Captain's Blog

Private vs Public Cloud Computing

 

Larger companies and government departments are likely to consider going to the Cloud but in a more controlled and secure fashion via a Private Cloud.  A Private Cloud has all the benefits of the Public Clouds but it is hosted inside the firewall of the company or department it is supporting.  Full control of who has access to data is maintained while all the benefits of the Cloud are realized. End-users simply buy their Cloud services from the Private Cloud and the Private Cloud treats the end-users in the same way a Cloud vendor treats its customers. An institution would need to be fairly large to get benefits from this model, however, and smaller groups that do not want to or cannot have their data leave their network can host virtualized environments that have many of the features of the Cloud without the benefits of sharing the expertise and access to scalable resources that a Cloud provider has.

 

This article features a great example of a hotel group that wants to receive the benefits of cloud computing but is not yet ready to commit to public cloud computing:

http://searchcio.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid182_gci1364027,00.html

 

Here is a link around private clounds and AWS, a likely trend.

 

The Cloud Equalizes New Product Development

Another example of how the Cloud creates greater efficiency is a software development group that wants to create a new software application for either internal or external customers.  By leveraging a Cloud provider they immediately have access to a complete server development environment with no need for IT and with modern cloud database technologies the data is stored in efficient, redundant locations. Servers are tuned and kept up to date by the Cloud provider so no further resources need to be allocated.  During the load testing phase the group can use the Cloud to run hundreds of clients, and after  the testing is completed these servers are freed up to be used in other capacities. This model is financially efficient as servers are set up instantly without the need for the business to provide space, cooling and capital equipment.  Small start ups get all the benefits of the large software providers in an instant and for a low cost, creating a game changing equalizer.

 

As the newly developed software application is rolled out to end users the Cloud provider automatically scales out the backend databases, web servers, reporting and analysis tools based on customer demand.  Without access to a cloud based environment, the development team would have to work with IT to estimate and purchase the equipment needed to scale for demand increases whereas in a Cloud model the initial backend can remain small and grow automatically when demand creates a need.  Therefore the business only spends on what is needed at any given time and does not have to foot a bill up front for equipment in anticipation of how customer demand will scale.

Whether you are a Human Resources team or a software development group, after the product has been in its market for a while low use periods have automated server count reductions and during peak load server demand is increased, providing simplified cost saving optimizations in which costs scale only with demand.  In this way the Cloud reduces the total cost of IT expenses needed to get a product in the hands of an end-user. Also, if the business decides to move to a new cloud vendor or partner offering lower costs and better support levels, migration is simple with low initiation costs.  

These are big changes and they are creating new oppurtunities at a time when technology sales are slow.

Virtualization In The Cloud Provides Significant Advantages

Virtualization provides the foundation for servers on demand by implementing an on-line operating system that is required for all other operating systems to run on the Cloud. Virtualization also enables the Cloud to rapidly create server space based on end-user demand by simply running a new instance of an operating system on an existing server. Virtualization through the Cloud creates a model by which servers become services and the underlying operation system is no longer a factor in how quickly or easily a new server can be provisioned. Looking at the rapid growth of smart phones you see devices where the applications are not tied to the browser but instead are tied to the underlying operating system.  Netbooks will run a phone operating system or Windows® and virtualization is the key to managing all these mobile devices practically.  This would indicate in the future that there will be more operating systems not less, but they will allow the end-user to do more, increasing efficiency, productivity, and cost effectiveness via a virtual desktop.  All in need of management.

 

 

As organizations look to further GreenIT initiatives, another advantage of virtualization in the cloud is the fact that a virtual server can be running Microsoft®, Linux®, or another operating system on the same physical hardware enabling low utilization servers to be paired with high utilization servers allowing significant savings in energy costs.

 

 

Another benefit to virtualization in the Cloud is the ability to constantly rebalance servers as their usage spikes and drops and to do quick disaster recovery by moving images from one data center to another and quickly restoring the images on new hardware when current hardware fails. 

 

 

The Cloud is designed to support IT customers with a simple, flexible and scalable value proposition.  Virtualization provides additional benefits that allow IT organizations to truly leverage the level of optimization that Cloud computing promises.  

 

here is a related link.

 

Shavlik Cash For Clunkers

Douglas thanks for the nice note about our $4500 rebate program which we called Shavlik Cash For Clunkers for obvious reasons and it was too much fun to resist the name.  But the rebate is real, up to $4500 back until Sept 15th or the $1M we set aside in rebates is gone, so for smaller customers the product is in effect free if you turn in your clunker for destruction.  Given the value of this deal we will need to make sure its a trade-in, just like the Fed Gov is doing.

We do ask people pay for the maintenance as it covers our very frequent updates to our anti-virus, spyware and patch data as well as phone support.  And thanks to Sunbelt software for working with us to make this happen.  Since we license our software in a perpetual model the maintenance pricing is not full subscription pricing, make this a true high value deal.  Click here for details etc.

What is the future of Cloud Computing?

As the “End-User Computing Revolution” enters its 25^th year of empowering users, the next phase will be dominated by Cloud Computing (http://www.newsweek.com/id/166738/page/1) together with the “always available” clients such as the Netbook (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/09/netbooks-evolvi/ )  and SmartPhones (http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206800816) that are providing a world in which the end-user has complete control over their client-server, web based, and computing solutions - allowing them to choose what they use, where they use it, and where they get solutions from. Each phase of the end-user revolution has created terrific efficiency gains and cost reductions for businesses in rapid fashion, moving from the mainframe to the PC, from the PC to Client/Server, to the Web and now to the Cloud.  With this phase we are seeing the many year battle between the end-user and IT nearing an end and IT will either evolve by becoming a strategic partner with its customers or be relegated to the occasional helpdesk call.   As a professional life long IT peson this is a good wake up call for me.

 

The power and business benefits of Cloud Computing are very clear to me after observing the early days of the PC revolution during my stint at Microsoft® and running a business focused on operational simplification since then. The Cloud is the next natural step for the industry because it enables the end user to simplifiy the typically complex nature of working with IT.  The ability of the Cloud to solve the challenge of allowing end users to fully leverage the benefits of technology while lowering costs to the business is a game changer and one that all of IT needs to be aware of in order to not only prosper but to survive.

 

A Break From Dependence On IT To Solve a Business Problem

The biggest change the Cloud provides is that the end-user or the consumer can now simply select the type of IT service they want much in the same way you might purchase a book from Amazon.com.  Whether it is a wiki, e-mail, or custom program, the end-user does not have to worry about involving IT to scope the hardware and maintenance needs allowing for focus on the business problem being solved. 

 

The innovation of the Cloud opens a market where neither the end-user nor the business needs to be dependent on a specialized and trained IT department or a specific vendor.  Cloud services are easily outsourced to a Cloud provider reducing the business costs associated with maintenance, data centers, servers, compliance, backup and recovery, security, patching, virus protection, configuration management, bandwidth, and onsite support. Now instead of a business locally hosting servers in a controlled server room where their capacity is often not fully used, the Cloud provider can reduce the total server count, end users are always running the latest configuration and if something does break or the business wants to roll out a new version, the Cloud provider updates a desktop image for the end-users who need it.

 

By choosing a Cloud provider, the end-user no longer has to worry about lining up IT to scope the hardware needs, buy servers, set up a web server and database, and provide the on-going maintenance including patching, security, backup and recovery, and product upgrades.  In minutes the business can have their software running on all devices at the company without the need for a large capital expense. The business takes on a services contract but no longer has to worry about keeping IT staff expertise current or keeping multiple IT expertise in house for different systems, less is needed for budgeting for energy and hardware costs, and productivity is shorten when months are no longer needed spent scoping, purchasing and setting up equipment.

 

The Cloud can simplify legacy client server systems in stable production by consolidating the use of servers not operating to full capacity. It can help internal departments, like Human Resources (HR); roll out software tools such as employee review software, without the need for internal IT involvement and allows an HR team to own the entire process.  The only consideration for the business is to assure that the selected vendor has valid security processes and to keep an on-going watch to assure that the security is managed.

 

See Christina Torode’s latest article on this topic, Latest cloud computing trend: End users buying IT as a Service, at

 http://searchcio.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid182_gci1363151,00.html?track=NL-981&ad=717499&asrc=EM_USC_8855174&uid=5982925#