Does The Cloud Fit Into Your Organization Tom

Does "The Cloud" Fit Into Your Organization? Tom Horan Meridian IT Inc. VP, Strategic Markets thoran@meridian. ITinc. com Twitter: @Tom. JHoran (847) 912 -3244

Fact #1 “Cloud Computing” means different things to different people, and that’s OK.

Cloud Computing Definition Computing in which applications, data and IT resources are provided to end users as services delivered over a network.

Types of Clouds Public Clouds - Allows access to technology-enabled services without knowledge of, expertise with, or control over the technology infrastructure that supports them. - Also called “external cloud. ” Private Clouds - Activities and functions are provided “as a service, ” over a company’s intranet. - Built by an organization for its own users, and everything is delivered within the organization’s firewall (instead of the Internet). - Organization has knowledge of the infrastructure and possibly some control. - The private cloud owner does not share resources with any other companies. - Also called an “internal cloud. ” Hybrid Clouds - External and internal service delivery methods are integrated. - Rules and policies are established by the organization based on factors such as security needs, criticality and underlying architecture. - Activities and tasks are allocated to external or internal clouds as appropriate.

Cloud Computing Models Co- Location Dedicated data center facility designed with resources which includes a secured suite, cage or cabinet, regulated power, dedicated Internet connection, security and basic support. Infrastructure as a Service (Iaa. S) Raw computing power. Includes servers, networks, storage, management, and reporting. Platform as a Service (Paa. S) Consists of the Iaa. S layer along with an Operating System and other building blocks. A hosted server running OS/400 is an example. Software as a Service (Saa. S) Applications configured for each customer that run as a hosted service.

Cloud Computing Models Iaa. S Graphic Source: IBM Paa. S Saa. S

Cloud Computing Models Graphic Source: Microsoft

Saa. S Solution Software Platform as a Service + = Software as a Service

Cloud Solutions Software as a Service Hosting - ERP Platform as a Service - High Availability - Storage - Collaboration - Training and Demo Infrastructure as a Service - Disaster Recovery - Software Dev and Testing - Raw Computing Power Co-Location

Fact #2 Cloud Computing is overhyped right now but it is definitely a shift in the way we deliver computing.

Industry Shift “Computing is undergoing a seismic shift. ” - Microsoft Nov 2010 “We expect cloud computing to account for $7 billion of our net revenue by 2015. ” - IBM 2011 “The money spent on cloud computing is growing at over five times the rate of traditional, on-premise IT. ” - Cloud Connect 2010 “Dell is investing $1 billion to expand cloud computing. ” – April 2011 “ 2011 is Year of Platform as a Service (Paa. S), and it will engulf the software industry. ” – Gartner 2011 “Cloud computing is changing the way that IT resources are utilized and consumed. ” – Cisco

Foundation • Client – Server • Virtualization • Automated provisioning of IT resources • Improved Networks • Software Multi-tenancy: a single instance of software runs on a server, serving multiple clients

Fact #3 Cloud Computing is not a “one size fits all” solution.

Public, Private and Hybrid Clouds Adoption

Early Adopters • Need for a secondary data center • Poor Disaster Recovery Plan • Testing or Demonstration needs • Companies experiencing Growth or Retraction • 24 x 7 Operations • Companies with home based workers • Experiencing Budget constraints (need to do more with less)

Fact #4 There are some REAL benefits to Cloud Computing.

• Access to better systems • Improve availability (Disaster Recovery) • Reduce infrastructure management needs • Resolve problems related to updating/upgrading

• Pay only for what we use • Hardware, Software and Maintenance savings • Lower labor and energy costs • Reduce support and management needs • Reduce space required to house infrastructure

• Able to scale IT resources to meet needs • Take advantage of latest functionalities • Rapid deployment

Fact #5 Security is a major consideration when deploying Cloud Computing, but Cloud Computing MAY be more secure than on-premise computing.

Security • Security and Privacy • Performance • Technology Immaturity • Regulatory Compliance • Integration

Recap Fact #1: “Cloud Computing” means different things to different people, and that’s OK. Fact #2: Cloud Computing is overhyped right now but it is definitely a shift in computing. Fact #3: Cloud Computing is not a “one size fits all” solution. Fact #4: There are some real benefits to Cloud Computing. Fact #5: Security is a major consideration when deploying Cloud Computing, but Cloud Computing MAY more secure than on-premise computing.

Thank you. Tom Horan Meridian IT Inc. VP, Strategic Markets thoran@meridian. ITinc. com Twitter: @Tom. JHoran (847) 912 -3244