Business and IT leaders worldwide are increasingly choosing to replace outdated, on-premises technology with cloud-based solutions that offer flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. This shift not only helps reduce IT expenses but also accelerates innovation. Undertaking a cloud migration journey is certainly a compelling proposition, but without a carefully crafted plan and specialized cloud expertise, it can prove to be a complex endeavor.

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the shift towards hybrid working, leading to a significant rise in cloud migration. According to recent research from Gartner, a renowned firm offering consulting services, global end-user spending on public cloud experienced a staggering growth of 21.7%, reaching $597.3 billion in 2023.

Cloud computing is experiencing an unstoppable surge as organizations across the globe persist in transitioning more services online. A common motive behind organizations embarking on a cloud migration is the aim to curtail IT infrastructure costs. Within the cloud, IT leaders have the impeccable ability to customize computing resources precisely to meet unique business requirements, thereby slashing unnecessary expenditures. Instead of having to pre-determine capacity needs, organizations can effortlessly adapt on the fly and bid farewell to redundant hardware or inflexible on-premises assets.

Migrating to the cloud, however, presents a unique set of challenges. Companies are faced with navigating obstacles and overcoming difficulties as they transfer their infrastructure, applications, and data from on-premises systems to cloud-based environments. This process requires meticulous planning and the implementation of crucial measures to guarantee a seamless and triumphant transition.

The challenges that organizations face when adopting cloud technology are varied and complex. They span across technical, operational, security, and organizational aspects. It is essential for organizations to fully comprehend and tackle these challenges in order to harness the advantages of cloud technology effectively. By doing so, they can mitigate any potential disruptions and ensure that their migration efforts yield maximum value.

FS Creation Co. Ltd. is a leading cloud computing company dedicated to assisting businesses in securing their cloud migration and cloudification processes through advanced feasibility studies methodologies. With nearly a decade of experience, the company has achieved substantial growth and made a significant impact on the industry by implementing crucial ongoing operations aimed at resolving business challenges.

Business Fortune spoke to Chieko Tsujimura, the Representative Director of FS Creation, about FS Creation's cloud migration and cloudification processes and the unique challenges the come with being one of the best in cloud migration sector.

Q. How did FS Creation begin? What is the story of the company?

Before the shift to cloud systems, we used to develop and implement systems based on customer requests and requirements. However, the level of customer satisfaction was disappointingly low, and a significant gap existed between us and our valuable customers. We started FS Creation in October 2014 with the belief that we could use feasibility studies to help social impact businesses.

Q. How has the company grown since its foundation? What are some of the factors that have led to the growth of the company?

Although it was not always smooth sailing, we received support from many customers.

After about six years of being established, we started receiving a significant increase in requests from Microsoft. They requested end-user seminars and SI support from us. This partnership played a pivotal role in our substantial growth and expansion.

Q. What were some of the key challenges the company overcame during its lifetime? What were the takeaways?

I have learned that hiring and training human resources are crucial and challenging. It is essential to train our SEs to have a deep understanding of a wide range of technical areas.

Comprehensive technical knowledge is essential for proposing and implementing a system introduction. This includes knowledge of networking, authentication, security, applications, and data. It is important to address any gaps with the customer. This is to aim for overall optimization of the system.

Given the accelerated pace of digital transformation, it is crucial to have IT engineers capable of developing proposals and designs that prioritize overall optimization.

We are beginning to have some success in establishing a method (though it is not yet perfect) for training these engineers and consultants.

Q. How does FS Creation safeguard the clients’ clod migration process? Can you detail it for our readers?

There are major changes when migrating from an on-premises system to a cloud system. The system does not exist within the company (LAN), but outside the company (Internet). Implementation restrictions vary depending on the type of services used, such as IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS, and they also impact usability and operation.

We will organize usage requirements and security requirements based on the major changes in cloud migration. We use the Feasibility Study method to combine the customer's initial requirements with our recommended values, have the client actually operate the system, and further refine usage and operational requirements while imagining actual operation after migration.

Additionally, system operations will not stop during the transition to the cloud. Especially things like personnel changes just happen and need to be processed without waiting for the system migration to be completed.

At FS Creation, we focus not only on post-migration operations but also on usage requirements and operational requirements during the transition period, and we provide solid support not only for migration but also for operations during and after migration.

Q. Why should customers choose to work with FS Creation over its rivals? What benefits do customers receive from choosing to do business with FS Creation?

I think there are three major points.

1. As we answered earlier, we value the smooth operation of our customers, so there will be no major confusion for customers during or after the transition.
2. An engineer can manage many different fields at once, giving a broad perspective to the project. This allows for a clear view of the entire system and ensures that everything fits together smoothly without any problems caused by separate designs.
3. We have extensive experience and a proven track record with Microsoft services, ensuring that customers can transition to Microsoft services with confidence.

Q. Much of FS Creation’s services are based on the Feasibility Study. How was the study developed? Why is it so important for the company?

We want to ensure our customers are completely satisfied with our system and will do everything possible to achieve that. To achieve this, it is absolutely necessary to close the gap between our customers and us. As we considered how to make our customers and ourselves aware of potential issues expressed as gaps, we found that we could identify them by actually experimenting with core functionality.

Moreover, the times were on our side. Even if we wanted to conduct a Feasibility Study in the on-premises era, there would be cost issues. In the cloud era, it can be used free of charge for 30 days, and there is no need to prepare separate hardware or software. Get started right away.

We don't want to introduce a system that our customers will regret.

It is extremely important to us that our customers are completely satisfied with the systems we have installed and can use them with peace of mind.

Q. How important has hiring the right personnel been for the rapid growth of the company? What measures does the company take to ensure talent retention?

When the company started, we worked hard to hire experienced people and were thankful for their help. Since the company started to grow little by little, we have focused on hiring people who sympathize with the company's policies and ideas and have a desire to grow further, rather than people with a lot of experience.

No matter how many methods there are, they need support and care to take root.

For two years, new employees will receive support from specialized staff to help them improve their skills and think and act on their own, and they will also receive mental health care.

From the third year onwards, mental care specialist staff will continue to provide mental care, and guidance, including work, will be switched to the supervisor.

At FS Creation, we strive to create an environment where employees can work with peace of mind without feeling mentally isolated.

Q. Can you talk about FS Creation’s Microsoft365 implementation support and AI IoT business services?

Microsoft 365 implementation support

• We support the implementation of any organization, regardless of size or industry.
• We can also support the deployment of Microsoft E5 Security, Microsoft E5 Compliance, and Copilot for Microsoft 365.
• In any case, we will place great importance on our customers' businesses and will provide full support, with the motto of ensuring that you will not regret anything.

AI/IoT business services

• We help our customers implement AI and IoT solutions using Microsoft Azure AI Services, Azure IoT, and the various Azure services that manage them.
• We can also provide advice in the areas of data collection and data cleansing.

Q. What are FS Creation’s plans for the future?

As IT democratization continues to advance, I strongly believe that companies like ours, which offer IT technology services, will need to undergo significant changes, or even evolve. The knowledge and expertise I have acquired up until now will not go to waste. However, I firmly believe that having comprehensive capabilities that prioritize "overall optimization," "data utilization," and "security" will become more vital than ever before.

FS Creation would like to further strengthen our comprehensive IT technology capabilities and support our customers in promoting the democratization of their IT and leading to digital transformation.

Q. Would you like us to highlight something important happening in your company that we may have missed asking about?

Nothing in particular. My sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart to your magazine for calling on us.

A brief biography of the Representative Director

Chieko Tsujimura serves as the Representative Director of FS Creation. She was born in Aichi, Japan. After graduating from a women's university in Aichi Prefecture, she began her career at a travel agency.

She switched careers and transitioned to the IT industry after working on system introduction at a travel agency. In 2014, Chieko co-founded FS Creation with Shuji Toyoda to specialize in providing support for cloud service implementation.

“We have a track record of implementation for a variety of customers, including machinery manufacturers, pharmaceuticals, and broadcasting stations.”

“As we move toward zero trust, we feel it is necessary to strengthen security, and from that point of view, we fell that Microsoft Business Premium is highly advantageous.”