Moving to Cloud and Ahead – How Good is Your DIY Approach to Networking?

Migrating to the cloud and revamping your organizational infrastructure to be cloud compatible are two different things. What companies need to do is the latter but what they invest in, is the former. The solution is cost-effective and might, at some point in time, generate results, the fact is the choice that most of the organization consider beneficial, isn’t revenue driven.

Cloud journey is not only about adding cloud-based services but in a manner that can table down results. Meaning that while you make the shift, from the traditional form of networking to one, that is primarily cloud-based, you need to be sure that your existing network is cloud compatible. Some do believe that their network is competent but here again, technologies voice a different opinion. Those wired, big desktops with LAN connections are no longer supported and it’s time that your matured infrastructure receives a renovation. They might have worked flawlessly, driving exceptional results, but fails when it comes to unleashing the true potential of the present-day cloud ecosystem.

But what’s wrong? What is makes the old architecture of an organization incompetent with the cloud?

To Map The Ever-Growing Business Needs

Today, organizations aren’t restricted to just their boundary or a specific region. Instead, they spawn across countries, creating a huge network, one that might not have persisted a decade ago.

The top firms have different offices, all scattered in different regions, thousands of employees and hundreds of work projects. Considering that you still use your old network, connecting and communicating on such a wider scale is either not feasible, or even if, it manages to draw a connection, it is slow.

Also, such a network isn’t capable of engaging employees debarring the idea of unified decision making.

Further, outdated systems or poorly engaged software suites embed plenty of operational and functional issues, which could be eliminated, if you plan on integrating a new, cloud competent architecture. It is important that organizations integrate a network system that supports greater bandwidth, better speed, enhanced usage, and abide by the present-day business needs.

Fine-Tune Services To Meet Business Needs

It is evident that enterprises that make use of combined solutions, one provided by the network provider and other through the carriers can weave a cloud competent network. These effectively help the organization perform the necessary steps as needed in their journey of migrating to the cloud. In addition to the above, the adoption of a streamlined network supports the development of digital services and surfaced over the much-needed aspects of price, performance, and security.

Merging or shifting your existing infrastructure to an optimized network further unveils the true advantage and in a way, embed enhanced bandwidth while adhering to the needs of saving money. Such software specific network further automates the entire network processes which otherwise, the organization had to do it manually, hiring a professional and adds to the cost. Automation of these basic processes turns incredibly responsive and agile, with the excellent option of setting up additional services of the business.

Also, this fosters the improvisation of the end-to-end performance amidst the wireless users working in their offices and on the go, with their data centres, towards the cloud. The last yet the most important, such networks lock down the entire network security, even though it is cloud-integrated, with the inception of tools and policies, that surround a safe and secure environment, eliminating the possibility of risk.

So, what do you think? We think by now, you would be convinced of not being rigid and actively, restructuring your organizational architecture to be cloud competent and have a software-oriented network, that is proven to be beneficial both for the organization and its workforce.

Of course, if you are planning to give up on the Do-it-yourself method and have a modern-day network in the cloud-specific world, you would surely need someone to guide, assist and overall, help you. Right?

While you are analyzing and assessing whom to approach, we have a few prerequisites to keep in mind, before seeking help.

What to Prioritize For When Looking For Help

  • The Right Set of Resources that are available whenever you need

    To start with, look for someone who is efficient in designing and modelling the entire network. One that has experience in using resources that can make the change is worth collaboration. It is no surprise that the technology industry is in constant rage and there would never be an instance where you don’t have to troubleshoot problems. Hence, it is always advisable that the one you take help from can focus on designing prospects. If the team, you choose to work with is capable of rendering round the clock facilities, then congratulations, you have found the right fit.

  • The Skills

    One (individual or agency) who has the appropriate skills as well as the expertise to put your organization’s in-house talent to functioning is the right fit. A typical IT organization definitely focuses on driving the most from its workers, using their skills to outshine in the competitive world. However, when it comes to cloud, maintaining the legacy network technologies turns a bit cumbersome.

    Given the complexities in the cloud-centric world, for example, the skills needed in the latest infrastructure for coding as well as scripting techniques, it is important that the global team is adept in performing round the clock operations. One who is experienced can implement next-generation networks, without worrying about what it takes to do the job.

  • The Assets and Aids

    Have exceptional assets along with capabilities that speed up the entire process of implementing the network. Such as, professionals you’ve hired should have hands-on experience and have worked at different industries, upscaling their business operations, making use of tools, and accelerators. Having such a team can effectively assess the complexity and manage the scale of the transition, automating most of the processes and workflow with ease.

  • Communication

    Connect remotely with the teams, draft an engagement between members and align tasks as needed across the entire business infrastructure.

Conclusion

It is evident that no matter what you do or how exceptional is your cloud solution if your old network isn’t designed to be cloud-specific, you are not driving the most from the cloud collaboration. In order to reap benefits, you need to rebuild and do it effectively.

 

Azure SignalR Service for ASP.NET – All you need to know.

ASP.NET developers now have an open-source library to integrate a feature in their web applications in real-time. Now before we go ahead to see how Azure SignalR Service helps the developer perform enhancements in their web applications in real-time, let’s see what exactly we mean to say through the term – Real-time web applications.

Real-time web applications are one where the transmission of information between the clients and the server takes place instantly. Meaning that clients need not wait before being updated with a change in the piece of software code. To be precise, real-time applications are where developers have server-side code push content to the clients connected at the time of its occurrence.

Easily Integrate Features & Real-Time Functionality within Your Web Apps

And this is what SignalR does for the asp.net developers. Embedding the same would help the development companies to integrate broadcasting functionality within their web applications. In the absence of such a library, there is a need to re-establish communication between client and server for every request raised for the HTTP connections. However, SignalR entails a persistent connection between the client and the server along with RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) to reach the client’s browser in real-time.

So, SignalR is definitely a better choice for developers seeking a way to integrate real-time communication within their apps.

Communication Models – SignalR

  • Persistent Connection

    SignalR is one of those libraries which prefer incorporating the persistent connection API. As evident, SignalR exposed low-level communication protocol and such an API help developers’ access the same easily and effectively. The given API is seen to work with a direct messaging format and does not entail the model of remote invocation.

  • Hubs

    Writing a high-level API written over the API of PersistentConnection enables the server and the client to communicate and connect with each other directly, i.e. call each other methods. Further, having a hub allow sharing strong parameters to the class methods thereby enabling model binding.

Microsoft.Azure.SignalR.AspNet v1.0.0 – The Newest Version of SignalR, as Released

Microsoft announced the support preview for ASP.NET in 2018, at Ignite. Sooner, Microsoft made an announcement on the release of 1.0.0 version of service SDK with ASP.NET support! The above support would come as part of the preview version of SDK for the developers to build applications using ASP.NET SignalR.

As a fully managed service of Azure Platform, Azure SignalR Service enables real-time messaging. Such a platform bell scale application of ASP.NET Core SignalR. However, SignalR Service has been built on the platform of SignalR for ASP.NET Core 2.0, and not compatible with the platform of ASP.NET SignalR. Meaning that there is a need to modify the code so as to turn the applications of ASP.NET SignalR compatible with SignalR Service. Further, there is a need for ASP.NET support for service SDK.

Use Cases of Azure SignalR Service

  • Cross-Platform Chat

    To boost the development of high-performing and reliable chat applications.

FLOW

  • The app of Webchat connects to the SignalR Service and would then receive a token.
  • User can first log into the app surpassing the multi-factor authentication; and only after the same is passed, the user can get hold of the SignalR endpoint and bearer token.
  • Using the above-generated token and endpoint, users can draft a connection with SignalR Service.
  • Instant Broadcasting on Serverless Architecture

OVERVIEW

To aid the one-to-many communication in real-time backed up by updates using the serverless code.

FLOW

  • A client can pull the content of the web app from blob storage
  • The endpoint and SignalR token received by Web app
  • The user now connects to the web app
  • The connection then triggers the event of the database via Functions
  • Data pushed by functions into SignalR Service
  • And this is then pushed to the client
  • Real-time Web Dashboard

To securely manage, control and monitor data streamed from an array of devices connected to the Internet.

FLOW

  • Web app first draws a connection with the SignalR Service and then receives a token
  • Next, the user connects to the web app and gets hold of the token and the SignalR endpoint
  • Now, the user can connect to the SignalR Service
  • Next, the data is sent both to the user and the SignalR service from a real-time source.

Architecture – Azure SignalR Service

For applications that are, self-hosted on SignalR, communication starts with the application server listening to request made by the clients’ for drawing a connection. The server monitors and further manages all client connections. Using the SignalR Service, the server of the application first responds to the request of the client and then, redirects the same clients to the SignalR Service in order to set up a consistent communication between the client and the server.

Benefits of Using the Azure SignalR Service for ASP. Net Applications

  • To quickly and easily draft communication in real-time for web application

Using the service of Azure SignalR, ASP.Net developers have the ease to integrate real-time communications within the web application.

  • Focus on the core business and not just infrastructure management

Using Azure SignalR, developers eliminate the need to sit back to provision and further maintain servers needed to add real-time features in their solution. As evident, SignalR Service is completely managed, thereby making it easy for them to make their application compatible with real-time communication. Developers need not stay concerned about the scalability, hosting, load balancing, etc!

  • To the Driven maximum advantage of the entire range of Azure services

Azure has a lot to offer. Integrating the same, developers can deploy features of Azure App Service, Azure Storage, Azure Functions, Azure Analytics, Azure Active Directory, Azure Storage, IoT, Power BI, Machine Learning, Cognitive Services, etc.

To sum up, SignalR Services have tremendous benefits with the major one being the compatibility with real-time client-server engagement. So when used appropriately, it can help the ASP.NET developers to enhance and upgrade their applications and improve overall productivity.