Featured BizSpark Startup on Azure - ROK Solution

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Interview with Olivier Bourrouilh-Parège, CEO of ROK Solution.

Web site: https://www.rok-solution.com/

Tell us who you are and your role in the company:

I’m actually creator of the solution and also CEO of the company.  I’m in charge of the product vision, the company strategy but my major function is to find and reveal talents that might work and perform together in a good spirit and enthusiasm; people are the key point of our company.

What is your company’s mission?

The company is a pure player turned around one single solution: ROK-Solution

In 140 characters or less, tell us what your company does:

We edit ROK Solution, a collaborative platform which goal is to improve productivity performance and innovation in the company. Collaboration makes sense to us if the solution is, user friendly of course, but also flexible, adaptable, and technically powerful.  That means we integrate in the platform BPA, BPM, GRC, BAM and UC functionalities and technology. Using Microsoft technology gives us a wonderful advantage (integration of workflow foundation, BizTalk, Lync, Exchange …).

Tell us about your Azure based solution.

Investing in Cloud technology was not obvious when we started the project two years ago. Today it gives us a significant competitive advantage.

How is Azure implemented in your solution?

ROK uses  Windows Azure Web Role as a multitenant Web services application and Workflow engine using WCF and WF 4.0.

A dedicated SQL Azure database is reserved for each customer.

Documents in ROK are stored in the Azure Blob storage.

The configuration of all customers is defined in a unique configuration database.

How did you get excited about Azure?

Our Microsoft privileged interlocutor in Paris did a very good job to convince us.

What were the Azure features that prompted you to decide to build on Azure?

Simplicity and ability to provide both public or private needs.

What specific value are you getting from BizSpark beyond the technology?

BizSpark ensures us a technology watch and provides useful help in marketing support.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment since founding your company?

To be honest it comes the day Carlos Dominguez said « Collaboration + Technology + Process = huge $$$$ savings…. Collaboration is no longer an option or a choice, it’s a matter of survival!

What were the Azure features that prompted you to decide to build on Azure?

Being able to be as well on a private and/or a public cloud without difficulty.

What advice do you have for companies that are thinking about building in the cloud?

Go ahead, the worse that can happen to you is that your architect manager will have spend time to think about how to perform your architecture.