Featured BizSpark Startup on Azure - Techila Technologies

Interview with Tuomas Eerola, Vice President of Techila Technologies.

Web site: www.techilatechnologies.com.

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

Vice President.

What is your company’s mission?   

Techila enables applications to utilize the infinite capacity of the Cloud quickly and easily.

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

Techila is the missing link between applications and the computing capacity of the Clouds. Techila is a middleware solution, which enables the use of Cloud capacity for computationally intensive applications. Techila enables applications to harness the capacity of the Cloud without any complexity.

Tell us about your Azure based solution.

The challenge in HPC isn't the availability of CPU power, as the unlimited capacity of Windows Azure Cloud platform demonstrates. The real bottleneck is in taking advantage of the available power, as the HPC applications cannot manage the related complexity. Addressing this requires massive redesign and rewrite... or the Techila middleware, which automatically distributes and regroups the computations, enabling the applications to take full advantage of any available capacity. The most applicable use cases are in areas involving data-analysis, optimization, simulation, and modeling. With Techila, even the existing applications can be integrated easily and securely, delivering an unparalleled experience without any complexity.

How is Azure implemented in your solution?   

Techila can use Azure in two ways: Techila supports building a private HPC cloud on Azure and run the solution full-Azure, or Techila can be used to integrate the Windows Azure Cloud services securely to the organization’s existing infrastructure, and to implement an infinitely scalable hybrid cloud for computationally intensive applications.

How did you get excited about Azure?

Techila wants to bring HPC to every desktop. Making this reality requires making high-performance computing power as easy to use as is the electricity power from the socket. Cloud services can offer enormous amounts of computing capacity, but not all vendors have productized them to a level, where you can really trust on the platform. Techila has noticed that the Windows Azure team shares Techila’s passion of developing the product for high quality and ease of use.

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

Windows Azure is a platform on which you can trust. The Windows Azure team shares Techila’s passion of developing the product for high quality and ease of use. Commitment to quality and focus on the customer needs prompted Techila to build on Azure.

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

The BizSpark Program has had a dramatic effect on Techila’s credibility in discussions with potential customers. Microsoft has also offered Techila great support and guidance on marketing, sales, international expansion and funding.

As a member of the Microsoft BizSpark program, Techila’s research and development have all Microsoft developer tools and operating systems available. Techila would not have been able to afford the investment needed for the licenses. With BizSpark, Techila has received access to these extremely valuable products, which have enabled a successful development of a unique solution and a fast progress in the business.

Startups in the BizSpark community, program mentors and Microsoft people have a wide experience and a lot of information in developing early-stage software businesses. Being self-initiated in the BizSpark community will help a startup in benefiting from this knowledge potential and will certainly pay back.

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

Understand your customer and understand what is the really compelling reason for them when selecting a HPC solution.

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

Azure is a great platform. Give it a try, and you will not be disappointed!

What is the one thing that you would like readers to take away about your Azure app?

Unlike any other HPC middleware solutions, Techila can be integrated easily and used securely, without the complexity.