Posted by Brad McMillan on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 @ 02:09 PM
Cloud is a new computing paradigm that opens the door to bold new possibilities. Cloud is already having a broad impact, with implications that are relevant even to the most non-technical person.
As business leaders, we expect technology to deliver cost efficiencies, improve cust
omer experience, drive revenue growth, and foster innovation. At the same time, we expect constant availability and end-to-end security.
This combination of rising expectations and a rapid rate of change challenge traditional approaches for information technology. Business cycles keep shortening, but business system complexity keeps escalating. Information technology is too often described as equal parts business accelerator and business obstructer.
Cloud will change the way the world lives, works, plays, and learns. Imagine having access to nearly unlimited computing power on any device from anywhere. Imagine bringing new products to market months faster than you can today. Imagine speeding up your innovation cycles, with fewer barriers to scaling up successes and shutting down failures. Imagine accessing your content—music, movies, books—from any location. Imagine connecting with friends, family, and colleagues around the globe with a rich and secure experience, accessible to everyone.
A new approach is needed to free individuals and organizations from the constraints of traditional information technology. I believe that Cloud is part of the answer and will play a central role in the next era of IT.
Though Cloud is a reality today, even greater functionality is on the horizon. As Cloud continues to mature into a market-place, we can expect more revenue opportunities, shorter time-to-market, and a richer set of applications and services. We will witness more powerful development capabilities, accessible even to non-technologists. We will experience better quality communication platforms. Lastly, we will achieve more efficient, scalable, and environmentally sustainable IT infrastructure.
Technology leaders have confirmed these points of view with Eric Schmidt, Chairman and Former Chief Executive for Google®, calling cloud computing the ‘defining technological shift of our generation’!
In my next article we will look at whether or not today is the right time to move to the Cloud.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 @ 08:17 AM
Cloud Service Types
Once you understand the approach to the cloud you would like to take, you then decide on the types of services you would like to receive.
Software as a Service (SaaS): Pronounced “saas” enables users to access applications running on a Cloud infrastructure from various end-user devices (generally through a web browser). The user does not manage or control the underlying Cloud infrastructure or individual application capabilities other than limited user-specific application settings. Also called “software on demand,” it’s the simplest and most common form of cloud computing. You tap software from the cloud (rather than buying it outright and loading it onto your computer), often paying for usage in time increments. SaaS provides a ready-made application platform for users to start using once they sign up for the services.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): Pronounced “pass,” enables users to deploy applications developed using specified programming languages or frameworks and tools onto the Cloud infrastructure. The user does not manage or control the underlying infrastructure, but has control over deployed applications. Rather than just renting individual Web based applications when you need them, you’re tapping an operating system that your applications will use; a network; and a service provider that will perform basic maintenance of this network when necessary.
Infrastructure as a Service( IaaS): Pronounced “Ias,” is closer to the full monty of cloud computing services. You rent just about everything as you need it: virtual servers and storage space, virtual routers and other hardware, networking capabilities, an operating system and applications. Your host (cloud provider) will offer more extensive services and maintenance with an ‘IaS’ model. You still pay as you go (usually hourly or monthly), and you can scale up or down.
Now that we know what cloud computing is, its characteristics and how it is classified, let’s try and understand why we are talking about it so much. In my next article I will discuss why the ‘Cloud’ has become more and more relevant.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 @ 09:59 PM
The first thing a business needs to consider as they look towards the cloud is which approach to the cloud they want to take. It may surprise some to learn that despite all the press and discussions around the cloud, there are only two classes of clouds: public clouds and private clouds. There are significant differences between the two classes and each has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages.
Public clouds are cloud services provided by a third party (vendor). They exist beyond the company firewall, and they are fully hosted and managed by the cloud provider. Public clouds attempt to provide consumers with hassle-free IT elements. Whether it is software, application infrastructure, or physical infrastructure, the cloud provider takes on the responsibilities of installation, management, provisioning, and maintenance. Customers are only charged for the resources they use, so under-utilization is eliminated.
However, this comes at a cost. These services are usually offered with "convention over configuration," meaning that they are delivered with the idea of accommodating the most common use cases. Configuration options are usually a smaller subset than what they would be if the resource was controlled directly by the consumer. Another thing to keep in mind is that since consumers have little control over the infrastructure, processes requiring tight security and regulatory compliance are not always a good fit for public clouds.
Private clouds are cloud services provided within the enterprise. These clouds exist within the company firewall and they are managed by the enterprise. Private clouds have similar characteristics to that of public clouds with one major difference: the enterprise is in charge of setting up and maintaining the cloud. The difficulty and cost of establishing an internal cloud can sometimes be prohibitive, and the cost of continual operation of the cloud might exceed the cost of using a public cloud.
As the name suggests, private clouds are designed to be visible only to the organization that creates them. They are essentially private datacenters that an organization creates with stacks of servers all running virtual environments, providing a consolidated, efficient platform to run applications and store data. Private clouds provide a lot of the same benefits to the organization that a public cloud does, but still allows the organization to maintain ownership of the data and equipment.
However, where private clouds differ from public clouds is that private clouds can require a significant investment.
Hybrid clouds combine two or more clouds that remain unique entities but are bound together by technology that enables data and application portability.
A hybrid cloud blends the public and private cloud models. It assumes some level of interoperability between the two.
Due to the demand for the cloud to be more flexible and fully optimized, “hybrid clouds” will give companies an opportunity to pick which applications and IT services they want to provide and which they want to purchase from a cloud provider. These decisions will be based on costs, information risk and the functionality available from cloud providers on a workload-by-workload basis. In this model, your IT staff can keep internal control of data and processes, but you can also tap a public cloud for pay-as-you-go use of applications, computing power and scalable storage. The hybrid cloud leverages services that are in both the public and private space. Hybrid clouds are the answer when a company needs to employ the services of both a public and private cloud. In this sense, a company can outline the goals and needs of services, and obtain them from the public or private cloud, as appropriate.
Once you understand the approach to the cloud you would like to take, you then decide on the types of services you would like to receive. In my next blog article we will look at the three services which make up cloud computing.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Mon, Jan 09, 2012 @ 03:48 PM
Cloud Characteristics?
Almost every IT vendor on the planet has recently announced a ‘cloud’ version of their product. Hosting your product and making it available through a web browser is only one characteristic of cloud computing (broad network access). To be able to call yourself a ‘true’ cloud computing vendor your product must have very specific characteristics.
The five essential characteristics taken from the NIST definition and typically associated with cloud computing are:
On-Demand Self Service - Consumers must be able to consume cloud services at the infrastructure, platform or application level whenever they want without requiring significant assistance.
The buyer can typically set up an account with the seller, establish security and billing credentials, and then select and schedule the use of the cloud computing resources on sale. This is generally done using an easily accessible and user-friendly online system.
Broad Network Access - Network access is needed to establish the initial provider/consumer relationship, for subsequent use of the cloud services themselves, and for use of added services that the consumer may implement using the cloud services. The cloud services must be accessible through standardized mechanisms. This introduces an important consideration for all cloud implementations – the use of standards. Without adherence to standards throughout the technology stack, from the network level up to the client access and presentation level, accessibility from such a variety of devices and applications would inevitably be reduced and broad network access would not be achievable.
With broad network access, a company can implement added services that can be successfully used by anyone, anywhere on the globe, using a variety of devices.
Resource Pooling - The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. Efficient resource use is one side of the resource-pooling coin; multi-tenancy is the other.
A traditional IT model is generally centered on the provision of IT services for one enterprise. Because they can assign pooled resources dynamically to meet demand, cloud service providers can maintain maximum service levels with minimum resources. For consumers, this means high Quality of Service at low cost. It is a major reason why cloud computing, unlike other initiatives, is expected to succeed.
Rapid Elasticity - Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.
One of the key benefits of cloud computing is the ability to have a flexible computing service which can expand or contract in line with business demand, giving you capacity which would be impossible to generate from an in-house implementation without significant investment in resources.
Measured Service - Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
If services are to be charged on a per-use basis, it is immediately obvious that usage must somehow be measured. Consumers require sufficient measurements from their cloud computing service providers to enable them to make purchasing and operational judgments.
Sellers of cloud services must provide sufficient information about their charging regimes up-front to allow purchasers to make informed choices. On an ongoing basis, they must provide accurate accounting information to support their bills, and give sufficient usage information to allow solutions to be managed operationally.
In my next blog article we will look at how to classify the cloud computing deployment models and services that are readily available today.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Tue, Jan 03, 2012 @ 12:20 PM
What is Cloud Computing?
Historically, the concepts behind cloud computing can be attributed to John McCarthy who in 1961 said, “If computers of the kind I have advocated become the computers of the future, then computing may someday be organized as a public utility just as the telephone system is a public utility.…The computer utility could become the basis of a new and important industry.”
Just as John described almost 50 years ago, cloud computing is a new paradigm where computing resources are available when needed, and you pay for their use in much the same way as for household utilities. Just as water is piped to your home and you pay for as much or as little as you use, cloud computing resources are available whenever needed and charges are based on how much you use them. When you turn it off, the water that you would have used is available for use by others, in the same way, shared cloud resources can be used by others when not used by you.
The IT industry has a habit of latching onto buzzwords and applying them everywhere. “Cloud” is no exception. After many false starts and bobbled introductions, it is now safe to say that the world has reached the Cloud Age. Everyone is talking about it. Over the last 12 months, just about every IT vendor on the planet has introduced a new product, solution, or service with the word “Cloud” in the title.
To begin to understand the term cloud computing we first need to establish that the ‘cloud’ is a metaphor for the Internet and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals. For those of you who have ever seen a computer network diagram, you will remember that the Internet is always depicted as a cloud.
To understand cloud computing further, let’s start with a definition.
As a practical baseline for our discussion, we cite the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) definition of cloud computing published October 7, 2009 which seems to have gained the most traction in defining the cloud:
“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.”
I know I already have a few of you confused. The terms convenient, rapidly provisioned and minimal effort are not normally associated with IT.
What we are really talking about here is ‘technology as a service’.
As we move forward, all new IT functionality will come to businesses as an ‘external service’. It will become increasingly illogical to think of IT as outsourced. Companies will no longer think of buying a technology product first and then outsourcing it later but will think of buying the ‘service’ first.
IT Managers and decision makers inside these businesses will have an increasingly vital role because ‘external services’ will more than ever become a core component of business success.
In my next blog post I will look at the common elements which make cloud computing different from its predecessors.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 @ 02:45 PM
Cloud computing is now within the reach of small business owners. Without having to pay upfront, current and future costs of an IT infrastructure, small businesses can focus on what they do best: serving their customers. They can now develop a competitive edge that helps them gain more customers.
What is It?
Cloud computing refers to sharing files and software applications in a virtual environment. Instead of having a dedicated physical server for your company, your business can use the Internet to host its files and programs. In essence it is ‘technology as a service’.
Access
One benefit of cloud computing is that employees from around the world can access files and programs without being linked to a single company server. Cloud computing spreads the responsibility of storing data across many servers over the Internet.
Costs
You pay for cloud computing services through a subscription-based service. The more you need to store, the more you will pay for your subscription. However, the costs of cloud computing is much less expensive that developing your own IT infrastructure, building it, and paying for the staff necessary to maintain it. As your company grows and you need more storage space, you can simply upgrade your daily or monthly subscription to reflect your increased cloud computing needs. The lower overhead costs of cloud computing versus in-house IT infrastructure make cloud computing the way to go for many small businesses.
On-Demand
Cloud computing lets your employees access information they need right when they need it. On-demand service is something cloud computing does well. Whenever you need access to a file, you can get it anywhere you have Internet access. You don’t have to wait for the server to respond in your office. You can sit at home and connect to the server to do your work in the middle of the night if necessary.
Software
If your company uses a particular type of software for its projects, you can often purchase online versions of software to use. If this is the case, the software can be added to your cloud. You don’t have to worry any longer about updating individual computers with the latest version of the program or loading programs onto computers with a disc, as this is done automatically.
Disaster
In case of fire, flood or other catastrophe, cloud computing comes through for small businesses. Your files and software is not lost forever. It is stored safely in a remote location, and you have access to it any time, anywhere. As soon as you get new computers up and running again for your business, you can see and use your files whenever you want.
Time to Market
Reduce the time it takes your product to get to market with cloud computing. You don’t have to waste time building an internal IT infrastructure, planning its development or staffing it. Focus on getting your product out to potential customers and generating revenue. Cloud computing has what you need already in place.
Finding a Provider
Cloud computing services are offered by large companies and small ones. Each one may offer different benefits that would serve your company well. Research each company’s options and prices well before you buy. You might consider asking for a list of each company’s references. Talk to current and former customers to find out what they think of cloud computing in general and the company’s specific services.
Cloud computing offers small businesses many options and benefits. You can custom design your cloud to serve your company’s needs. Without spending money on back-end technology such as servers, you are free to devote your energies to developing your product and services.
Apps on Tap is a cloud computing provider for small business. Whether you have two employees or 200, Apps on Tap is the better way to meet your IT and computing needs now and down the road.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Sun, Mar 27, 2011 @ 09:31 PM
Time and time again, when you look at research, the big objection that comes out, the biggest doubt that anybody has about adopting cloud services is security.
In answering that objection let’s first take a look at how you secure your IT infrastructure today. If you are a typical small business you probably haven’t given it much thought. If you are one of the lucky ones you may have a good managed IT service provider who has implemented and documented security standards and guidelines. Even these businesses are susceptible to a security breach from one lost or stolen laptop and even fewer of them have a disaster recovery or business continuity plan in place. So how secure really are they?
Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) in most cases will in fact have superior security practices and technology in place than the best of small businesses. Economies of scale allow cloud service providers to spend thousands on securing your data and you only pay for the small portion you use. The complexity of security is greatly increased when data is distributed over a wider area and/or number of devices. Security in a cloud environment is improved greatly simply due to the centralization of data. The reality is that security is as good or better than under on-premise IT, in part because providers are able to devote resources to solving security issues that many small businesses just couldn’t afford.
With any outsourcing model, whether it be cloud computing or something else, you have to trust your outsourcer. You not only have to trust the outsourcer's security, but its reliability, its availability and its business continuity. This should not be anything new for small business; IT security has always been about trust for them.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Mon, Jan 03, 2011 @ 02:50 PM
The next 12 months will be an important time for many IT managers and IT professionals looking to solidify their future careers in the industry.
In my twenty years of IT outsourcing experience I have always felt that IT Managers should concentrate on IT initiatives strategic to the business and outsource everything else. In my earlier blog article ”Cloud Computing-Business Revolution or Technology Innovation”, I referenced Keith John of HP and his observations about how the cloud has brought about a business revolution which in turn affects the role IT will play in the future. Mr. John goes a step further laying out an entirely new model for IT and the likely scenarios for IT Managers that could unfold.
Here are some suggestions to help IT Managers:
In order to survive, IT must transform itself from an asset-focused or technology-centric delivery organization (providing and managing assets) into the central service sourcing control point for the enterprise. This new model would be a service-centric model.
Service-centric represents an advanced state of maturity for the IT function, enabling it to operate as a business function – a service provider, deliberately structured around a set of products that customers value and are therefore willing to pay for.
IT must reinvent itself, organizing in such a way that it becomes the central service sourcing control point for the enterprise, or realize that the business will source them on their own.
If it's of value to the organization, the organization is going to figure out how to leverage it with you or without you.
To conclude his white paper Mr. John maps out two likely scenarios for IT:
Scenario 1: IT will ignore the fact that its role is being threatened and continue to focus on the delivery aspects of the cloud. As a result, many CIOs/IT Managers will be eaten alive, leaving their organizations to spend an ever-shrinking number of maintenance funds while the business invests in innovation on its own.
Scenario 2: IT will adopt the service-centric organization model and become the single sourcing control point for services in the enterprise. This will lay a strong foundation for embracing the next wave of the cloud and put IT in the driver’s seat for fostering business innovation.
IT leaders will very soon find themselves at a crossroads, faced with a choice. Turning one-way results in changes in what they do and how they do it, keeping them at the forefront of business innovation in a new service oriented economy. Turning the other way leads them into the maintenance business, rendering them virtually irrelevant to the businesses they serve.
At Apps on Tap we agree that IT needs to change and we want to be part of that new service-centric model. IT Managers can use a trusted cloud services partner to help in the transition.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Mon, Jan 03, 2011 @ 02:43 PM
Small businesses are the leading purchaser of cloud services primarily to avoid the high cost of IT departments but also to create efficiencies and level the playing field with larger enterprises. These businesses are leading the way and creating new models for how work gets done.
As we find our way into larger customers, we often meet with both Business Units and IT about our cloud computing model, Apps on Tap. They sit across the table and listen to our value proposition and are interested in all the new ‘cloud services’ available now. Finance loves the cost savings and no CAPEX component of our model and lines of business can see definite service improvements and faster time-to-market for their new initiatives.
However, the moment the ‘cloud’ is mentioned, the IT Manager tends to quickly raise objections and concerns with technology-enabled services over the internet. These objections may have some validity for a little while. But cloud will ultimately force wholesale change for IT, shifting the focus from technology delivery to service sourcing and consumption or a service-centric IT organization.
Keith John, at HP Software and Solutions, likens the childhood story of Chicken Little to that of the ‘cloud phenomena’ we are now experiencing and how cloud computing is forcing radical change for IT as we know it.
He sees the emerging cloud computing space as more of an enabler for business – it enables business users to source services that meet their needs quickly, at the right price, at a good enough service level, and without the help of an IT organization. The cloud is really more of a business revolution than a technology innovation.
Cloud computing is unique in that it offers businesses opportunities to solve existing problems in new ways or to solve problems not solvable up until now. As more cloud services materialize, businesses will not wait in line for IT projects to deliver them. Instead equipped with an Internet connection and a credit card they will be able to circumvent IT to get the desired results.
If history is any indication, these points are valid. In the early 1980’s business did an end run around IT departments and started using spreadsheets and niche applications on the desktop to satisfy their requirements.
Business is already reading about how cloud computing is impacting the bottom line of other organizations. They are always the first to visualize new opportunities and approaches but are typically “held hostage” by their IT department and the inherent latency of project driven processes to make anything happen.
People in business just want services. They want the right technology-enabled services that help them get their job done, and that help broaden their horizons into new opportunities.
Posted by Brad McMillan on Sun, Jan 02, 2011 @ 02:20 PM
As technology becomes more and more complex, the cost of IT support becomes more and more expensive. The Gartner Group, a leading research and advisory firm, estimates that it takes 50 to 250 employees to justify a single IT person. This makes it difficult for a company with less than 50 employees to find cost-effective support. Although technology can be an equalizer, expensive support puts small and midsize organizations at a disadvantage. This article explores how emerging technologies and the establishment of new IT support programs have created cost-effective IT support models.
The development of the personal computer and local area networks (LANs) has provided small and midsize organizations with access to the same technology as their larger counterparts. Unfortunately, these PC-based LANS create many support challenges. Conservative estimates come in at $2000-$3000 a year to support a single PC. This is a large investment for small organizations.
Leading analyst firms agree that the added complexity of technology has contributed to the dramatic increase in support costs. Fortunately, new technology and new support models have developed to address the IT needs of small and midsize organizations.
In the last ten years, three new technology developments have changed IT support.
• Inexpensive high speed Internet bandwidth now means that your IT infrastructure can be hosted anywhere.
• Remote access software that enables every day applications like Microsoft Office to run out-of-the-box over the Internet.
• IT companies who provide IT management using a cloud computing model make it easy to take advantage of economies of scale and pass those savings back to the customer.
These technology developments form the foundation for new support models. Using the internet to create a secure path between organizations significantly lowers the cost of traditional onsite support. Remote capability allows a support firm to proactively monitor servers to ensure network stability and quickly resolve end-user issues with remote desktop sharing.
A few support organizations have emerged that successfully leverage these developments and industry best-practices to bring cost-effective support to small and midsize businesses. ‘Best-practices’ include the establishment of a central help desk for issue tracking and the development of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to guarantee responsiveness. The help desk must also provide access to specialized engineers in database, desktop, network, server and security issues. Finally, the support organization must develop a partnership with their clients and tailor services to address specific business needs.
This new support model helps small and medium business compete with their larger counterparts. Ongoing support plans “build-in” emergency response to eliminate unforeseen expenses. Unexpected problems can make a huge gap in the bottom line of small organizations. The investment required for this new IT delivery model ranges from $100-$150 per month per PC user. That is $1,200-$1800 a year per user compared to traditional support estimates that are two to three times that.
By combining these technological advances with an IT Delivery Model that includes remote access, access to diverse expertise, and a central help desk, an IT support firm can deliver comprehensive and cost-effective IT support to small and midsize organizations.