Microsoft Cloud solutions
Infrastructure on Azure, designed
around the business it runs.
GEMIS designs, deploys and manages business systems on Microsoft Azure — where applications and data live, who can reach them, how they are backed up and how they recover.
The situation
When the system depends on one machine
A system on a single office server depends on that server, its power supply, its backups and the person who looks after it. Azure changes those dependencies — but only when the environment is designed for the business rather than copied from a template.
Signs you may recognise
- The core system runs on one server in the office.
- Nobody is sure when a restore from backup was last tried.
- Staff cannot reach the system away from the office network.
- Access is granted and removed account by account, by hand.
What GEMIS delivers
Each layer, planned for the system it carries
The parts of an Azure environment GEMIS designs and puts in place.
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Microsoft Azure
An environment sized for the system’s workload, cost and growth.
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Azure SQL
Managed databases for the system’s data, with backup configured as part of the design.
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Cloud hosting
Applications hosted on Azure, reachable securely from where the work is done.
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Identity management
Sign-in and permissions managed centrally, so access follows each person’s role.
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API integration
Interfaces through which the system exchanges data with other platforms.
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Disaster recovery
A plan for restoring data and services after a failure, agreed as part of the design.
How the engagement works
From the current setup to a managed environment
A migration and a new build follow the same thinking; a migration adds a way back at each step.
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Review
What runs where today, what it depends on, and what the business needs from it.
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Design
Hosting, data, identity, backup and recovery, each sized to the system.
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Deploy or migrate
In stages, with the existing setup kept available until the new one is proven.
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Operate
Monitoring, updates and cost reviews — by GEMIS or your own team, as agreed.
Evidence from real projects
Where this has been done
Projects whose recorded scope shows this work. All case studies
The case studies record the platform each system is built on. They do not describe the hosting arrangements in detail, so none are claimed here.
Construction services — waterproofing and roofing
SBS Waterproofing
Recorded in the case study as built on Microsoft Azure, .NET and SQL, and in daily use since 2015.
Read the case study
Insurance and home services — plumbing repairs
HomeAssist
Recorded as built on Microsoft Azure, .NET and SQL, with every job across the country visible in one place.
Read the case studyQuestions
Common questions
The questions that come up first about Microsoft Cloud solutions. Anything not answered here is worth raising in a discovery conversation.
Where will our data be hosted?
Azure has regions in South Africa as well as abroad. The region is chosen with you for each system, taking into account where your users are, cost and your obligations under POPIA.
Does moving to the cloud make our system secure and compliant?
Not on its own. Azure provides strong building blocks, but security and POPIA compliance depend on how the environment is configured, how access is managed and how the system handles personal information. We design for those explicitly and are clear about where each responsibility sits.
Who maintains the environment after it is set up?
That is agreed per engagement. GEMIS can manage the environment as part of ongoing support, or hand it to your own IT team with the design written up.
Can an existing system move without disrupting the business?
Most migrations can be staged to keep disruption low — for example by running old and new side by side, with a way back at each step. How much disruption remains depends on the system, so it is assessed before the plan is agreed rather than promised in advance.
What will it cost to run?
Azure charges for what the environment uses, so the running cost depends on the system’s size and usage. The design includes an estimate, and the cost can be watched once the system is live.
What happens during load-shedding?
A system hosted in an Azure data centre does not depend on your office having power, so staff with charged devices and a connection can keep working. It does not remove the need for connectivity at your end.
Microsoft Cloud solutions
Tell us what your systems run on today.
Where they are hosted, who looks after them and what worries you about that. We come back within two working days with a short written view and a time to talk.