Microsoft Azure with OTOKO®

Azure under control.

Microsoft Azure is meant to carry your applications, enable new projects and fit into your existing Microsoft environment. That takes more than a few subscribed services. OTOKO® combines platform setup, migration and operations with transparent cost and contract planning: from user rights and networks to the question of whether a commitment pays off for your actual usage.

What we take on for you

Microsoft Azure

Planning, implementation and agreed operations by OTOKO®

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Your brief for OTOKO®

Turning individual Azure projects into a shared platform.

A business unit needs a new environment at short notice while IT is still coordinating access, networks and budgets. At the same time, applications are already running in subscriptions set up in different ways. This is exactly where we start: recording what exists, defining shared rules and onboarding the next applications on a solid foundation.

What you engage us for

The engagement follows your starting point: organizing an existing Azure landscape, building a landing zone or migrating applications including handover. Implementation includes configuration, testing and documentation. Systems and service scope for the subsequent support are defined separately; we look at procurement questions together with your technical planning.

The services in detail

Scope

Building, integrating and operating Azure cost-effectively.

The modules range from a shared platform base to contract review. The starting point can be a new application or an existing landscape; technical dependencies and the desired scope of support determine the order.

Setting up Azure for your teams

New projects need a defined place in your Azure landscape. To achieve this, we structure subscriptions, separate test and production, and assign rights and cost centers. Reusable configurations help your team build further environments to the same rules. Existing resources are reviewed for how they fit into this structure.

What your team keeps working with

A versioned landing zone with a role model, policies and a documented path for new subscriptions.

Technical implementation

Azure landing zone and governance

Management groups, subscriptions and resource groups structure your Azure landscape. We define the separation of development and production, roles with Azure RBAC and rules with Azure Policy. Naming, tags and budgets are coordinated with the responsible people. Terraform or Bicep implement the agreed foundation as infrastructure as code.

Connecting your existing IT with Azure

User accounts, name resolution and network paths must work together across the cloud and the data center. We plan the connection based on your applications and their communication paths. Access and connections are then set up and tested, including the question of which business processes would be affected by an outage.

What your team keeps working with

An access and network concept with documented connections and tests of the required data paths.

Technical implementation

Microsoft Entra ID and hybrid networks

Identities and network access are considered together: existing Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, administrative roles, DNS and network segmentation. For the connection to the data center, we assess site-to-site VPN or ExpressRoute. Routing, name resolution and failure scenarios are clarified before the migration.

Moving servers and applications to Azure

Not every application moves in the same way. Together with your owners, we review servers, databases and interfaces, select a suitable target environment and group related systems into migration waves. Functional testing, a coordinated cutover and the handover to operations are part of the same project.

What your team keeps working with

A workload assessment, a migration plan and coordinated acceptance for the transferred applications.

Technical implementation

Azure migration and application modernization

We assess virtual machines, databases and interfaces and plan migration waves. Azure Migrate can support the inventory assessment. For the target state, we compare Azure Virtual Machines, App Service and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) based on your application. Functional tests and fallback options accompany the cutover.

Organizing day-to-day operations

An alert only helps once someone knows how to respond to it. For your Azure systems, we align monitoring, reporting channels, backups and recovery with your operational requirements. This results in defined tasks for your team and for the support we take on.

What your team keeps working with

An operations and recovery concept with alert paths, backup scope and agreed recovery tests.

Technical implementation

Azure security, monitoring and recovery

Azure Monitor and Log Analytics help you monitor your environment; Microsoft Defender for Cloud can provide additional security assessments. We define which alerts are handled, who responds and what retention is needed. Azure Backup and, where appropriate, Azure Site Recovery are assessed against your applications’ recovery targets.

Making cloud spending understandable

Which application is driving the rising bill? Cost tags and usage data make spending attributable to individual teams and systems. On this basis, we review unused resources, appropriate sizing and running times. Changes are prioritized with the owners and checked against actual usage.

What your team keeps working with

An allocated cost base and a prioritized action plan with owners and verifiable assumptions.

Technical implementation

Azure FinOps and usage transparency

Using cost tagging, Azure Cost Management and technical usage data, we allocate spending to teams and applications. Rightsizing, unneeded resources and scheduled development environments are considered first. Only on this basis do we assess Reservations or Azure Savings Plans, so a commitment does not lock in unnecessary consumption.

Reviewing Azure contracts and terms

A low rate is only worthwhile if the commitment matches demand. Existing contracts, expected usage and possible programs are therefore assessed together. Our comparison sets out prerequisites, contract terms and billing; discounts or rebates are taken into account on the basis of specifically confirmed conditions.

What your team keeps working with

A traceable comparison of offers covering term, commitment, eligibility, billing and terms confirmed in writing.

Technical implementation

Azure sourcing, commitments and terms

We look at your existing contract and sourcing route, such as CSP or a direct Microsoft agreement. A Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC), Reservations and Savings Plans are different instruments. We check possible discounts, incentives or rebates against the specific program and offer; they do not arise automatically from a commitment.

Planning & implementation in detail

Azure in the enterprise: what must be clarified before expansion.

An Azure environment grows with the requirements of the business units. For it to become a coherent platform, architecture, operating organization and procurement must be planned together. We work with your IT department and the respective application owners on these decisions.

Build sensibly on existing Microsoft structures

Many companies do not start with a blank slate: user accounts already exist, individual teams use Azure and local applications access internal directory or file services. Before expanding, we therefore capture which identities, subscriptions and network connections are actually in use. What matters here is not only the configuration, but also how it came about: who set up an exception, which application needs it and who can decide on a change? This current-state review prevents a new target state from disrupting working business processes without anyone noticing.

Based on the existing setup, we develop a structure in which responsibilities and technical boundaries fit together. Development and production receive the necessary separation; administrative tasks are assigned to suitable roles. Together we also clarify how another team requests an environment and who approves costs and access. Onboarding the first project serves as a practical test. This gives your team not only an architecture diagram but a clear way to use the platform day to day and to develop it further on its own later.

Plan applications together with their future operation

When moving an application, asking which virtual machine fits is not enough. Databases, logins, external interfaces, background tasks and reachability from the corporate network must be taken into account. Together we look at which components can be moved over unchanged and where an adjustment is sensible or necessary. The decision weighs changeover effort, operational tasks and existing skills. A modernization that is technically possible does not automatically have to be part of the first migration wave.

Monitoring, backup and recovery are already assigned during target planning. Which alerts are relevant for operation? Who checks functionality after an update? Which data must be consistent with each other after a recovery? Such questions feed into the test plan and the handover. A representative workload helps to test the procedures before further moves. Only by assessing the technology and the business function together can you see whether the foundation is ready for additional applications.

Match commitments against consumption and change plans

A contractual decision affects your costs beyond the next billing month. That is why we look at existing purchasing channels and commitment periods together with the planned use of the platform. A project that is winding down, the modernization of an application or a changed period of operation can significantly change demand. We put consumption data into this context instead of simply extrapolating past peak loads. Technical optimizations should be visible before a longer-term commitment is assessed on the basis of today’s consumption.

The comparison sets out the term, prerequisites, billing and how robust the usage assumptions are. Commitments, reservations and savings plans are treated as different options, not presented as interchangeable discount promises. We take possible incentives or rebates into account only based on the specific program conditions and confirmed offers. This keeps your decision verifiable: procurement and IT can see which assumptions it is based on, what obligation results and which changes should still be clarified before entering into a commitment.

How we work together

You know your business.
We handle the agreed cloud work.

You do not have to organize every technical step yourself. We record tasks and decisions and involve your team wherever its knowledge or approval is needed.

Assessing the tenant and the project

Existing subscriptions, connections and contracts show which foundations are already in place. From this, we define the scope of the setup or further development.

Your contribution: Name the affected applications, tenant owners and planned changes.

Testing the target environment

Configuration, access and data paths are tested on a selected application. Further environments follow only after the joint assessment.

Your contribution: Your application team checks the business processes and approves the next steps.

Assigning operations and costs

Configuration and operational tasks are handed over. Cost centers and reporting channels make responsibility for the running environment visible.

Your contribution: Confirm the owners for operations, budget and further approvals.

Meeting room at the OTOKO® Cologne office

Example project scenario

Bringing order to an Azure landscape that has grown over time

This is what a joint project could look like. The specific scope results from your current situation.

The current situation
Several teams already use Azure. Access, network connections and billing follow different rules.
Our approach
We assess the environment, define a shared target structure and move applications into it step by step.
The target state
A transparent platform with clear responsibilities and a cost overview, on which further projects can start according to plan.

What you get

Results your team
keeps working with.

Azure target architecture with an account, network and permission concept
Implementation plan with migration, testing and acceptance
Documented operations with responsibilities and a cost overview

Planning Azure technically and financially

Review commitments, discounts
and rebates.

Any possible discount must match your actual needs. We review the purchasing model, usage and commitments with you before you commit.

Understand usage
Look at existing costs, expected usage and planned changes together.
Review options
Review suitable programs and purchasing models based on eligibility, contract and term.
Understand the terms
Document the discount or rebate, billing, obligations and prerequisites in the specific offer.

Whether benefits are available, and to what extent, depends on the specific program and your offer. The terms agreed there apply.

Discuss your Azure terms

From interest to a concrete engagement

How we prepare
your project.

For the first consultation, these documents do not yet need to be complete. Together we clarify what is available and which information the assessment should add.

Helpful for getting started

Tenant and subscription structure, plus existing contacts
Workload list, sites and key dependencies
Cost exports, existing contracts and foreseeable changes in demand

How this becomes a specific quote

The scope of services, the involvement of your team, required access, acceptance criteria and the handover are recorded in the quote. Provider fees, project services and ongoing operations are clearly separated.

Discuss your assessment

Before you start

Your questions.
Clear answers.

How does OTOKO® help with Azure commitments, discounts and rebates?

We review consumption, existing contracts, planned terms and suitable purchasing models together with you. Whether a commitment, discount or rebate applies depends on the specific program, your eligibility and the concrete offer. Terms, commitment periods and billing are clarified in writing before a decision is made.

Which services does OTOKO® offer for Microsoft Azure?

Plan Azure, migrate applications and develop operations further. OTOKO® combines technical implementation with a review of your cost and procurement options.

Can the cloud be connected to our data center?

Yes. A hybrid architecture is planned based on your interfaces, identities, networks and requirements for availability and data locations.

What is the difference between MACC, Reservations and Savings Plans?

MACC refers to a contractual consumption commitment to Microsoft. Reservations apply to specific eligible resources; a Savings Plan commits you to an agreed hourly amount for eligible usage. Applicability and terms are checked separately. None of these models is a flat rebate.

Can we keep using our existing Microsoft environment?

Yes. We review the tenant, identities, subscriptions and dependencies before making changes. However, existing Microsoft 365 usage replaces neither the Azure architecture concept nor the review of the licenses and permissions needed.

Can Azure be combined with Telekom T Cloud or our own data center?

A hybrid or multi-cloud architecture is possible. We explicitly plan data flows, network connections, identities and responsibilities as part of this. Data transfer, latency and additional operational complexity are part of the decision.

How much of a discount or rebate will we receive?

A fixed amount cannot be stated responsibly without a review. What matters is the sourcing model, eligible consumption, term and program rules. We document promised benefits and prerequisites in the offer; planned savings are not presented as guaranteed results.

Microsoft Azure with OTOKO®

Where is your Azure environment holding you back today?

Bring a concrete project: an upcoming migration, unclear subscriptions or the next contract decision. Together, we define the scope of the task and clarify which inventory and usage data are still missing for a reliable quote.

First consultation on Microsoft Azure

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Azure under control.