloud environment independently. But the conclusion soon followed that reusable templates were needed to efficiently deploy systems for new customers in the future using the same process."
The deployment processes were previously different for each customer. By working on a template basis, the deployment processes become faster, more efficient, and less prone to error.
Jon:"We talked to several Cloud Service Providers to support us in this project, but none of them, like Intercept, specialized in ISVs. The choice of Intercept was therefore a no-brainer for us."
Infrastructure for Qnetex:
Intercept worked with CSD to develop a design for an infrastructure for Qnetex using infrastructure-as-code. This design can be used as a reusable template to easily roll out a new system for new customers. Based on a number of variables, the system can be easily adapted to the customer's needs. This also allows CSD to offer time- and cost-efficient trials and demos.
Currently we are setting up CI/CD pipelines within Azure DevOps for Qnetex so that implementing new features and updates can be done directly from Azure DevOps. With our Managed Services, we will continue to support Qnetex in the future.
"During the project, we ran into some problems with our FTP servers. The urgency to solve this was high. Even though this was outside the scope of the project; Intercept's team was ready immediately. Their willingness to support us beyond the scope, even outside office hours, made us feel confident and happy to work together."
The final outcomes?
- The template enables Qnetex to realize its growth plans. The onboarding process and systems maintenance require significantly fewer people and hours. Jon: "We are 15 colleagues and growing rapidly. We can now scale both our product and our organization quickly. This puts us a big step ahead of our competitors."
- "The biggest result is that we can now fully focus on our core business," Jon says. "Intercept is responsible for the cloud processes and compliance, allowing us to focus on further developing Qnetex."
- For the continuity of an ISV business, support from an experienced IT partner is essential to monitor cloud processes and ensure uptime. Jon: "It gives us the confidence to know that the cloud processes are managed and we are always up and running. We also notice this in the communication with our customers. Working with Intercept gives potential customers more confidence in choosing our ERP system."
Qnetex about Intercept:
"Intercept knows what they are talking about. They understood our requirements and they did an excellent job coordinating the project within the intended deadline. We worked with Intercept with confidence and pleasure. They were ready when we needed them, even outside office hours. They really went above and beyond!