Start-up CloudSisters simplifies cloud management with revolutionary platform

Founder Mathias Van Hoorde: ‘Some companies get cold feet about migrating to the cloud because they worry about uncontrollable costs, migration problems or a heavy workload for their teams. All that is now a thing of the past. Our brand-new CloudSisters Service Platform allows customers to bring their applications and services to the cloud themselves in securely and compliantly.’

‘By compliant, we mean that the platform ensures regulatory compliance as regards data storage, management and security. An automated self-service approach with drag-and-drop functionality replaces labour-intensive manual work. This reduces the likelihood of human error, decreasing management costs. A dashboard provides a transparent overview of the environment and operational costs.’

CloudSisters presents itself as a young challenger in the cloud market. ‘By all means call our platform revolutionary,’ says Mathias Van Hoorde. ‘It ensures that companies can transition to the cloud faster, more easily and securely. We build and host the platform primarily in AWS, the leading provider with an open structure and excellent service.’

In addition, the start-up also focuses on data, AI and machine learning applications for specific industries.

CloudSisters also provides consultancy services. Mathias Van Hoorde: ‘As a managed service provider, we assist customers with advice on their cloud issues. We assess the current cloud environment through reputable IT models and advise on cloud migrations and optimal management.’

The cloud-first strategy is popular today, but CloudSisters does not favour it. ‘It presents potential risks. We prefer the value first strategy, which relies on hybrid clouds,’ says Mathias Van Hoorde. ‘Evaluate each application individually before migrating it. There’s often no added value in moving a stable or old legacy application to the public cloud. We help to identify those issues.’

The CloudSisters team consists of eight people, gathering knowledge of more than 20 years of experience in private cloud and eight years in public cloud.

The company initially targets medium-sized and large companies in the Benelux market, but does not hide its larger international ambitions. Within five years, CloudSisters aims for a turnover of 15 million euros.

CloudSisters will strengthen the Gumption group with its know-how, which complements the digital expertise of the other companies. ‘Our sister company at Gumption is Rank 1, a driving force within the group for ten years,’ says Mathias Van Hoorde. ‘The expertise of CloudSisters fits in seamlessly with that of Rank 1. It’s only natural that we’ll often work together in the context of hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments.’

‘While Rank 1 is a leader in classic IT infrastructure, we complement them with our innovative cloud solutions, cloud consultancy and our new platform. Think of us as the young, trendy sister (laughs).’

Chief technology officer Wouter Reyntjens is co-owner of CloudSisters. It is a conscious choice of the founders to start the company within the group.

‘Gumption is so much more than an investor,’ says Mathias Van Hoorde. ‘From the very first meeting, we noticed that Bart Embrechts of Gumption and Peter Vindevogel of Rank 1 were thinking along the same lines as us, like entrepreneurs. How do we make a difference in our business? How do we join forces with fellow companies? It immediately became about so much more than just the numbers. Entrepreneurship, co-creation and the content of the business were also central. Exactly the partner we were looking for.’