The Challenge
Deep expertise in Microsoft platforms and services has led Rachfahl IT-Solutions to be one of the top Microsoft Partners in Germany. "We work very closely with Microsoft, and have followed the development of Azure Stack right from the start," says Carsten Rachfahl, Managing Director of Rachfahl IT-Solutions. "We've gained a good understanding of what it offers and how to work with it, and are very excited about the prospect of integrating it into customers' hybrid cloud solutions."
The Solution
Rachfahl IT-Solutions has carried out extensive testing of Azure Stack using the developer kit. As part of the Azure Stack Early Adaption Program and Azure Stack Technology Adoption Program (TAP) Rachfahl has invested in an integrated Azure Stack appliance, that the company has incorporated into a hybrid cloud test lab at Interxion's Frankfurt campus.
The test lab environment can be made available to enterprises and other service providers who want to run tests and PoCs before deploying production environments. "It's the perfect way for organisations to experience the benefits of using Azure Stack in a hybrid cloud environment," says Carsten.
The test lab takes advantage of Interxion's Cloud Connect service to access Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute for direct, high-speed connectivity to the Azure public cloud. "If you want to ensure great performance for services spread across Azure and Azure Stack, you need guaranteed bandwidth between the two," says Carsten. "Interxion's Cloud Connect is an easy and cost-effective way to access the ExpressRoute service."
"Extending the Azure cloud into the data centre with Azure Stack means organisations can build hybrid clouds that are consistent across the public and private domains."
Carsten RachfahlManaging Director, Rachfahl IT-Solutions
About Rachfahl IT-Solutions
Rachfahl IT-Solutions has been supporting businesses and service providers in Germany for more than 25 years. Having started in PC-based computing, the company has kept pace with major shifts and trends in the IT landscape. Today, it's relied on by German enterprises and service providers for managed services and virtualisation and cloud solutions.
