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Premier FME Cloud MSP

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1Spatial is a Premier FME Cloud MSP

On the recent FME World Tour, I presented some of the benefits of FME Cloud. The World Tour events were very popular and I know many people were unable to attend. Here, I’d like to summarise the benefits with those who couldn’t make it to an event.

Safe Software, the company behind FME, has awarded 1Spatial the status of Premier FME Cloud MSP, making it one of only three Premier-level Managed Service Providers globally.

But, what is FME Cloud? Is it right for your business? And, how could working with 1Spatial benefit your business?

Let’s take a look.

What is FME Cloud?

FME Cloud is the hosted version of FME Server. It gives you all the power and functionality of FME Server with the added flexibility, scalability and versatility of the cloud. It’s also just as up to date as FME Server, with FME Cloud 2019.1 instances being ready to deploy right now. In fact, we’re currently going through a programme of updates for our existing “managed” cloud customers to ensure they have the latest features.

FME Cloud has automation at its heart, so you can easily schedule, automate and share even complex, parallel or sequential, data workflows.

New, simpler to use triggers and actions let you initiate processes automatically based on system events, changes to monitored data-sources (including cloud sources) or a simple schedule.

Sharing is simpler, too. You can share workflows with non-technical users inside or outside your organisation, and you can also feed workflows into a machine-to-machine (M2M) process. Security token creation and management makes it easy to control access as required.

FME Cloud is enterprise-ready. It’s built on Amazon Web Services so users enjoy the benefits and certifications of AWS. All connections are encrypted, users are allocated granular, role-based permissions and the system is backed up regularly.

The 2019 release also brings performance improvements, both in simpler but more powerful functionality and in pure processing speed. FME Cloud gives you unlimited engines and easily scalable storage, so you can scale up or down in line with business needs.

Is FME Cloud right for you?

Cloud versus on-premises is an important decision for organisations.

FME Cloud addresses many of the traditional concerns about cloud, but the decision will always be unique to your business needs.

Here are some factors to consider in your decision:

  • Hardware procurement – With FME Cloud you skip the hassle of procuring and managing hardware. In fact, you can be up and running in less than 10 minutes.
  • Spikes in usage – What’s your usage pattern? With FME Cloud, you can avoid the traditional trade-off between peak-performance and idle, excess capacity. With Cloud you can scale up and down in line with demand, or simply turn it off!
  • Granular control – What level of control do you require over your infrastructure? For some, the need for close control means an on-premises deployment of FME Server is best.
  • Third-party software – Do you need to run other software alongside FME, such as Esri? If so, on-premises FME Server may be a better option.
  • Where is your data? – If your data’s already in the cloud, then FME Cloud may be ideal. Running FME Cloud in close proximity to AWS or Azure stored data, or simply interacting with an API REST endpoint, is a major advantage point for some customers.
  • Quick start or one-off proof-of-concept? – With FME Cloud, you can be up and running in less than 10 minutes, and you can turn it off just as quickly. If you need your project to hit the ground running, or if you just want to evaluate FME Server without the worry of resourcing hardware, FME Cloud is ideal.
  • Preferred payment model – procurement policies can often affect a cloud / on-premises decision. However, FME Cloud and FME Server are both available with flexible payment options to meet most business needs.

Benefits of working with a Premier FME Cloud MSP

FME Cloud will deliver enormous benefits for many organisations, but what are the additional benefits of working with 1Spatial as a Premier FME Cloud MSP?

This year, 1Spatial celebrates a 20-year relationship with Safe Software. Over those years, we’ve built a depth of knowledge and expertise with FME.

We have a great relationship too, built on mutual trust and competence. Should we ever need support from Safe Software, we get a swift result. For example, we recently requested that FME Cloud be available in Amazon Web Services London Region for a client (it was previously only available from Dublin and Frankfurt within the EU). Safe Software turned around our request in just a couple of weeks.

At 1Spatial, we prefer to partner with our clients, not just work for them. As an FME Cloud MSP, we offer our subject matter experts to join forces with yours, so that you get a cloud solution that delivers the results and information you need, not just the data.

1Spatial is accredited as a Premier FME Cloud MSP, one of only three around the globe. Why does this matter?

It means we can offer our customers the following:

  • A fully hosted and managed service, billed in your preferred currency – So you avoid any nasty foreign exchange shocks.
  • Purchase order / invoice payment model – We recognise that the usual subscription model for cloud services doesn’t work for every organisation.
  • Managed security and updates – As a managed service provider, we monitor and manage FME Cloud on your behalf.
  • UK/EU time-zone support – With 1Spatial, you get support when you need it, on a UK and EU – not US and Canada – time-zone.
  • Try for free – Still not sure? Speak to us about a 200-hour free trial of FME Cloud.

UK Government customers may also like to know that 1Spatial supplies FME Cloud (and other services) through the government’s digital marketplace, G-Cloud.

Want to know more?

FME Cloud from a Premier FME Cloud MSP like 1Spatial could be a game-changer for your organisation.

It combines the power of FME with the scalability and agility of the cloud. It’s managed and supported in your time-zone, and billed in a procurement-pleasing way, in your preferred currency.

Does that sound interesting? Many of those I spoke to on the World Tour thought so.

If you’d like to learn more, or discuss how FME Cloud could benefit your organisation, give me or one of the team a call on +44 (0)1223 420414 or contact us

I look forward to hearing from you.

David Eagle, FME Division Manager