Beyond.pl
Neutral Cloud Provider in CEE

In the Forrester report “Predictions 2018: Cloud Computing Accelerates Enterprise Transformation Everywhere” experts indicate that the total global public cloud market will equal 178 mld USD in 2018 and will continue to grow. The cloud influence maybe global, but less than half of all enterprises use a public cloud. With 2018 touted to be a milestone when it comes to cloud implementations, applications, platforms, and virtual services will dramatically keep changing the way in which enterprises are competing for clients. "We want to be a part of this trend, that is the reason we continue to expand our range of services and offer various cloud configurations based on different technologies," says Michal Grzybkowski, CEO & founder, Beyond.pl.

Beyond.pl offers cloud computing services such as cloud for business, virtual data recovery, and Veeam Cloud connect in addition to traditional solutions such as colocation and dedicated infrastructure. "Nevertheless, cloud computing stands for 60 percent of our profit," asserts the industry veteran, Mr. Grzybkowski. He goes on to say, "Cloud for business service based on VMware has been one of the pillars of our offer for many years. Recently Beyond.pl was awarded for the biggest VMware Cloud Provider Program turnover in Poland, which means it owned the biggest commercial VMware cloud in Poland in the last year. We also have the biggest cloud based on VMware in Central Eastern Europe, but we do not limit ourselves to one technology. Among other Beyond.pl created the first Polish public cloud - e24cloud."

e24cloud

The platform operates in a self-service module in which the necessary virtual servers can be accessed by the clients quickly. It follows the pay-as-you-go approach. e24cloud offers object storage, SSD discs, and Linux administration. The API of e24cloud is compatible with Amazon Web Services EC2 API-enabling transferring of projects between Beyond. pl and Amazon and makes management of such a hybrid infrastructure automated. An additional advantage is the fact that both clouds use the same KVM technology. A coherent IT platform allows to create a hybrid cloud based on these two solutions.

"The sales model of this service is different from the VMware solutions in which sales representatives are working with potential clients," says Mr. Grzybkowski.

With one of the clients from the e-commerce sector, Beyond.pl prepared resources on the e24cloud which would ensure efficient operation of the online shop during the two most intensive days during a year-Cyber Monday and Black Friday.

"During such days, Internet service may need even 50 times more resources, so we secured that for our clients," says Mr. Grzybkowski. The company also worked out a scenario ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted performance of an e-commerce server.

Pioneers

Beyond.pl owns two data centers in Poznan-the first one was opened in 2007 and the second, in 2016. They are both connected by a redundant fiber optic ring-which makes it possible for one of the data centers to serve as a backup location. The company is the first telecommunication carrier-neutral data center in Poland-making it the "go-to choice" for clients. The firm currently offers access to more than 20 telecommunication operators of national and international coverage. Such extensive cooperation with suppliers guarantees fast data transfer to every place in the world. The firm is the first data center in Poland with two distinct emergency supply systems (battery-powered generators and dynamic UPS) and two different cooling modes (process water and adiabatic cooling system).Data Center 2 Beyond. pl as the first data center in Central Eastern Europe received the ANSI/TIA- 942 Rated-4 Certification which equates to the highest level of data security.

Mr. Grzybkowski believes that server rooms are not for servers, but they are facilities for applications, which run on these servers. He says, "Our new Data Center 2 is only a shell of our wide range of services for advanced products.” Data Center 2 in Poznań is the first Azure Stack cloud location in both Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. Beyond.pl will offer selected Azure services from Q2 2018. Joint Azure Stack offer by Microsoft and Beyond.pl opens up a new opportunity to utilise thefull potential of Microsoft Azure for businesses and institutions with specific requirements regarding data storage and processing in Poland. “Cooperation with Beyond.pl has given Microsoft Azure a Polish passport," says Paweł Jakubik, Cloud-Based Digital Transformation Lead at the Polish Microsoft office.

The joint project between the two companies addresses the needs of the Polish companies and public institutions, which due to legal or industry constraints have to execute some of their procedures in Poland, including data processing in the cloud. These include financial, medical, public administration, defense, and security, as well as oil sector.

Azure Stack services available at Beyond.pl are fully compatible with Azure services in other regions, and Polish customers will pay for the service plan prepared by Beyond.pl. "Our customers will also have access to a single, unified environment for application development in the cloud, and get the data sovereignty and security guarantee, which is a key issue for both partners," says Mr. Grzybkowski.

The Road Ahead

Azure Stack at Beyond.pl is the first stage of the continuous effort to make it easier for Polish customers to use the hybrid cloud model and comply with the relevant laws.

Also, clients can benefit from a sophisticated IT administration as well as customer support from Beyond.pl. The firm's "Smart Hands Team" together with the Service Desk works 24/7/365-developing a very cooperative relationship with clients in which skills of their engineers, support, knowledge, and experience can be leveraged by clients. "We are partners for our clients," says Mr. Grzybkowski.