The IT Nerd

Aptum, a global infrastructure and cloud solutions provider specializing in technology consulting and managed services, today announced a strategic partnership with 186Kloud, a technology services distributor, to deliver innovative cloud services across the UK. 

This partnership combines Aptum’s unique ability to deliver dedicated infrastructure and Azure, AWS and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) managed solutions with 186Kloud’s deep industry knowledge to provide highly customized solutions to UK customers across various industries — including financial services, healthcare, retail and manufacturing.

Empowering Businesses with Advanced Cloud Solutions

With more than 10 years of expertise in cloud transformation and managed services, 186Kloud is a leading UK-based technology provider specializing in advanced cloud offerings and disaster recovery. Through its cloud migration solutions, the company achieves a seamless transition of business operations and data to cloud environments, providing enhanced flexibility, reduced IT costs, and robust protection against data loss. 

With this partnership, 186Kloud will offer Aptum’s modern infrastructure, cloud platform and cloud-native solutions to provide customers with the right platform for the right workloads, accelerating enterprise transformation, performance, and growth. Aptum’s expertise with cloud-native platform engineering and operations will also be leveraged.

The agreement between the two organizations is effective immediately.

Aptum today announced it has partnered with XCV Partners, and technology solution distributor that offers an alternative to traditional distribution by prioritizing partner needs and maximizing partner passthrough. The agreement enables XCV’s partners to offer Aptum’s portfolio of infrastructure and cloud management services to its clientele in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and around the world.

With this agreement, XCV Partners will be able to offer growing enterprises, SaaS providers, telcos, and ISPs true hybrid infrastructure solutions, including the following: 

• Cloud Managed Services: Providing expert guidance, deployment, and management of applications and cloud infrastructure, including hybrid. Aptum is a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider. 
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Networking: Design, source, and manage infrastructure and applications. 
• Application Modernization and DevOps: From key DevOps methodologies and practices, educational workshops, cloud and application assessments, to providing professional services, Aptum helps customers reimagine and build for cloud success. 

The agreement is effective immediately.

 Aptum, a global cloud solutions provider specializing in technology consulting and managed services, today announced it has been named as a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Canadian Managed Multicloud Services 2024 Vendor Assessment (doc # CA50302123, February 2024). The IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market.

With more than 20 years of comprehensive hybrid multicloud expertise, Aptum is committed to being a leader in cloud innovation, providing end-to-end support and advice tech leaders need today ­­— across cloud, network, and infrastructure technologies — as they look to mitigate risks, build new services, or grow into new markets. Aptum’s cloud platform-agnostic approach, adoption framework and certified expertise help customers to successfully plan, navigate and accelerate their journey to the cloud. 

For more information about Aptum’s new managed multicloud services, visit www.aptum.com.

 Aptum, a global cloud solutions provider specializing in technology consulting and managed services, today announced a strategic partnership agreement with AVANT, a platform for IT decision-making and a premier distributor for next-generation technologies. 

This collaboration makes Aptum’s comprehensive cloud solutions available to AVANT clients, and enables the companies to align their sales and support organizations in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.   

Now with more than a decade of experience, AVANT was born at the onset of hyper-accelerating technology. Its mission is to build a platform that navigates the relentless pace of change for Trusted Advisors and their customers. This enables business transformation and establishes an effective, efficient ecosystem for Trusted Advisors to leverage. With those goals in mind, AVANT works with partners to solve complex technology challenges with market-leading solutions. 

The company will offer Aptum’s Advisory & Consulting Services; Private Cloud Managed Services, and Public Cloud Managed Services; plus Application Modernization & DevOps, all to bring best-in-class solutions to their team and customers. 

The agreement is effective immediately, with Aptum solutions now available to AVANT’s Trusted Advisors and their customers in the U.S., Canada and the UK.

Aptum, a global cloud solutions provider specializing in technology consulting and managed services, today announced it has retained its status as a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP). This certification is a testament to Aptum’s unwavering commitment to delivering top-tier managed services within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. 

The Microsoft Azure Expert MSP Program is an initiative reserved for a select group of industry leaders, with less than one percent of Microsoft partners globally holding the accreditation. To qualify, partners must undergo a rigorous evaluation, showcasing exceptional customer delivery, technical proficiency, and successful completion of an independent audit assessing their managed services, personnel, processes and technologies. 

Aptum initially earned this designation in December 2022, and surpassed the recertification audit process in December 2023. This accomplishment underscores Aptum’s ongoing dedication to meet and exceed the stringent criteria set by Microsoft, ensuring it continues to align with evolving technology standards. 

Key highlights include: 

1. Consistent Excellence: Aptum proudly maintains its Azure Expert MSP certification for the second consecutive year, underscoring its commitment to delivering exceptional technical services within the Azure environment. 
2. Exclusive Recognition: This accomplishment places Aptum in an exclusive category, as less than one percent of Microsoft partners globally hold the Azure Expert MSP accreditation. 
3. Reduced Risk for Clients: Aptum’s continued recognition highlights its ability to execute Azure projects with a lower risk profile, providing clients with confidence in the delivery of secure and reliable solutions. 
4. Investment in Technical Competencies: The recertification emphasizes Aptum’s ongoing investment in enhancing its technical competencies, ensuring that clients benefit from cutting-edge solutions and expertise. 
   

Aptum continues to meet ongoing requirements from Microsoft and will be re-evaluated annually to ensure it continues to meet updated technology standards. 

 Aptum, a global cloud solutions provider specializing in technology consulting and managed services, today announced a new strategic partnership with Bridgepointe Technologies, a tech advisory firm helping mid-market and enterprise companies to evaluate, implement and manage technology investments. 

Through this new agreement, Bridgepointe can now offer Aptum’s comprehensive cloud solutions to its global client base. These solutions include the following: 

• Advisory & Consulting Services: Expert IT project management services to ensure initiatives are delivered on time and on budget while reducing the management burden on an organization’s team.
• Private Cloud Managed Services and Public Cloud Managed Services: Aptum offers an end-to-end view of cloud solutions, enabling customers to build their cloud as they wish, optimizing for business results. Platform choices factor in connectivity, security, cost and ongoing management resources. 
• Application Modernization & DevOps: From managed DevOps, educational workshops, cloud and application assessments, to providing professional services, Aptum’s experts help customers reimagine and build for cloud success. 

Bridgepointe’s customers are supported by a world-class team of Tech Strategists and highly experienced engineering, procurement, implementation, CX consultants and expense management professionals. 

The agreement is effective immediately, with Aptum solutions now available to Bridgepointe customers and prospects in the U.S., Canada, the UK and around the world.

 Aptum, a global cloud solutions provider specializing in technology consulting and managed services, today announced the appointment of three new executives to its senior leadership team as the company continues to expand and meet the demands for cloud innovation. 

With diverse experience and background, these leaders will help guide Aptum towards its next phase of growth: 

• Michael Stephens assumes the role of Vice President of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances, bringing with him almost three decades of experience in sales and partner strategy. Stephens joins Aptum from Rackspace Technology where he was the Global Partner Channel Chief, responsible for worldwide channel sales, operations and relationships. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Channels for CenturyLink, responsible for inside sales, pre-sales engineering and customer success. At Aptum he will lead the company’s global partner strategy and introduce programs with trusted ISVs, SaaS, technology distributors and digital native to accelerate growth. 
  
• Patty Fisher joins as Vice President, Marketing. A seasoned senior marketing leader with a passion for technology, Fisher brings more than 20 years of experience to her role. She has successfully led and built teams across a spectrum of organizations, ranging from Fortune 100 companies and global enterprises to startups and not-for-profit entities. She has held leadership positions at AOL, Verisign, Sage Software, OVHCloud, and most recently as CMO for Ottawa, Ont.-based EOS Network Foundation. She is a member of Chief, a network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders.
  
• David Long joins as Vice President, North America Sales. In this role, Long will leverage his strong background of supporting enterprise clients through their multi-cloud journeys. He comes to Aptum with 24 years of sales experience, including sales leadership roles at Dell Technologies, EMC, Microsoft and Princeton Softech. His knowledge and “customer-first” mindset will help Aptum clients achieve their multi-cloud and DevOps goals. 
  
• Additionally, Aptum announced the promotion of Marc Paré to Vice President of Product. Paré was most recently General Manager of Advisory and Consulting Services. In his role, he will oversee the development of software solutions that will deliver improved user experience for organizations, helping them with managing, measuring, metering, monitoring and analyzing their operations and performances across the cloud. Paré joined Aptum through the acquisition of CloudOps in January 2023. Paré was a founding member and partner at cloud.ca and Cloudbeach. He has 24 years of experience in information technology with a background in web operations, sales and product management, including 10 years at Coradiant where he helped software organizations achieve operational success as SaaS pioneers. 

This expansion of the leadership team builds upon the company’s recent appointment of Ian Rae as CEO and President and David Wigglesworth as Chief Revenue Officer.

Aptum, a global provider of Managed Services and Advisory & Consulting Services, today released part two of its annual Cloud Impact Study 2023 – Maximizing Value: Controlling Costs and Optimizing Cloud Spend. According to the study, 71 per cent of IT professionals surveyed stated that cloud-related costs make up 30 per cent or more of their total IT spend.

The study involved 400 senior IT professionals from organizations with 250+ employees across the U.S., Canada, and UK. It explores the trends in cloud cost management and how these trends have evolved over time.

In today’s challenging economic climate, organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the financial implications of their business operations. While the cloud has brought benefits such as flexibility, scalability, agility, and cost efficiency to organizations in recent years, there are still unforeseen costs. More than half (52 per cent) of IT professionals admitted their organizations have wasted significant IT spend due to inefficiencies with cloud platforms and services.

In fact, 73 per cent of IT respondents reported that their cloud investment has resulted in higher-than-expected IT costs within the last 12 months, marking a 28 per cent increase compared to 2021 figures. Additionally, the majority (92 per cent) of IT professionals stated that they are likely to conduct a full ROI (return-on-investment) analysis of cloud spending, a rise from 89 per cent in 2022. But what is causing these increased costs?

The survey identified several factors, including poor planning, a lack of internal expertise, the acceleration of cloud adoption, and a lack of familiarity with complex cloud solutions. These challenges are considerably magnified when organizations implement a hybrid, multi-cloud strategy that incorporates both on-premises and public cloud services for different data services and workloads. Currently, 62 per cent of respondents agree that a lack of internal expertise has prevented them from expediting cloud implementations. However, to mitigate these escalating costs, developing skills and knowledge in cloud strategy is crucial.

The results demonstrate that organizations struggle to fully realize the value of their cloud spending as they expand their adoption of cloud services. The lack of a comprehensive, multi-cloud strategy poses a challenge for many IT leaders, preventing them from fully harnessing the transformative capabilities of the cloud. 

But continued cost savings rely on a clear cloud investment strategy that focuses on visibility and control of costs – especially for those accelerating cloud investment and moving into more complex, multi- and hybrid cloud environments. FinOps principles are key to ensuring organizations are operating efficiently in the cloud:

1. Cost Visibility and Accountability: FinOps helps gain visibility into cloud expenditures, allowing teams to be more conscious of their spending.
2. Optimized Resource Usage: FinOps practices help identify underutilized or unused resources, leading to termination or downsizing.
3. Enhanced Decision-Making and Forecasting: With clear insights, informed decisions can be made based on usage analysis, reducing the likelihood of unexpected overruns.
4. Cultural Change: A FinOps culture encourages cost to be an organizational mindset and a standard part of operational discussions.
5.  Continuous Improvement: The iterative nature of FinOps ensures continuous improvement to cloud financial management practices, leading to ongoing savings.

To access the complete findings from part two of Aptum’s Cloud Impact Study 2023, Maximizing Value: Controlling Costs and Optimizing Cloud Spend, download the report here: https://aptum.com/cloud-hub/2023-cis-part-2/.  

For part one of the report, Clear Skies Ahead: Avoiding Chaos in the Cloud, visit here: https://aptum.com/cloud-hub/2023-cis-part-1/.  

Aptum, a global provider of Managed Services and Advisory & Consulting Services, today announced the appointment of Ian Rae as CEO and President of the company, JP Rosato as Chairman of the Board, and David Wigglesworth as Chief Revenue Officer. These strategic additions to the executive team are integral to Aptum’s vision to capitalize on the growing AI-driven demand of Multi-Cloud solutions in the market.

Ian Rae assumes the role of CEO and President effective September 1, 2023, following Aptum’s successful acquisition of CloudOps in January 2023. He will succeed Susan Bowen, who, during her remarkable five-year tenure, expanded the company’s product offerings and transformed Aptum into a global Multi-Cloud Managed Services and Advisory & Consulting Services provider.

A seasoned entrepreneur and technology visionary, Rae founded CloudOps in 2005, as well as cloud.ca, a leading Canadian cloud computing platform. He serves on the board of Air Transat and recently completed a board appointment with Genome Canada. He is actively involved as an advisor and angel investor in the Montréal, Québec, enterprise technology startup community. With his extensive expertise in cloud operations, software development, and managed services, Rae brings invaluable insights to his new leadership role.

JP Rosato, Operating Partner at DigitalBridge, has been appointed Aptum’s new Chairman. With over 30 years of extensive design, engineering, and operations experience within large, complex technology environments, Rosato’s expertise will be instrumental in accelerating and driving Aptum’s business growth. He has played a pivotal role in developing innovative services, defining monetization strategies for technology assets and investments, and establishing groundbreaking partnerships between enterprises and providers.

Aptum is also thrilled to welcome David Wigglesworth as Chief Revenue Officer. With more than 25 years of experience in sales leadership, sales operations, demand generation, and territory development, Wigglesworth’s proven track record will be pivotal in leading the sales organization across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, UK, and Europe. His expertise in SaaS, business continuity, storage, networking, cloud, and professional services will empower Aptum to provide superior solutions to its customers, helping them optimize workloads across hyperscale, regional, private, and edge cloud platforms.

Wigglesworth’s most recent role was Senior VP of Global Sales at Panzura, and prior to that he held senior executive positions at Commvault, OVH, VMware, and EMC Corporation.

Aptum, a hybrid multi-cloud managed service provider, today announced the launch of Multi-Tenant Cloud (MTC), a powerful virtual data centre solution providing the ability to deploy virtual machines, virtual appliances, and other services in a multi-tenant environment using a consumption-based billing model.

Aptum’s MTC was designed with today’s businesses’ needs in mind, regardless of their size. Available in the US, UK, and Canada, the new private cloud service ensures an organization’s data is stored in the region where they’ve deployed it, thereby meeting compliance and data sovereignty requirements. Additionally, it offers high levels of resiliency and assists with controlling costs. 

Aptum’s MTC portal enables customers to deploy virtual data centres, appliances and machines, as well as services, all through one simple-to use-interface.

Aptum leverages industry-leading technology solutions from VMware and enterprise-grade hardware from Dell to ensure continuous availability by building redundancies of critical components in the MTC cloud environment. Other key features of the solution include:

• Control of the cloud infrastructure: Aptum’s MTC enables customers to provision and deploy virtual machines to build an IT environment tailored to their specific business and operational requirements
  
• Effective cost management: Analytical insight provides organizations with the opportunity to optimize costs based on usage patterns, while reducing operating expenses
  
• Flexibility and scalability: Organizations are able to rapidly scale through automation — leveraging APIs ­­— in order to meet demand as business needs and the market fluctuates 
  
• High reliability: With multiple redundancies included in the MTC environment — including at the network, hypervisor, and storage subsystem levels — organizations are provided with a highly reliable infrastructure with low latency
  
• 24/7/365 live support: Aptum’s accredited experts are available live at any time ­to speak with customers live to immediately provide support and address any issues
  

In addition to supporting Aptum customers, MTC is a new opportunity for the company’s partners who can now offer this high-performance cloud solution under their own brand to clients. This provides Aptum partners the opportunity to expand their business with existing and new customers. 

Aptum’s MTC is available now in the US, UK, and Canada. For more details about the solution, please visit https://aptum.com/services/private-cloud/multi-tenant-cloud/.