logicalis - cloud computing overview

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www.logicalis.com 1 Cloud Computing Overview Cloud computing is a new model for the delivery and consumption of IT Services. It has gained considerable currency as businesses face the economic uncertainties of the future whilst recognising that continued investment in IT enables business innovation. As a result, many business leaders are looking for new ways to service their IT needs, whilst driving efficiency in service delivery and establishing a predictable cost base upon which to build. Cloud services respond to these imperatives by offering an alternative to owning and operating some or all of an organisation’s IT services. There are a number of cloud models available, offering different types of services. Cloud computing models fall into four categories: Public clouds are typically internet based services that enable on-demand or utility based user access to computing, storage and software applications. The applications are securely hosted on remote datacentres, rather than on site – many organisations may use the same base applications though they are customised at the point of delivery, whilst application data is not shared and remains private. Some cloud service providers offer access to public cloud services via secure private connections, rather than the Internet, thereby providing a higher level of service to business customers. Private clouds are dedicated services (not shared as with pubic cloud services) located either within data centres inside the user organisations, or dedicated resource and space within a cloud provider’s data centre. Private clouds deliver virtualisation and service automation efficiencies, but for a specific customer organisation. Community clouds are private cloud services that are shared between several organisations, usually drawn from a specific community or sharing common concerns, such as academic research, or public service provision. As with public clouds, community clouds are multi-tenant (applications, but not data, are shared by user organisations). Hybrid clouds provide a combination of some or all of the attributes of public, private and community clouds, enabling additional flexibility for organisations looking for enhanced Disaster Recovery, access to resource for shorter periods of time for applications that experience seasonal bursts, or for non-production services, such as Test and Development.

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Page 1: Logicalis - Cloud computing overview

www.logicalis.com 1

Cloud Computing Overview �Cloud computing is a new model for the delivery and consumption of IT Services. It has

gained considerable currency as businesses face the economic uncertainties of the future

whilst recognising that continued investment in IT enables business innovation. As a result,

many business leaders are looking for new ways to service their IT needs, whilst driving

efficiency in service delivery and establishing a predictable cost base upon which to build.

Cloud services respond to these imperatives by offering an alternative to owning and

operating some or all of an organisation’s IT services. There are a number of cloud models

available, offering different types of services.

Cloud computing models fall into four categories:

Public clouds are typically internet based services that enable on-demand or utility

based user access to computing, storage and software applications. The applications

are securely hosted on remote datacentres, rather than on site – many organisations

may use the same base applications though they are customised at the point of

delivery, whilst application data is not shared and remains private. Some cloud service

providers offer access to public cloud services via secure private connections, rather

than the Internet, thereby providing a higher level of service to business customers.

Private clouds are dedicated services (not shared as with pubic cloud services)

located either within data centres inside the user organisations, or dedicated resource

and space within a cloud provider’s data centre. Private clouds deliver virtualisation

and service automation efficiencies, but for a specific customer organisation.

Community clouds are private cloud services that are shared between several

organisations, usually drawn from a specific community or sharing common concerns,

such as academic research, or public service provision. As with public clouds,

community clouds are multi-tenant (applications, but not data, are shared by user

organisations).

Hybrid clouds provide a combination of some or all of the attributes of public, private

and community clouds, enabling additional flexibility for organisations looking for

enhanced Disaster Recovery, access to resource for shorter periods of time for

applications that experience seasonal bursts, or for non-production services, such as

Test and Development.

Page 2: Logicalis - Cloud computing overview

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Business benefits

The specific benefits of moving to a cloud computing model will always depend on the

nature and requirements of the individual user organisation. However, the models also

enable a range of more general benefits, such as:

Providing access to a huge range of services and business applications without the

need to buy, install and support them locally

Enabling users to access services and applications irrespective of geographic location

Radically reduce capital expenditure on customer owned hardware and software

Predictable cost model, allowing for better financial planning

Reduced total cost of technology ownership

Flexibility and scalability

Considerations

As with any decision to select ICT services or to migrate to new ICT equipment and

architectures, businesses should assess providers and solutions thoroughly before

committing, focussing in particular on issues such as:

Reliability and service availability: Strong service level agreements are vital, as is the

provider’s reputation when it comes to reliability and provisions for continuity during

service disruption

Future-proofing: Is the provider financially sound and viable long term? What

happens to your data if the provider goes under or is acquired by a larger entity?

Data migration: Be sure to understand how a provider would support data migration

should you choose to move to a new one. Does the provider operate using standards

and technologies that are common across the industry, or do you risk being locked in

to proprietary approaches or technologies?

Security: Special attention must be given to cloud providers in areas such as

screening their privileged administrators, data centre location, willingness to submit to

compliance audits, data segregation, investigative support

Upgrades: Is the provider committed to technology refreshes, upgrading and keeping

software, hardware and infrastructure current?

Page 3: Logicalis - Cloud computing overview

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Glossary

Cloud Applications: Software applications that are not installed on local machines, but are

delivered via a cloud service

Cloud Storage: A service enabling organisations to save data by transferring it to an offsite

storage facility

IaaS: Infrastructure as a service. Cloud computing services whereby clients buy resources

such as servers, storage, software, data centre space and network equipment as a service,

rather than buying them as a capital purchase

PaaS: Platform as a service. A service arrangement through which organisations buy a

computing platform (operating system and services) as a service

SaaS: Software as a Service - the delivery of applications based on cloud hosted software

and services

Service migration: The process of moving from one cloud service or vendor to another

Vendor lock-in: Dependency on a particular cloud provider, perhaps because a lack of

common standards and technologies make it difficult to migrate to a new provider