Case Study: Bringing Azure Eyes to Seafish with Trustmarque
Read how Seafish embarked on a digital transformation journey to modernise its IT infrastructure by migrating its on-premises environment to Microsoft Azure. This case study highlights the collaboration between Seafish and Trustmarque, focusing on the Azure migration, the role of the Azure Eyes service and its impact on Seafish’s IT operations.
Background
Seafish partnered with Trustmarque to transition its IT infrastructure to Azure, with the goal of improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and strengthening security. Trustmarque’s professional service engagement facilitated a seamless migration, followed by ongoing managed services to support and optimise workloads within Azure.
The Seafish IT team, and particularly Michael Judge, The Seafish – IT Infrastructure Administration Officer, has played a key role in driving these transformation efforts. After Seafish’s IT services had been fully optimised within the new cloud-based environment and further refined, analytical data was collected over a one-year period using Azure Eyes.
The Azure Eyes managed service became a critical component of this journey, ensuring continuous optimisation and proactive support.
Cost Savings
One of the most significant achievements of the project was the substantial reduction in Azure consumption costs. By implementing Trustmarque’s recommendations, such as reserved instances and right-sizing virtual machines, Seafish achieved a 67% decrease in monthly Azure spend.
“Azure Eyes has been a game-changer for us at Seafish. We’ve seen our monthly bills drop by almost 68%. It’s all thanks to smart moves like using reserved instances and right-sizing our virtual machines. The Trustmarque team has been fantastic, guiding us through the process and making sure we’re doing everything right.”
Michael Judge, IT Infrastructure Administration Officer at Seafish
Technical Improvements
The migration process involved the creation of a Landing Zone in Azure, the deployment of new virtual machines, and the modernisation of infrastructure services. This transition eliminated dependencies on ageing hardware that was nearing end of support, resulting in a more robust, secure and scalable environment.
Trustmarque’s expertise ensured a smooth transition, with knowledge transfer empowering Seafish’s internal team to take full ownership of the new cloud-based infrastructure.
Implementation and Azure Eyes Service
The implementation was carried out in a phased approach, starting with a current state assessment, followed by workload consolidation and the migration of essential services to Azure. Trustmarque provided guidance on best practices throughout the process, instilling confidence in decision making and enabling a well-optimised Azure infrastructure.
“What I really love about Azure Eyes is how it breaks down complex information into something we can actually use. It’s given us the confidence to make big decisions about our IT setup. And it’s not just a one-time thing – the ongoing reviews and tweaks have been crucial in keeping our Azure environment lean and secure.”
Michael Judge, IT Infrastructure Administration Officer at Seafish
The Azure Eyes service played a crucial role in ongoing optimisation, with regular service reviews identifying potential cost-savings and security enhancements. This continuous improvement model ensured that Seafish’s Azure environment remained cost-effective, secure, and aligned with industry best practices.
Key Benefits:
Cost Optimisation
Azure Eyes provided granular insights into cost-saving opportunities, such as reserved instances and right-sizing virtual machines. These recommendations significantly reduced costs and improved resource efficiency.
Security Enhancements
The service also focused on improving security, identifying vulnerabilities and recommending best practices to enhance the overall security posture of Seafish’s cloud environment.
Operational Excellence
Through regular performance reviews and strategic recommendations, Azure Eyes helped Seafish maintain a high level of operational efficiency, ensuring the IT infrastructure remained resilient and capable of supporting business growth.
“Looking back, I can see how much Azure Eyes has helped us move forward. Our IT infrastructure is in a much better place now, and we’re running more efficiently than ever. It’s been a real eye-opener for us at Seafish.”
Michael Judge, IT Infrastructure Administration Officer at Seafish
Conclusion
The collaboration between Seafish and Trustmarque, particularly through the Azure Eyes service, has been a resounding success. This digital transformation journey has led to significant cost savings, enhanced security, and operational efficiency.
Trustmarque’s expertise and ongoing support have been invaluable in overcoming challenges and ensuring the successful implementation of cloud technologies. Seafish is now well-positioned to leverage its optimised Azure environment for future growth and innovation.
Seafish’s experience with Trustmarque and the Azure Eyes service underscores the value of expert guidance, collaboration, and continuous improvement in modern IT infrastructure.
“Azure Eyes has truly been worth its weight in gold. The significant cost savings and invaluable guidance it provides have been instrumental in creating a more secure and efficient IT environment for Seafish. I can confidently say that the service has been really good and really useful, making it an indispensable asset to our operations.”
Michael Judge, IT Infrastructure Administration Officer at Seafish
