The best of both worlds
A path to business transformation through the use of Cloud technology
The demand for cloud services is increasing year on year. This rise is the result of an ever
maturing cloud market, with the benefits of cloud adoption beginning to outweigh the
perceived barriers and risks. The market is reacting to organisations concerns, with
evidence suggesting that the perceived risks diminish the further along the cloud maturity
cycle an organisation goes. This paper outlines the path to full benefits realisation through
cloud adoption by firstly describing a cloud based future and what is achievable, followed
by the key considerations required by an organisation to take it there.
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A Cloud Based Future
Need for Change
Organisations with Internet connectivity are likely to have employees accessing Cloud services, either corporate approved or otherwise. Common Cloud services include e-mail (e.g. Hotmail, Gmail etc.), storage (e.g. Dropbox etc.), Collaboration (e.g. Skype, GoToMeeting etc.), Backup (e.g. Mozy), CRM (e.g. Salesforce). All of these services usually have no up-front capital cost, some element of free or trial period, no contract term and are accessible through most devices that are connected to the Internet through a common Internet browser or application. From an individual or small business perspective the availability of these services provides the required functionality while removing the complexities of installing, maintaining, operating and developing the hardware and systems to enable the service. From an organisational perspective, the lack of control on how these ‘Web based’ services are delivered and the functionality offered, combined with security concerns and client perception can make commercial ‘Web services’ not a suitable option.
Emergence of Cloud
Definition
The meaning of Cloud must be clearly understood by an organisation in order to effectively harness its potential. This paper adopts the commonly recognised definition provided by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology:
“Cloud computing is a model for enabling, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.”
Service Models
The differing cloud service models are summarised as follows:
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software services that represent applications that end users leverage to accomplish their business objectives e.g. CRM, E-mail, collaboration, billing, financials, storage, backup and recovery etc.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Frameworks and common functions that applications can leverage so that they don’t need to re-invent the wheel (e.g. programming language interpreters and compilers, development environments, libraries with interfaces to frequently needed functions, etc.). Typical services offer functionality such as databases, business intelligence systems, web services etc.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Powerful evolution of co-location and managed hosting services available from large Data Centres and outsourcing service providers that abstracts hardware (server, storage, and network
infrastructure) into a pool of computing, storage, and connectivity capabilities that are delivered as services for a usage-based (metered) cost. Key examples include Amazon Web Services, Windows Azure, Rackspace, Google Compute Engine.
Deployment Models
An organisation can deploy cloud computing in several ways depending on a number of factors such as existing assets, security requirements, customisation needs, preferred service delivery/support model etc. The recognised deployment models are summarised below:
Public Cloud
A ‘Public’ Cloud infrastructure is available to the general public and is owned by a third party Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Multi-tenancy is inherent to the model, thus causing security concerns for certain use cases. An organisation dynamically provisions computing resources over the Internet from the CSP who shares its resources with other organisations.
Community Cloud
A ‘Community’ Cloud is a variant of the ‘Public’ cloud and shares the same attributes but restricts access to a known set of organisations, a model common in national government.
Hybrid Cloud
model introduces the capability for sensitive data and applications to be fully controlled by the organisation using the ‘Private’ Cloud, while taking advantage of the flexibility and cost structures of the ‘Public’ Cloud.
Private Cloud
A ‘Private’ Cloud infrastructure is operated solely for a single organisation. The organisation specifies, designs, implements, owns and controls a pool of computing resources that delivers a standardised set of services to that organisation and no other clients. A common reason for organisations to adopt Private Clouds is the ability to enforce data security standards and controls. Hosted Private Clouds provide the benefits of Internal Private Clouds, but shifts the burden of operations and often the capital expense to an external cloud host. Connectivity to the Cloud is typically via private network links.
Cloud Technologies
The emergence of Cloud has been primarily enabled by the following technologies:
Hardware Virtualisation
Server Virtualisation allows the creation of multiple abstract (virtual) machines on the underlying physical hardware. Every virtual machine can be allocated a set of resources (CPU, memory storage) that form a subset of the parent physical machine resources. This enables server consolidation where applications can be installed on a virtual machine based on its system
requirements (e.g. OS, CPU, memory etc), with multiple Virtual Machines (and hence applications) being supported on the same physical server. Virtualisation aims to achieve optimum utilisation of a physical hardware’s resources with the added benefit of abstraction from the underlying hardware. Virtualisation can extend to networks, storage engines and applications.
Pooled and cost effective Storage
A Storage Area Network (SAN) allows multiple servers or virtual machines access to a pool of storage in which any server can potentially access any storage unit. This enables abstraction of the physical storage capacity, performance and format from the physical servers. The key benefits include a large amount of storage being made available as required to virtual machines, increased data access performance and advanced data redundancy and backup features.
Availability of high speed
communications
The availability and use of high speed communications has been on the increase over the past few years, mainly through the emergence of Ethernet based leased lines for providing cost effective point to point high speed connectivity. The increased availability of fibre based broadband through commercial and government led initiatives is offering Small and Medium Sized Enterprises a potential alternative to leased lines for gaining access to the Internet.
Cloud Platforms
Cloud Platforms control and automate pools of resources to provide a managed environment, where customers or users can define and initiate workflows for creating virtual servers on-demand and scale up and down as needed from the pool of available physical servers. Implementation of a Cloud Platform provides the capability to unlock the essential characteristics of Cloud adoption, such as ‘on demand self-service’, ‘rapid elasticity’ and ‘measured service’.
Cloud Management enables an organisation to manage, govern, and optimise resources and costs across both Public and Private Cloud environments. The adoption of Cloud Management software offers the potential for an organisation to leverage the Public Cloud as a seamless extension of the organisations Private Cloud, opening up the benefits of a truly multi-cloud marketplace.
Benefits of Cloud
From an organisations perspective the adoption of Cloud offers key enablers to not only improve IT service delivery but also to transform the organisation’s IT and overall business.
Many organisations may have a virtualised Data Centre and SAN, and utilise SaaS from select providers for bespoke applications. This scenario offers advances in resource utilisation and performance but only goes part way to unlocking the full Cloud based benefits for the business. The benefits of Cloud are inherent in its essential characteristics, namely ‘On-demand Self-Service’, ‘Broad Network Access’, ‘Resource Pooling’, ‘Rapid Elasticity’ and ‘Measured Service’.
On demand self-service
On demand self-service is the rapid provisioning of computer resources such as new compute instances or storage in minutes, rather than the typical weeks or months in some organisations. This fast provisioning time when combined with self-service can be effective in giving control to internal business units to enable rapid response to changing conditions and to harness business opportunities. The key point being that it is not just about shortening IT provisioning times but using the technology to increase business agility and innovation to the marketplace.
Broad Network Access
Broad network access is the availability of Cloud capabilities over the network and accessible through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms such as mobile phones, laptops and PDAs.
Resource Pooling
Resource pooling is the ability of a Cloud to meet multiple customer requirements and needs, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand. If the following examples sound familiar then the power of resource pooling will be immediately obvious:
Adhoc purchase of hardware (e.g. server, operating system, storage etc) to cater for specific requirements;
Examples of Server/storage hardware being redundant or in need of upgrade;
Reduced emphasis on resiliency/redundancy due to pressures associated with meeting the primary requirement/demand;
Difficulty in tracking and itemising IT costs. The above can be overcome through the use of a Cloud that offers a standard and consistent set of services on which applications can be supported to meet the needs of the business. The Cloud architecture should be based on a robust IT strategy and roadmap, be scalable, use open standards where possible, offer inherent resiliency and redundancy, and should make ‘cloud bursting’ or a Hybrid Cloud solution easily implementable. Resource pooling also introduces the notion of usage-based metering, which allows the ability to meter and measure usage across the organisation.
Rapid Elasticity
the purchase of hardware is a long term investment of typically three to five years.
The use of the Public Cloud, either solely or as part of a Hybrid Cloud solution offers an organisation almost infinite scalability, and opens up options for allocating redundant capacity which is chargeable for only the time when an organisation needs to utilise it (key examples include: in the event of Disaster Recovery; in response to spikes in demand; and the creation of a temporary development environment). Elasticity, or fully-automated scalability is controlled by automated triggers which removes any manual labour for monitoring application performance and reacting to variations in demand.
Measured Service
The general idea of a metered service is through the use of measurement tools to provide both the customer and the provider with an account of what IT resources have been used. In more traditional systems, items like invoices and service change agreements would fill the same roles.
The ability of Cloud services to be measured enables transparency for both the provider and consumer providing control and optimisation of the resources used. Just as utility companies sell power to subscribers, and telephone companies sell voice and data services, IT services such as network security management, Data Centre hosting or even departmental billing can now be easily delivered as a contractual service.
Other business benefits
The Cloud has the power to not only transform the way an organisation conducts its internal IT service delivery but can lead to a fundamental shift in the risk profile of the business, re-focussing of IT resources and the organisations ability to innovate in an ever dynamic marketplace. The Cloud creates the ability to dynamically assign IT resources in support of projects such as designing and testing a new product line or a development/test environment for the creation of new applications. On-demand Cloud resources provide the way to try out new ideas without significant investments in supporting IT systems.
The adoption of Cloud creates a standard delivery and access mechanism for an organisations IT which has the potential to ease integration, migration and collaboration between organisations. Having an abstraction layer between the organisations applications and IT infrastructure also allows the organisation to take advantage of competitive market pricing for IT resources in the Public Cloud.
To gain an advantage in the competitive marketplace, an organisation needs to reduce IT budget tied up in routine maintenance and harness the leadership and guidance of its technology leaders and experts. The adoption of Cloud can free up expert resource to provide the strategic insight needed to select the right technology resources for the business.
Route to Cloud Adoption
Introduction
For many organisations, the meaning and benefits of the Cloud are blurred by the complexity of the market place with a Cloud tag seemingly being placed on any service that is delivered remotely. The technologies mentioned in association with the Cloud such as virtualisation have been around for many years, therefore an organisation may have already experienced a transformation in their IT through the creation of a virtualised environment to increase efficiencies in hardware use and reduce capital costs. However, it is clear from the essential Cloud characteristics described above that virtualised environments fall short of unlocking the true power of the Cloud. To take advantage of what the Cloud offers, organisations must move beyond virtualised environments towards a hybrid enterprise which leverages a mix of Private and Public Cloud.
Cloud Maturity Model
The following specifies the recognised stages for taking the Data Centre towards full Cloud maturity.
Consolidation
Adoption of technologies designed to reduce wasted space and equipment in the Data Centre (for example server virtualisation, storage virtualisation, blade server systems) and through measured planning of both architecture and process.
Abstraction
Decoupling of the workloads and payloads of the Data Centre infrastructure from the physical infrastructure.
Automation
Removal of manual labour requirements for run time operation of the Data Centre.
Utility
Introduction of self-service and metering.
Market
Creation of an open competitive marketplace for IT capabilities and services accessible over the Internet.
Key Considerations
The first and foremost consideration by an organisation is to assess the readiness of its applications, IT infrastructure and management to embrace the benefits of moving to a Cloud based delivery model.
A discovery exercise must be performed to identify the following:
Business drivers;
User requirements;
Current service delivery model and support arrangement;
Key performance metrics of the current service and service level requirements;
IT assets (i.e. make, model, location, utilisation etc.) and whole life IT costs to the business;
Data centre (space, power consumption, costs etc.);
Full list of applications, users (e.g. external facing, internal only etc.) and demand (e.g. number of users, static, dynamic etc.);
Licensing arrangements;
Identify ‘shadow’ consumption of cloud outside of IT policy and control.
This discovery phase should be followed up by a full assessment to establish the following:
Are the business drivers/user requirements in line with the Cloud enablers;
Cloud Challenges and Risks specific to the organisation;
Classification of IT assets and applications (e.g. data sensitivity, compliance
coupling to hardware, licensing models, static/dynamic demand, end of life etc.);
Application readiness for the Cloud;
User experience;
Service Level Agreement;
Cloud Platform candidates (encompassing Private, Public and Hybrid);
Connectivity/bandwidth requirements;
Support approach (including staffing and training implications).
The above should form the basis of a robust and over-arching strategy that includes a full costed options appraisal to plan and justify the intended route forward. Key consideration should be given to addressing the perceived challenges and risks. The use of Public Cloud services will require a full assessment of market providers including products, cost structures, contractual matters, Service Level Agreement (SLA), key differentiators, Data Centre locations/specification and security/data protection.
The likelihood is that no single deployment model will be right for all workloads. A formalised approach will be needed to ensure that workloads are analysed and correctly placed into the appropriate delivery environments. Should a ‘Hybrid’ Cloud approach be adopted then a comprehensive approach to unifying the management of these diverse delivery models will be required.
Conclusion
Cloud offers key enablers to not only improve IT service delivery but also to transform the organisation’s IT and overall business. Approaching the discovery and assessment phase from a business impact perspective, with identified risks and challenges weighed up against business benefits will allow informed decisions to be made on appropriate deployment and service models for Cloud adoption.
Common held concerns regarding cloud adoption include:
Loss of flexibility and control in configuring, customising, and operating the deployment;
Reliability and performance of the solution;
Security, data protection, supplier lock-in etc. Unlocking the benefits of Cloud adoption need not be inhibited by the perceived risk. Risks must be identified and placed into a business context, with any provider chosen to deliver Cloud
services asked to state how these risks/concerns will be mitigated and proof of compliance
provided.
Controls must be in place to protect sensitive data, either through an internal Private Cloud or via encryption of data in transfer/and at rest in a Cloud provider environment. The move to a hybrid model introduces the capability for sensitive data and applications to be controlled by the organisation using the ‘Private’ Cloud, while taking advantage of the flexibility and cost structures of the ‘Public’ Cloud.
About FarrPoint
FarrPoint’s sole business is in the provision of independent technical and commercial advice on the effective deployment of IT and communication technologies. We help our clients use technology to improve the efficiency of their organisation. Our expertise covers all elements of cloud, data, voice and converged technologies. Our approach is based on working in close partnership with our clients to provide pragmatic advice based on strong technology and business understanding. Our services cover the whole project lifecycle and include:
Concept and Requirements
Capture
We work with clients to capture the business need and user requirement that ultimately form the drivers for technology adoption. Our decision making is formed from an assessment of the current position, taking into consideration technology trends, benefits, challenges, security and risks to then provide a clear and compelling vision on how the application of technology and effective service delivery can move the business and user experience to where it needs to be.
Business Analysis and Strategy
Development
We develop technology strategies and supporting business cases to plan and justify technology change. Strategies can be developed using business drivers, such as cost savings or the implementation of mobile and flexible working as a starting point, or can focus on developing a plan to achieve a specific technical aim, such as the implementation of IPv6, replacing legacy equipment, or reducing carbon emissions. We present our clients with robust costed options based on our knowledge of the marketplace and best practice gathered from other projects, with consideration given to the current resources and capability available within the client organisation.
Design, Specification and
Procurement Management
We provide lead consultancy for the design, specification and procurement of solutions. Integral to our offering is our added specialism in key areas to be considered in technology transformation specifically Security, Back-up/Disaster Recovery, Telecoms Connectivity, Resilience/Redundancy and Service Management. We develop specification and procurement documentation, and provide technical and commercial advisory services throughout the tender evaluation and bidder negotiation phases. We pay special attention to the contract terms and the fine details that should be built into the service.
Optimisation
Our Optimisation services ensure that organisations are making best use of their technology investment and realising the anticipated benefits. Our service provides in-depth Application Performance Monitoring that deploys advanced tools to provide a true picture of how the infrastructure is performing and to understand how the services being delivered are experienced by the end user. This service is increasingly important when hosted services based on the cloud are deployed to provide the required transparency for optimising the use of resources and validating service levels.
Project Management
Our Project Management Services provide structure and discipline to projects to ensure they meet expectations and are delivered on time and within budget. Our Prince2 qualified consultants manage projects large and small, each time taking care that benefits are realised and a strong supportive structure is in place.
