Article Summary: Cloud Computing is publishing or subscribing Services in Cloud aka Internet. Based on the service concerned, Cloud Services can be categorized as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) etc. While Cloud Computing is gaining its wings, this article highlights the challenges of General adoption of Public Cloud.
What is Cloud Computing?
In its simplest definition Cloud Computing is publishing or subscribing Services in Cloud aka Internet. Based on the service concerned, Cloud Services can be categorized as Infrastructure Service (IaaS), Platform Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) etc.
From SaaS to IaaS, since the TCO of the service is drastically reduced by availing the service in Cloud, moving to Cloud would obviously result in significant cost benefits. For a geographically distributed Organization, Cloud Computing may bring in enormous cost savings as the cost of maintaining private Infrastructure across the Globe is not a meagre number.
For a Non IT Service Based Enterprise, hosting IT enabled services on Cloud Computing would mean to literally do away with the overhead of maintaining the Private Localized Infrastructure and specialized Taskforce for maintenance, concentrate on their business and leave the IT Infrastructure to the Specialized Cloud Service Provider. Availing thin clients on cloud servers or SaaS services would further cut down their TCO of the Software Applications.
For an IT Based Enterprise, availing SaaS services would cut down their TCO of the Software Applications, required for implementing an Enterprise system (unless Sponsored by Clients) or running an Enterprise.
What are the barriers of Cloud Adoption?
Following are some of the potential concerns of the Business to move to Public Cloud:
Data Security (Protection from Third party)
Data Privacy (Isolation)
Availability (Low Latency and High Throughput)
How Cloud Service Providers cater to the concerns?
Infrastructure Virtualization: This may range from Network Virtualization, Storage Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Data Virtualization, Software (OS, Application Server, Database etc) among a few. By virtualization, every Cloud Service Subscriber is designed to have isolated environments. Adding to this, Applications may also be designed to have Subscribers as an isolation dimension. Maintenance of Virtualization at popular granularity can result in adequate Privacy of Data for the Cloud Service Clients.
Cloud Based Services may additionally need design considerations with very strict Security Architecture (Authentication and Authorization) apart from replying completely on the Cloud Service Provider Security.
From SaaS to IaaS, since the TCO of the service is drastically reduced by availing the service in Cloud, moving to Cloud would obviously result in significant cost benefits. For a geographically distributed Organization, Cloud Computing may bring in enormous cost savings as the cost of maintaining private Infrastructure across the Globe is not a meagre number.
For a Non IT Service Based Enterprise, hosting IT enabled services on Cloud Computing would mean to literally do away with the overhead of maintaining the Private Localized Infrastructure and specialized Taskforce for maintenance, concentrate on their business and leave the IT Infrastructure to the Specialized Cloud Service Provider. Availing thin clients on cloud servers or SaaS services would further cut down their TCO of the Software Applications.
For an IT Based Enterprise, availing SaaS services would cut down their TCO of the Software Applications, required for implementing an Enterprise system (unless Sponsored by Clients) or running an Enterprise.
What are the barriers of Cloud Adoption?
Following are some of the potential concerns of the Business to move to Public Cloud:
Data Security (Protection from Third party)
Data Privacy (Isolation)
Availability (Low Latency and High Throughput)
How Cloud Service Providers cater to the concerns?
Infrastructure Virtualization: This may range from Network Virtualization, Storage Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Data Virtualization, Software (OS, Application Server, Database etc) among a few. By virtualization, every Cloud Service Subscriber is designed to have isolated environments. Adding to this, Applications may also be designed to have Subscribers as an isolation dimension. Maintenance of Virtualization at popular granularity can result in adequate Privacy of Data for the Cloud Service Clients.
Cloud Based Services may additionally need design considerations with very strict Security Architecture (Authentication and Authorization) apart from replying completely on the Cloud Service Provider Security.
Special Considerations
Some of the Business Verticals like Banking and HealthCare due to Regulatory Requirements may need special considerations which may require special handling as part of the Enterprise Architecture.
Additional Concerns
The physical proximity of the Cloud Service Data Centre, may at times post a challenge for some countries. While Cloud Computing is gaining its wings, it may still take some while for having Cloud Service Data Centres across the Globe and the network hops may pose a threat to the quality of the cloud service. At times, Data Replication between Data Centres on Cloud can be a techno commercial consideration. Additionally Load Balancing between different VMS in cloud may not necessarily be a third Cloud Service.
An Example: How Cloud Computing can benefit an Organization?
For a Multi Geography Non IT Service Based Organization, Cloud may be the most appropriate choice for Data Centres spread across the globe, with balancers routing traffic to localized cloud, which would lower the TCO of the otherwise Private Cloud to a gigantic amount.
An IT Based Organization having specialization in Networks, which has heavily invested on Private Infrastructure, may increase the ROI of their Existing Infra being a Local Cloud Service Provider.
How Soon?
With Proven Market leaders entering into the Cloud space with guaranteed Data Security and Data Isolation (Software/Application/Infrastructure Virtualization), Adoption of Cloud may be only matter of time.
Soon, Cloud Services may carry SLA for Security and Availability with appropriate Penalties for non compliance. With Organizations still being sceptic about Cloud adoption, may be the support functions would be the first set of services which would be tried on Cloud.
With its success, Cloud may move from Private to Hybrid…… followed by a true Public Cloud.
An Example: How Cloud Computing can benefit an Organization?
For a Multi Geography Non IT Service Based Organization, Cloud may be the most appropriate choice for Data Centres spread across the globe, with balancers routing traffic to localized cloud, which would lower the TCO of the otherwise Private Cloud to a gigantic amount.
An IT Based Organization having specialization in Networks, which has heavily invested on Private Infrastructure, may increase the ROI of their Existing Infra being a Local Cloud Service Provider.
How Soon?
With Proven Market leaders entering into the Cloud space with guaranteed Data Security and Data Isolation (Software/Application/Infrastructure Virtualization), Adoption of Cloud may be only matter of time.
Soon, Cloud Services may carry SLA for Security and Availability with appropriate Penalties for non compliance. With Organizations still being sceptic about Cloud adoption, may be the support functions would be the first set of services which would be tried on Cloud.
With its success, Cloud may move from Private to Hybrid…… followed by a true Public Cloud.
About the Author:
Chirodip Pal is an IT Specialist, having overall IT exposure of nearly 20 Years, over 11 years of professional IT experience and over 7 years of experience in leading complex IT Projects. He has worked in various types of applications including N Tier- Web, Thick, Thin, SOA, EAI, B2B, eCommerce, Portals, Legacy Modernization, Chirodip works as Chief Technology Officer and Enterprise Architect at Glocal HealthCare Systems (http://www.ghspl.in). Author can be reached at chirodip@ghspl.in or at Linked in ELM Group
