The Cloud: A Look at Today and Tomorrow

Transcription

1 The Cloud: A Look at Today and Tomorrow The cloud is still in its infancy Most cloud services are IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS Organizations should understand their needs and walk before they run In the future, cloud services will become simpler and more widespread March 13, 2012 Orin Thomas, Microsoft MVP Jonathan Vincenzo, Technical Director, Savvis, a CenturyLink Company in partnership with

2 Overview The cloud is still early in its development and will evolve tremendously in the next few years. But already, organizations can use the cloud to store data remotely, add capacity as needed, and rent hardware and software instead of buying it. In the future, the cloud will become even more valuable and convenient. An increasingly important use of the cloud is database clouds. They can improve the quality of service, provide agility, reduce complexity, and reduce IT costs. Creating a database cloud is not as simple as just installing a database on a bunch of virtualized servers. It requires customization and expertise related to performance, security, provisioning, and the network. Savvis has deep database cloud expertise and the company s Symphony product is a market leader. Cost comparisons of Symphony versus licensing and other cloud options show significant savings. Context Orin Thomas shared his thoughts on where the cloud is today, its benefits, and how to get started. He also projected the cloud s future. Jonathan Vincenzo provided Savvis perspective. He shared background on Savvis, explained what is driving businesses to the cloud, described database clouds, summarized Savvis product portfolio, and described the advantages of Symphony Database. Key Takeaways The cloud is still in its infancy. While the cloud has received much attention, it is still early in its maturity. There is no accepted definition of what the cloud is and there isn t standardization of cloud services. Cloud vendors are still figuring out the best approach and organizations are still trying to determine their cloud needs. Most cloud services are IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS. The main types of cloud services are infrastructure, platform, and software as a service. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Organizations use IaaS to create hosted solutions using virtual machines and storage. Once an organization has virtual machines, it can run any operating system. Then, solutions can be built, applications installed, and people can access the virtual infrastructure as needed. Virtual infrastructure capacity can be added rapidly and inexpensively by renting it instead of buying it. Infrastructure as a service allows a rapid elastic expansion of capacity... it can be cheaper than locally hosted physical servers because you only pay for what you use. Orin Thomas Page 2

3 Platform as a Service (PaaS). Providers can put a platform on top of infrastructure and developers can build custom solutions on top of a provider s platform. Users can connect straight to the platform without seeing or dealing with the underlying infrastructure. Savvis Symphony Database is an example where customers can connect straight to a cloud-based database. Software as a Service (SaaS). Instead of an application being hosted on a local computer or corporate network, users simply connect to an application hosted in the cloud. Previously, an organization purchased software and deployed it to workstations. With SaaS, people in any location access an application from the cloud. The cloud has benefits for most organizations, but isn t the solution to all problems. Most organizations can benefit from cloudbased services. A few examples: Cloud-based backup. Traditionally, organizations backed up files to tape or disc and stored backups offsite. This took time and effort and was inconvenient. A cloud-based backup allows files to be backed up via the Internet and stored remotely. Rapid prototyping of solutions. To try a new product, renting the capacity can often be a faster, less expensive, and better option than purchasing hardware. Rapid scale-up. An organization could, for example, add five virtual servers when capacity is needed, and scale back when it is no longer required. However, not everything works better in the cloud. Laws or regulations prevent certain data from being stored in the cloud. There may be applications that require a great deal of RAM, which are better hosted locally. And, not all cloud providers are the same. Some provide better service and are more responsive. Organizations should understand their needs and walk before they run. Organizations must understand their specific needs to determine which services should stay on premises and which are best suited to the cloud. In migrating to the cloud, Mr. Thomas suggested transitioning gradually. He recommended starting small with non-critical aspects of the infrastructure. In the future, cloud services will become simpler and more widespread. Mr. Thomas highlighted a few future trends: Migrate small, unimportant things because you need to get used to this new way of doing things. Orin Thomas Storage of data, backup, and access. One report said 60% of organizational data is currently stored on desktops, Page 3

4 laptops, and mobile devices. In the future, the majority of data will be stored in the cloud. Also, consumers are using more devices for more purposes. And, they want these devices to be able to access the same data from anywhere. The next few years will bring ubiquitous access to data from any device, made possible through the cloud. Further, as bandwidth increases, companies will stream applications over the Internet. So, regardless of the machine/device being used, a person will be able to access the same application. Cloud-based VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure). Organizations will configure and stream virtual desktops to users with all needed applications. These will be hosted in a private cloud and accessed through any device. Astounding convenience. In the future, purchasing cloud services will be as simple as purchasing an app, and using cloud services will make organizations even more flexible and dynamic. Mr. Thomas said, Cloud providers will make ordering a solution tailored for your organization as simple as ordering pizza. Savvis Perspective Savvis background. Savvis is a $1 billion IT outsourcing provider that delivers visionary enterprise-class cloud and IT solutions. The company has over 2,500 clients, more than 50 data centers with over 2 million square feet of raised floor space, and infrastructure in 45 countries. Savvis has ironclad security and compliance, along with deep expertise in technical operations, client support, engineering, and consulting. Savvis was recently acquired by CenturyLink and will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. Savvis is positioned in the leaders Quadrant for the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Public Cloud Infrastructure as a Service. The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Public Cloud Infrastructure as a Service Page 4

5 Savvis sees multiple factors driving cloud adoption. Savvis see four major factors driving businesses to adopt the cloud: improve the quality of service; improve agility; reduce complexity; and reduce IT costs. Organizations don t want to make big investments in IT infrastructure and want to be able to change directions in a heartbeat. In addition, businesses see the cloud as being able to expand their capacity in both planned and unplanned situations, without a massive capital outlay. Savvis sees different types of cloud services and environments. As Mr. Thomas described, Savvis sees a maturing cloud market with multiple public cloud providers and more enterprise-grade private cloud solutions. Savvis also sees a wide range of cloud services, including: SaaS where users pay for seats. IaaS where organizations pay for usage. PaaS where users pay for transactions. Cloud as a utility, which is a shared resource where organizations pay for resources. Managed hosting, in which organizations receive a fully managed, dedicated solution. With this as the landscape, Savvis offers a broad product portfolio with solutions ranging from colocation to Savvis Symphony VPDC. Savvis Product Portfolio Fully virtualized data center provisioning Hybrid cloud Computing Solutions On-demand dedicated virtual resources Operations staff, customer portal, SLA Power, network, and facilities Savvis builds database clouds to address specific performance needs. Building a database cloud is not as simple as installing a database on a few virtualized servers. Specific needs must be addressed because the performance workload differs greatly depending on the type of database. Also, maximizing performance requires customization. In addition, a database cloud requires dealing with security, the network, and provisioning, and incorporates a pay-asyou-go model. People want a database cloud pay-as-you-go model that s effective, secure, flexible, and above all, reliable. Jonathan Vincenzo Page 5

6 Symphony Database provides enterprise-class databases with the advantages of cloud computing. Symphony Advantages No software licensing No hardware provisioning Self service Pay-per-use On demand Enterprise security Instant scalability What Users Get All necessary software licenses Space and power Computer and storage resources Network connectivity 24/7 Support Center for monitoring and management Instant availability and scalability In addition to Symphony s many performance advantages and automated workflows, the other big reason that enterprises are interested in database clouds is for cost savings. Database licenses are expensive and the rules are complicated. Cost comparisons of Savvis Symphony Database to purchasing Oracle licenses or using Amazon RDS show that Savvis Symphony Database delivers significant savings. For additional information about Savvis and the company s cloud solutions, go to www. savvis.com. SLA of 99.99% Orin Thomas Microsoft MVP Orin Thomas, MCITP, MCT, MVP is an author, trainer and regular public speaker who has authored more than 20 books for Microsoft Press. He is the convener of the Melbourne Security and Infrastructure Group. His most recent books are on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Exchange Server Orin is a contributing editor for Windows IT Pro and a Windows Security MVP. Jonathan Vincenzo Technical Director, Savvis, a CenturyLink Company As Technical Director, Database Engineering and Development, Jonathan Vincenzo is responsible for reviewing and assessing new database technologies for suitability and implementation in a managed environment as well as performing client sales support. His current focus is design and implementation of Savvis cloud database product, Symphony Database, for both Oracle and Microsoft SQL environments. Vincenzo is a seasoned IT professional with more than 17 years of experience managing technology services with a strong emphasis on Oracle Database management. He is a member of the editorial review board for Oracle Magazine and Select Magazine. Vincenzo joined Savvis in Copyright 2012, Penton Media, Inc. All rights Reserved. Page 6