Born Into The Cloud: Journey of UBX Cloud

In this very unique segment of DQ Channels, we have covered M/s. UBX Cloud. becoming a Cloud Partner. Mohamed Ali, Managing Director shared his entire journey about how he moved to the cloud business, challenges, growth, and future vision. 

When and how did you transition to the Cloud Business?

UBX is a company that was entirely born in the cloud. Our journey began in 2008 when we combined infosec services, data center, and server infrastructure into one package. Our very first product was a desktop as a service platform at a time when this concept was relatively unheard of. Initially, people considered our approach unconventional, and adoption was niche. However, our unique specialization helped us earn a solid reputation in the Midwestern United States.

What different Cloud services do you offer?

We offer Private Cloud as a Service, Business Continuity as a Service, Desktop as a Service, and Cyber Security as a Service. Unlike public cloud providers, we accompany our clients on their journey, co-managing or fully managing it as part of our services. Our comprehensive service package includes expert support.

What changes have you implemented in your organization to transition to the cloud in terms of team, skill set, infrastructure, and other aspects?

We uphold four core principles: Team Success, Be Profound, Be Authentic, and Be Indispensable. We are proud to be the first global Private Cloud Services Provider to offer all our cloud services in FlashStack Infrastructure, a combination of Cisco Compute, Pure Storage, and Cisco Nexus Switches. Our approach is to work closely with each client to build the ideal solution, involving in-depth conversations about their current and long-term IT goals. We strive for simplicity, solving issues without unnecessary complexity, and enjoy finding solutions. Our engineers are passionate about technology, and they see client business challenges as exciting new ventures.

How does Crayon Software help you grow your business and customers?

Crayon Software provides essential products and services that support our day-to-day operations. Their team brings innovation and fresh ideas to the table, bolstering our pipelines, and creating a win-win business situation. They play a vital role in helping us manage increased demand and expand into new markets. We value Crayon's guidance, expertise, and support.

How are your existing and new customers adopting new technology and transitioning to the cloud?

Our existing UBX customers are expanding their reach, adopting more of our services, and migrating more workloads to us. They typically start with managed backup services, then deploy infrastructure servers, and eventually explore our Desktop as a Service (DaaS). The value proposition of working with experts who understand their systems and needs, and provide specialized assistance for growth is a significant factor.

Prospective customers who haven't begun their cloud journey approach us for guidance. We carefully review their organizational goals and propose tailored solutions to set them on the right path.

Mature customers who transitioned to public cloud providers are now recognizing the impact and cost of having to self-manage their workloads without support and backups. Many of these customers are concerned about variable costs and end up limiting workloads to save on expenses. In 2023, we're witnessing a significant trend toward cloud repatriation, and UBX offers a middle ground by providing a utility-like consumption model that's easy to understand.

The growing threat of cyber warfare is another factor driving cloud adoption. As a cloud services provider, UBX invests heavily in security measures and infrastructure to protect customer data by design. We offer a robust data security platform that minimizes cost and risk compared to clients managing their own on-premises infrastructure. Our engineers prioritize data protection, uptime, and security in their daily work.

How many customers do you have who are utilizing your Cloud solutions, and what are their different verticals?

We currently have 250+ customers and counting! We cater to a variety of verticals and are mostly agnostic. All our customers have a journey or path to the cloud, and we work closely with them to achieve their objectives. We serve many sectors, but the Banking, Financial, and Defense sectors are seeing heavy adoption of private cloud as the cost and limited visibility of public cloud pose regulatory challenges.

What challenges have you faced on this journey?

More recently, we've been dealing with supply chain delays and manpower constraints. The COVID pandemic has increased the demand for our DaaS platform, and fulfilling these orders with limited supply and manpower has been challenging.

What has your overall growth been like as a cloud partner?

UBX Cloud is a 15-year-old company that has experienced significant year-over-year growth for the past four years. We anticipate this momentum to continue.

What are your future goals?

UBX aims to significantly increase our investment in South Asia, particularly in India. We plan to expand our cloud infrastructure capacity and engineering team, as well as roll out cybersecurity solutions tailored to our Indian customers. We're excited to embark on this journey with Crayon and other trusted partners in our network.