What is Cloud Computing?

The term cloud computing often refers to the ability of provisioning computing resources on-demand by providing scalable (ability to grow) and elastic (ability to both increase or decrease resources as needed). Key thing to remember is that Cloud is pretty much a fancy name for a Data center. Cloud vendors often pride themselves in their ability to provide a highly available network in the case of a disaster by having data copied over multiple locations however at a cost that is transferred over to the customer depending on the data and architecture needed.

Cloud Computing is basically a business model that may improve customer experience while reducing expenses often trading Capital expenses (large purchase of computing systems) for Operational expenses (recurring subscriptions, and usage fees) based on the customers’ needs or demands. Taking advantage of some of the technologies provided by Cloud Computing may improve a business ability to meet demands at a faster rate (Time to Market).

Cloud Solutions often cater to a variety of customers with different needs via service models.

Private – Owner has full control over the data, security and how the system operates. Additionally, the collective of resources (Fabric) may be either on the customer’s premises or off-premises.

Public – Resources are available to all consumers over an internet connection, however the customer does not have any control over how the resources operate or work with other solutions.

Hybrid – This solution refers to the ability to combine both private and public clouds for specific needs. This also allows the consumer to work with multiple cloud vendors or keep certain aspects of their business outside of the Cloud.

Cloud computing provides different models of services, you may be familiar with acronyms such as IaaS, SaaS and PaaS. In case you are not here are the concepts behind the acronyms:

Infrastructure as a Service – Vendor provides the infrastructure that would otherwise be very expensive for a customer to own or maintain. An example of this may be Hardware needed to run your business, light fixtures, SCADA systems, Heat and Ventilation (HVAC) and more.

Software as a Service – Vendor provides customer with software solutions that may only require a web browser and internet connection to be accessible from anywhere around the world without the need of a VPN. An example of this model would be cloud-storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, AWS S3)

Platform as a Service – This model is mostly aimed at developers enabling the creation and quick distribution of applications using multiple solutions that could be either open source or vendor proprietary. However, a potential drawback of developing applications under a proprietary software is the high probability of what is referred to as Vendor-LockIn in which case the customer’s software may only be compatible with the vendor’s solutions hindering the customer’s ability to integrate pplication with other business applications.

Note: Some additional models not discussed in-depth here include:

• XaaS (Anything as a Service)
• DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service)
• DaaS (Desktop as a Service)

Cloud Computing has recently become a force in the market for the ability to Automate tasks and provide resources without the need of specialized hardware rather by having developers create functions and specialized code for what their business needs, this may also reduce your expenses as the IaaS cost goes lower if you do not need to provision specialized equipment to do the job.

Misconceptions about Cloud Computing.

• Security – A common misconception of Cloud Computing is that the data is not secured; This is not the case as often Cloud providers undergo very strict security audits by third-party contractors, ensuring the data is kept in a highly secured environment on their end. As an example of this, imagine the cloud solutions that have been specifically developed for Federal highly sensitive data (Believe me vendors need to secure such data in a whole different level).
• No need for Staff – The assumption that Cloud computing will reduce staff expenditure or remove I.T staff as it will no longer be needed is completely wrong as you will need to have staff to manage and monitor your resources and continuously improve our cloud infrastructure for optimal adoption.
• I.T – Can safely ignore the Cloud-Based solutions. If you understand the shared-responsibility model you will quickly find out that this is most certainly not the case, instead Management should focus on re-training staff to properly use Cloud Solutions.

Steps for a successful Cloud Adoption.

• Begin by choosing a low risk application to be migrated to the Cloud as a Pilot
• Spend some time considering which service model best suits your needs (IaaS, SaaS, PaaS)
• Consider a variety of Cloud providers, their roles, capabilities and responsibilities (SLAs).
• Examine the dependencies you will be inheriting when choosing a provider.
• Assess risks and potential for Vendor-LockIn
• Determine the possible internal changes this adoption may bring (change in roles, Salaries, training, etc)
• Finally, always, always have a back-up plan!

Remember that Cloud computing is a relevant solution for businesses, however each business may be affected differently; From migrating applications to the decommission of old servers and services all decisions taken must result in business value.

Following standard risk assessment techniques can determine whether the benefits of Cloud Computing out-weight the potential unwanted outcomes.

Business critical services might be best suited for internal management and not the Cloud, however as an administrator or start-up you will have to spend some time researching that.

Risk Assessment.

Here are some key points to consider when assessing Cloud Computing solutions:

• Potential for Vendor-LockIn.
• Ensure the Vendor will not run a risk of going out of business.
• Steered cleared of customer specific software as re-purposing them could be costly.
• Beware of Cloud management tools provided by Vendors as they could potentially create LockIn
• Have a contingency plan, plan for failure.

Realizing Cloud Benefits.

• Articulate the business benefits and value from Cloud Computing
• Ensure applications can be re-used and able to integrate properly with other components
• Develop a “Service-Oriented Architecture”
• Become familiar with Cloud Computing Models and responsibilities.
• Develop a detailed and comprehensive requirement contract on the “SLA”
• Understand that Security and Risk Management in the Cloud are just different.
• Variable costs require highly skilled individuals to handle finances.
• Develop a business vision of what you wish to accomplish when migrating to Cloud.
• Monitor and evaluate results for efficiency. (issues must be addressed immediately).
• Plan to decouple applications. Interdependent applications may not work well in the cloud.

Conclusion:

Business around the world are realizing the values that Cloud Computing is bringing to the table. The ability to develop and provide services within seconds has become the most appealing aspect of this relatively new business model.

Multiple Cloud Providers have become aware of the knowledge gap in the technology field and have develop proprietary technical certifications for professionals that wish to work with these solutions.

The certifications range from foundational level to advanced or professional level.

Currently AWS Solutions Architect certification is one of the most desirable as well as one of the highest paid certifications in the industry.

Professionals may also pursue specialty certifications in fields such as Security, Networks, Big Data and the very popular Machine Learning.

As always, thank you for spending some time reading this today.

Learning Together.