As a Houston cloud computing firm, we frequently receive questions on whether it’s more practical to outsource your IT function or dedicate in-house assets to it.
This is an increasingly important and pertinent question. IT has become integrated into the business process and has become complex enough to require outside assistance. Yet, each organization has different processes, applications and security procedures that can only be managed by those intimately knowledgeable of their specific situations.
Does the cloud computing service align with business needs?
So, for the sake of objectivity, I’ll relate our experience in working with our clients. At the outset of our relationship, we ask some of our clients to categorize their specific IT functions into two compartments: “mission-critical” and “market advantage”. It’s a common exercise, but have found it useful in determining how to allocate IT resources.
Some firms have specialized processes and applications that help improve performance and create a competitive edge. Other IT functions are critically important, but won’t necessarily create a competitive advantage.
Processes or functions in the "market advantage" category typically remain in-house. Conversely, an organization shouldn’t dedicate too many in-house resources in areas that are neither critical nor create a competitive edge; these can be outsourced to the most cost-effective alternative.
When to outsource to a cloud computing provider
Non-differential mission critical functions should be outsourced to a vendor with the best track record. Vendors that can fill the gaps left by the in-house team can also be outsourced. For example, network performance and security are mission-critical, but can be done more effectively by outsourcing it to a third-party, such as a private cloud provider (especially if this function is a “differentiator” for the provider).
Occassionally, we find that many high-ranking business officials prefer a physical presence to a tech support phone number. In these instances, we dedicate one of our engineers to go onsite for four hours each day. We also server a 200-person law firm that employs an IT Director to steer the strategic ship (“differentiator”) and we dedicate one of our engineers to work there full-time to support the partners and troubleshoot on-premise issues, such as projectors, printers, etc.
Reasons to Switch to the Cloud
Our friend Josh Stein of Confio Software shares his thoughts on cloud computing. Confio focuses on cloud computing and database performance monitoring solutions for SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 and Sybase databases and VMware servers.
It used to be that IT departments were "stuff"-heavy organizations that included all of the hardware and equipment necessary to run company systems, enterprise software, and all the other computer and networking needs of a company. Things are decidedly different today - or at least they have the potential to be. With new, small footprint technologies like SaaS (Software as a Service), virtualization, and cloud computing services, IT departments can significantly reduce their expenses for hardware and other traditional IT infrastructure.
A recent study by Gartner showed that only a small percentage of CIOs have most of their IT department using cloud or SaaS. So what's it going to take to get your IT group using cloud or SaaS?
Like any other new technology, you should use cloud computing services to align with bottom-line business reasons:
Cost Reduction
Unlike other changes in technology, moving to the cloud does not require upfront investments for hardware and other overhead. There is also additional savings for the pay for play model of cloud computing. You pay for only the resources that you use, unlike managing your own infrastructure, which has fixed costs regardless of utilization.
Focus on the Business
Unless your company is a consultancy, chances are that you are not in the business of delivering IT services. Many IT departments, however, find themselves dealing with and solving IT problems and often must place business goals as secondary priorities. Migrating to the cloud also migrates those IT problems to your cloud services provider, freeing your IT group to actively contribute to growing the business.
The Future Starts Today
Yes, I know that I said that you shouldn't adopt a new technology just to adopt a new technology, but as the Gartner study makes clear, cloud computing is not only here now, but it is also the future. Some estimates suggest that spending on cloud technologies will increase by 200% by 2015. That type of spending will bring far-reaching changes to IT delivery. It may not be much longer before most services are delivered through the cloud. Waiting until that day will put your IT organization at a steep competitive disadvantage. Cloud computing is a bandwagon that is worth jumping on early.
Keeping up with IT infrastructure is both costly and frustrating. Who hasn't upgraded only to find those upgrades obsolete within six months? Cloud computing removes that risk and helps to make your IT group, and your business as a whole, more competitive in rapidly changing markets.
Green office week is May 14th to 18th. Prepare by making some minor changes to the way the office does business. There are several simple, easy ways to make a business go green. Going green doesn't just make sense environmentally, it also saves money, promotes sustainability and provides businesses with a positive public image. Each day of the week concentrates on a different green issue. To prepare properly, businesses should know the focus for each day of the week. Plan ahead to provide employees with an overview of the week so that they have an idea of what to expect ahead of time.
Monday: Energy
On Monday, talk with employees about ways to reduce energy consumption. The IT department could easily install screensavers and change energy preferences on computers to put the hard disk to sleep when it isn't being used, as well as other minor changes that can add up to big energy savings. Compare Internet fax services to find one that uses energy efficient systems. Employees should remember to turn off lights and shut off electronics that are not in use. Talk about other remedies and ask each employee to offer suggestions to conserve energy. There is no reason to cool or heat an empty building, so ensure that the thermostat is set accordingly to save energy when nobody is in the business.
Use cloud computing services to eliminate the need to power or cool onsite servers. We recently spoke with an attorney who paid $1200 a month to power and cool his legal IT equipment. A cloud computing provider move in-house IT to a safely monitored, disaster-proof data center.
Tuesday: Transportation
Ask employees to work from home or carpool at least one day a week or consider riding their bicycle to work once a week. Offer an incentive for employees that bike to work. Make it easy for them. If there isn't an area to lock up their bikes when they get to work, consider installing a bike rack. Clients might appreciate the added convenience as well.
Use cloud computing services to allow employees to telework from home. Nearly 1.35 billion gallons of fuel worth $4.5 billion at the current average price could be saved if everyone with the potential to telework did so just 1.6 days per week. Some cloud computing providers have administrative consoles that allow management to monitor remote activity.
Wednesday: Waste Reduction
Set up initiatives to reduce the amount of waste created, reuse materials that can be reused and recycle when possible. Ask employees to avoid printing emails unless absolutely necessary. If they need to print something that isn't a priority ask them to use the backside of an already printed on piece of paper.
Use cloud computing services to share documents electronically. Instead of printing documents to share with co-workers or clients, use a cloud-connected iPad or tablet to display information. Government agencies have already created incentives for businesses to become more energy-efficient with programs like Houston's Flex and the City initiative.
Thursday: Purchasing (& Discarding)
Reserve Thursday for a discussion of purchasing new and environmentally friendly products. Don't throw away current products since that would be wasteful. Brainstorm ways to reduce the purchase of environmentally unfriendly items. Consider ways to purchase items sources from sustainable resources. Experiment with re-manufactured ink cartridges, in most cases there is no difference between those and new cartridges. Buy only energy efficient devices that lower the overall electricity usage. Compare Internet fax services to replace faxes in the business to reduce electricity costs.
Use cloud computing services to reduce the purchasing and discarding of IT components. By providing a centralized repository for all data, files, and applications, cloud providers reduce the need to purchase system components, such as servers, networking equipment, back-up equipment. The life of local workstations (desktops, laptops, etc.) are extended by as much as 100, since the local resources are minimally utilized.
Friday: Innovation and Planning
With the week completed, schedule a meeting to review the week's event and how well they were implemented. Have an open discussion about the future of the company and how to implement lasting changes that can help the company continue their path towards becoming increasingly green.
Use cloud computing services to not just accurately forecast IT costs, but also the costs of energy consumption, office space and implementing a remote workspace.
Special thanks to Lindsey Marino of FaxCompare.com, a web fax services FAQ section that get answers to your online fax questions.
Thinking about implementing cloud computing, but not sure where to start? Register for a free educational webinar, "6 Steps To Understanding & Implementing Cloud Computing".
It can be difficult to determine the technology and gadgets to implement into your business. With so many IT options, it can be overwhelming to manage a budget, especially for those with limited knowledge of technology.
Tablet Devices
Tablets, such as iPads, are all the rage but may not necessarily meet your business objectives. Having everything at your fingertips is he primary benefit when using a tablet. With tablets you can instantly show clients a webpage or pre-prepared digital portfolio. If applicable, you can visit new outlets and stockists with a small selection of your products, and have your documents, pricelists and codes to hand. It would also make for smart professional presentation without scraps of papers and easier transportation if all your documents are stored on a small slim line device.
Smart Phones
Connectivity is the name of the game with smartphones. In today's connected world, a few hours can make all the difference. Replying to emails in a timely manner comes across to clients as professional and organized.
If your company has a fleet of trucks or if your salespeople need directions to an important meeting, smartphone users have apps, videos, and instant online market research on-demand.
What to research: Before making a purchase, check the specifications of the model. Can it do everything you need it to do? Is it compatible with your current IT network's system components, such as software, desktops and laptops? How long is the battery-life? If the tablet is stolen or lost, can the data be erased remotely? Are you paying for the functionaility or the brand name?
Cloud computing provider helps: Since all your data, files and applications are accessed remotely from a centralized cloud computing environment, the compability of different gadgets. Furthermore, employees don't have to worry about lost tablets since the data is not stored or run on the gadget itself.
Article written with assistance from Kirsten of WhoIsHostingThis, a service that gathers hosting reviews from real users allowing others to determine which hosting company to use.
Thinking about cloud computing, but not sure where to start? Register for a complimentary educational webinar: "6 Steps to Understanding & Implementing Cloud Computing"
Many modern-day advancements look great on paper, but don't necessarily translate into success in the real world. As with most trends, the buzz surrounding cloud computing services has been followed by a rash of naysayers and cynics branding cloud computing as a hyped-up marketing gimmick.
With the growing prevalence of cloud computing, we interviewed two business owners on whether moving to a cloud computing provider lived up to the hype. Here's what they said:
Our Story: How cloud computing implementation helped our business
Mary Ellen Wilson, Expert Home Solutions, Inc.
We have been using cloud computing for over two years and find it to be extremely useful in our business of real estate. The cost is minimal and saves a great deal of time sharing large documents and organizing our files.
1. Sharing documents and files
We share documents, pictures, many files that would take a great deal of time to upload and download. We store this information on the cloud computing provider's site, freeing up our own computer and having a secure place where all who have access can use and store documents.
We save a great deal of time and time is money using the cloud in our real estate business. When we do any sale but especially short sales, we need to share documents and pictures with the many professionals who make a sale happen. We have listing agent, selling agents, title, escrow, short sale negotiator, seller, buyers. Uploading to email takes so long. With the cloud these documents are shared with the individuals who need them. I can also make folders for each so that only the documents they need to see are available to them. And since it is secure, we can store our transactions here. The best part is we just drag our documents from our computer to the folder. We can move documents to the various participants easily without uploading and downloading.
The reality is that most small business need to go to the cloud to better manage their technology and marketing costs. Also many of the small businesses are using multiple devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops/desktop and the only cost effective way for them to keep all the data in sync is via the cloud.
Why we use cloud computing and advise our clients to do the same
Tim Pacileo, TheBoardRoomAdvisors, LLC
Not only do we run our entire company from the cloud but we also advise other small business on how to do this as well. We take advantage of all the social media services and tools as well as email services to keep out cost down and still effectively market our services and products.
2. Most companies are already in the cloud
Most companies are already in the cloud if they are using services such as Facebook, Google, a hosted web site, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. There are also many account packages, data storage solutions and other offerings that are readily available for many small to mid size companies that are more cost effective then having the manged inhouse.
3. Fortune 500 capabilities for a small business cost
Most small business do not have the resource to properly manage both the security and data back-up capabilities provided by the cloud providers. Additionally they tend to hold onto their software and hardware too long in an attempt to save upgrades and/or replacement solutions.
4. Freed up resources
The cloud gets the small business owner out of the technology management business. The cloud computing provider takes care of the hardware and software upgrades and provides for better back-up and security than the small business could ever provide, and there are many free solutions that drive down costs even further. I personally am managing four different companies all from a laptop and smart phone all applications are in the cloud including all of our banking and financial management.
Learn more tips on transitioning to the cloud and how to avoid the common risks in a free educational webinar, "4 Steps to Successful Cloud Computing Implementation"
The goal of risk management is simply to manage risk down to the lowest possible level, within acceptable parameters which mean the chances of the risk actually happening are minimal. One way in which business can achieve a high level of risk management, and thus a low level of risk, is by achieving the ISO 27001 standard. The ISO 27001 standard enables you to bring together all of your information security management systems and ensure you have one, controlled system which does the job you and your business needs it to do.
Don't allow yourself or your business to fall foul of data protection or privacy guidelines. In these economic times a rather large fine is something no-one can easily deal with. Achieving the ISO 27001 standard can significantly reduce the chances of this happening.
Working towards the ISO 27001 standard
The ISO 27001 standard gives empowers managers to look after information security systems within a business. However, with great power comes great responsibility. As such the managers are also fully accountable for ensuring the system and controls are maintained fully.
It is also down to the manager to ensure that any risks are dealt with promptly and minimized, thus achieving the aim of having an effective risk management system in place. Ensuring all of this is maintained in both the short and long term will not only deliver first class risk management standards but also falls within the parameters of the ISO 27001 standard.
The ISO 27001 standard it simply acknowledges that risk management is in place. This brings the added pressure for the managers to ensure it is properlt implemented and in force at all times. This is akin to standing in a court of law to protect yourself and stating that you had the system but just didn't maintain it!
There are many groups who can award the ISO 27001 standard, however ensure your business is aiming for high quality risk management standards first, and the rest, as they say, shall take care of itself. There are many online forums which can be explored to pick up great information, ideas and best practice which can help get your business' risk management systems off heading in the right direction before you begin looking at ISO 27001 standard accreditation.
To learn more about the Iso 27001 standard, visit Iso27001standard.com.
Did you know?
Many small and midsized organizations move to a cloud computing provider to secure their data and comply with legislative compliance. Register for a complimentary educational webinar: "6 Steps to Understanding & Implementing Cloud Computing"
Businesses are sometimes portrayed as solid entities that rarely change. Indeed, it’s often expected that large companies will always be selling the same products and services in three years that they do today. Many professionals know that this is not a true reflection of the way in which businesses operate.
In reality, many undergo regular changes and transformations. These may involve moving into new markets, or tackling internal reorganizations. At a more practical level, changes can involve moving to different premises.
Computer services and the dreaded office move
There may be many different drivers of such changes. If business is booming for your organization, as an example, you may consider moving to larger premises. You may well have heard various horror stories about commercial relocations going wrong.
The problem is that most companies move offices on an irregular basis. This means that there’s usually a lack of expertise and understanding available. You may not have an expert within the business who is able to successfully manage the relocation.
Ultimately, your customers need to have confidence in the level of service that you provide. They need to know that you’ll be able to continue to deliver. In many senses, they probably don’t really care about the location of your company. They will start to worry, however, if an office move starts to disrupt the service that they receive.
Businesses that house their IT equipment at their offices face further risks when company files and phone systems are inaccessible during the move. Even the most accomplished IT support provider can't troubleshoot issues for computers that are packed away or in transition.
In addition, it is not uncommon for IT equipment, such as servers, desktops, and network devices to be damaged or lost during transit. If data must be transferred to new systems, files can also become corrupted or lost. Essential data will be inaccessible until the point in which the organization recreate their computing environment, load and test the data (a process that would typically take at least a week).
Treat relocation as a business continuity project
Think about your own relocation project as you would your disaster recovery or business continuity plan. This certainly means having a dedicated project manager and suitable plans in place. An office move is far too important to leave to chance.
The same is certainly true with regard to your files and data. Failure to adequately prepare might lead to damaging results that may lead to lost customers and revenue.
Partner with a cloud computing provider to mitigate the risks
Organizations that move to a cloud computinng provider at least three to six months to an office move are less likely to incur the common risks of an office move. Since all data and application are already housed and run at a secure offsite location, it is no longer neccesary to move servers and other key IT equipment. More importantly, data need not be transferred to new systems, thus reducing the risk of lost or corrupted files.
In fact, organizations that transition their files and applications to a cloud computing provider no longer have to worry about transfering data every three to five years while they refresh and update their on-premise IT systems.
Special thanks to Keith Barrett, office removals London specialists, who contributed to this article.
Learn how to transition to the cloud and avoid the common risks in a free educational webinar, "4 Steps to Successful Cloud Computing Implementation"
Transitioning to a cloud computing provider can give you the tools to take your business or firm to the next level. But what happens to the data after it's copied or backed up to the cloud? Whether you have old hard copies or elecrotronic files this data must be safeguarded or destroyed.
Data destruction is necessary for any organization that want to avoid the legal issues, bad press and angry customers that come with having your private information get into the wrong hands. Regardless of why you are destroying the data, seeking out a data destruction service is a smart choice before reusing or throwing away any media.
Digital information is nearly permanent, especially if the hard drives are well guarded. While this is normally a boon, it can be a problem if you need to throw away the hard drive. If you are switching over your business practices, removing secure files because they are outdated, going out of business or upgrading your equipment then you need to securely destroy the data. Data comes as both a paper medium and digital one, and both have different destruction methods.
Paper Data
While most businesses are starting to convert to primarily using digital media for saving files, the paper medium is still popular. Paper documents are often archived for years and they can contain trade secrets, secure account numbers and other sensitive information that can be devastating if in the wrong hands. One of the most basic ways of destroying paper is shredding it. This can be useful, but there is a weakness. People who are dedicated enough to go “dumpster diving” for this information may tape together the pieces to reconstruct the information. Due to this, other methods of destruction are commonly used. The paper can be rendered into ashes through incineration, turned into pulp through maceration or broken down to a powder through pulverization. It is impossible to read the documents after these destruction methods.
Electronic Data
Hard drives store a huge amount of sensitive information. For example, a business may have credit card numbers from common customers or anyone who recently purchased an item through the business’ website. Letting this information fall into the hands of a malicious person is irresponsible and may lead to legal issues and public backlash. If you want to reuse the hard drives, then hard drive wiping is a suitable destruction method. A proper wipe will remove most or all of the files from the hard drive. While this destruction method usually does not get rid of all the files, it is good if you are keeping the hard drives within the business. If you are scrapping the hard drives, then there is a better destruction method. Hard drive shredding turns the hard drive into a very coarse powder. It is impossible to get any information from a shredded hard drive and this ensures complete destruction of any data on the hardware.
Article courtesy of ROUND2, an Avnet company and national provider of vertically integrated, closed-loop, 100% green compliant electronics recycling services.
Learn more tips on transitioning to the cloud and how to avoid the common risks in a free educational webinar, "4 Steps to Successful Cloud Computing Implementation"
Most small business owners recognize the need for putting together a business continuity plan, but few get beyond the stage of "planning to have a plan". Your small business disaster recovery and continuity plan is no good if it never goes beyond just making a list of the worst things that could happen to your business. A real plan does more than just identify risks; it finds ways to reduce those risks, and ways to put things right if they do go wrong.
If you're finding it difficult to build a strong plan, try breaking things down into the following steps:
Step 1: Assess Your Risks
This part should be easy for most businesses. Make a list of the worst things that could possibly happen to your business. That could be a break in, a systems failure, a fire, or the illness of some key personnel. You will need a business continuity plan for each of these scenarios.
Step 2: Mitigate Your Risks
Once you identify the most significant risks to your business, you need to figure out ways to minimize the risk. This includes backing up your data and computer systems, upgrading your security system, installing sprinklers and a fire alarm, and cross-training your employees so that you will always have someone who can pick up the slack if someone takes ill. For each potential issue, identify ways to reduce the risk, and implement those measures as soon as possible.
Step 3: Create Your Plan
No matter what precautions you put in place, some risks still exist, so don't get complacent after step two. You still need to have a sound plan in place to ensure that your business can recover if the worst happens. That plan should be as detailed as possible.
Include emergency contact details for locksmiths, glaziers, your insurance company, plumbers, the local council, the local police office, IT support specialists, and other relevant specialists. Also, include a section with the details of key staff members, your main suppliers, and current clients. You should also keep a record of your off-site backup locations, your insurance policy details, and anything else that you're likely to need to get hold of in a hurry.
Lay out detailed instructions for your employees about what they should do if they're the first on scene at a crisis. You should make sure that all of your senior employees know who to contact, what to prioritize, and what to say if there's any media interest. If this sounds like overkill, remember that it's better to have a business continuity plan that contains information you never need, than one with major omissions.
Step 4: Test, Test, Test
Once you have a business continuity system in place, test it. Obviously, you can't create an emergency, but you can role-play one. Get your employees to pretend they've arrived on-site to find it's broken in to. Ask them who they'd call, and what they'd do. Pick a quiet day and get people to use only their laptops and the VPN - can they work like that, or do they constantly have to switch back to their PCs because vital information is missing. It may feel silly, but you'll learn a lot by testing your plan.
This article was written by James Harper on behalf of Maintel; experts in business continuity.
Does your business have a disaster plan in place? Download a complimentary 10-Step Disaster Preparedness template.
It was inevitable.
As with most trends, the buzz surrounding cloud computing services has been followed by a rash of naysayers and cynics branding cloud computing as a hyped up marketing gimmick.
The common knock against the cloud is the lack of control – perceived or otherwise – which some say can lead to security and performance issues. Others feel that the cloud will not always produce a benefit of cost and cash effectiveness
Cloud computing's value varies by the size and makeup of the client organization. On the surface it would seem that cloud computing best serves organizations that are firmly established with a less-than-robust IT system already in place.
Cloud computing's value differs by organization and sector
However, we engaged with a small law firm who had recently disbanded from a larger firm simply because the managing partner refused to put a "dollar sign" on the security of his clients' confidential data.
The bottom line is that each cloud computing benefit should always be tied to a specific business benefit. If it meets that specified criteria, the cloud should be viewed as a viable alternative to on-premise IT.
Will moving to the cloud automatically guarantee a benefit of “cost and cash effectiveness”? I would caution any executive against accepting this assertion at face value.
Cloud computing, like any other venture, should be weighed against concrete business objectives. Organizations whose goals fail to align with cloud benefits should pursue an IT model that better fits its needs.
Proof in the numbers
However, it’s difficult to dispute the benefits of the cloud, which has helped organizations eliminate capital IT expenses and scale technology growth, rather than over-invest to meet demand. Cloud solutions have also allowed small and midsized organizations access to technological capabilities and IT resources once only available to Fortune-500 level enterprises.
Do all small and midsized organizations need ALL these capabilities? Typically, no. However, for it is reassuring for small business executives to know that they have the same security-levels in place as their larger counterparts.
This is not to say that moving to the cloud will guarantee security 100% of the time. I don’t think the Pentagon can even realistically make that claim. The cloud solutions should be compared against the organization’s current IT model – not against “utopia”.
Here are a few additional signs that your organization may consider a cloud-based solution:
• Your on-premise IT is a disruptor of business operations
• You want to convert fixed IT costs to variable costs
• Your on-premise IT cannot meet legislative compliance
• You need to invest resources in other opportunities
• You need to increase speed to market
• You need to accommodate for future growth without overinvesting
Are you a fan or foe of cloud computing? Please share some of your successful – or failed – cloud experiences.
Thinking about cloud computing, but not sure where to start? Register for a complimentary educational webinar: "6 Steps to Understanding & Implementing Cloud Computing"
Cloud services look like a $100 billion-plus opportunity by mid decade. Think, Internet 1997. But is cloud computing worth this level of excitement? In 1997 companies were excited about Internet technologies potentials and worried about security, privacy, bandwidth, standards and more – sound familiar? As Yogi Berra said, "This is like deja vu all over again." In spite of these problems “internet technologies ” transformed communication and commerce? Why? The ability to deliver business value.
In 2012 and beyond, Cloud successes will be measured using that same yardstick, business value. The individual increments will be the ability to increase business agility, decrease cost with on-demand infrastructure and services, speed development, and improved reliability. Each increment is a key to growing the productivity of the organization.
Cloud computing services must be utility-based, self-service, secure and most importantly, have levels of application performance that improve productivity. User adoption is the linchpin of any application’s business value but without great performance user adoption any application, no matter how innovative or impactful, will fail to deliver its intended business value.
Wide Area Network (WAN) Optimization software and virtual appliances allow applications to perform as expected, and can be part of any on demand datacenter architecture, rather than part of a farm of tactical networking hardware appliances that currently predominate in most IT environments. Leveraging cloud computing for business applications and maximizing the clouds business value requires full featured, secure, scalable, high performance software WAN optimization for every location and user in an organization.
Cloud success requires integrating network services that are very far away and often owned by strangers
Business information and resources are increasingly being accessed at global scale distances, from enterprise and cloud sources using Internet, Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Multiprotocol Language Switching (MPLS) connections. At the same time, expectations for application performance are rising
Enterprises embracing the cost and scalability benefits delivered by cloud computing and service provider’s consumption and utility-based models, must balance the need for security and user expectations for access and application performance. Users don't care if the resource is in a cloud or on the moon; they expect their applications to work quickly and flawlessly.
Enterprise heterogeneous and decentralized needs
Enterprises today are a heterogeneous mix of hardware and virtualization platforms, custom and off the shelf applications, storage technologies, networking equipment and service providers all strung together in a web around the globe.
Clouds, company datacenters, branch offices, home offices, coffee shops are all part of the new enterprise. Decentralization of information sources, virtual servers, and users takes this heterogeneous infrastructure and explodes it, creating management and access problems across the globe.
The effort to make this mix of services and technologies useful, affordable and valuable has service providers of all types rolling out a range of cloud service models (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) , “anything” as a Service (“X”aaS)) and an array of deployment models (private, public, and hybrid clouds), that promise provide flexibility, scalability, cost savings that will create competitive advantage. But, even these environments are a heterogeneous mix of virtualization technologies from 3 or 4 vendors.
This combination of a infrastructure, enterprise and cloud services demands that WAN Optimization solutions be built to support this heterogeneous flexible infrastructure; they must use and be managed with the same building blocks as the environments they support. WAN optimization cannot continue to be a halo product deployed to part of an organizations locations, or attempt to be a solution to cloud problems as a piece of hardware outside the stack of virtualized storage, servers and virtual networking.
Bottom line: the success of cloud computing is irreversibly linked to network virtual appliance WAN Optimization and Application Acceleration technologies, because distance, security and multi-tenant environments demands require it. Any WAN Optimization solution used in any cloud must be a virtual appliance that provides secure access, application performance and global scale for it to be a cornerstone of that cloud environment, whether it is Private, Public to a Hybrid of the two.
Shawn Cooney is the co-founder, director of research at Certeon, the leader in delivering virtual appliance solutions for optimizing applications in the cloud.
Need help getting started with your cloud computing implementation plan? Register for a complimentary educational webinar: "5 Steps to Understanding & Implementing Cloud Computing"