Thanks to the cloud, software companies, like Ascender, can package their applications as services and make them available to anyone with a browser and internet connection. If only it were that simple.

Complex technology and security must work perfectly in the background – in that mysterious place called the ‘cloud’ – for application providers to deliver a slick customer experience.

Meeting rising demand for cloud-based services, HR and payroll specialist Ascender went to market for a partner to provide the cloud launch-pad for their payroll services. Chief among their concerns was control and security. With large clients in both government and private sectors, Ascender required a cloud platform that could scale as client payroll numbers fluctuated, and keep client data safe using systems that satisfied the Department of Internal Affairs.

Ascender finds control and scalability in hybrid cloud with CCL’s CloudCreator

“CloudCreator puts us at the controls – and clients couldn’t be happier.”

Rodger Whitehead

General Manager, Ascender

All aboard the hybrid cloud

CCL’s hybrid cloud platform delivers Ascender’s launch-pad, rounding out the payroll provider’s on-premise and hosted offerings.

CCL ticked all the boxes. The All of Government IaaS panel provider offered a range of cloud platform options and a control panel that is helping Ascender and its clients prosper in the cloud.

CCL’s hybrid cloud interweaves public cloud platforms with arguably the leading tier-3 data centre network in New Zealand, allowing clients to develop and deploy applications where they want, within one consistent cloud ecosystem.

More than simply raw infrastructure capacity, Ascender liked the look of CCL’s automation layer, which kept the focus on app features and revisions, rather than infrastructure.

Turning the dials

Ascender GM Rodger Whitehead said CCL’s cloud dashboard, CloudCreator, allowed administrators to moderate VMs and storage to match client workloads.

Underscoring the importance of scalability, one Ascender client managed a payroll that ballooned to 15,000 payments for one month a year. For the remaining 11 months staff numbers plateaued at just 600. “We can dial up capacity, add VMs, and monitor database capacity and licensing, and then peg things back in quiet times,” said Whitehead. “We’re at the controls – and clients couldn’t be happier.”

Hybrid Cloud at Ascender

Ascender is ready for lift-off. CCL’s hybrid cloud platform delivers unlimited scale to support the ebb and flow of client workloads. CloudCreator puts them at the controls to manage VMs, storage, and reporting.

  • Better control: CCL’s CloudCreator provides dashboard controls to dial up capacity for seasonal peaks, and scale it down in quiet times.
  • Cost transparency: Monthly reports show unit costs and consumption.
  • Peace of mind: Ascender rests easy knowing that CCL’s Homeland Cloud and data centre network is vetted and approved by the DIA
  • Hybrid options: CloudCreator opens the door to future hybrid deployments and integration with Azure public cloud.

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