Managing CCP s global multicloud with Qstack

Transcription

1 Managing CCP s global multicloud with Qstack A case study in consolidating security mandates with technological innovations Qstack s brandable, self-service web portal offered CCP centralized provisioning tools, and helped optimize resource allocation through enabled project support, thresholds, and quotas. Users and administrators are able to manage global environments from the same unified interface, with a multi-layered credential storage that ensures enterprise-grade security across multiple clouds. QStack Hybrid v Case study Enterprises across many sectors depend on resource optimization, while balancing strict regulations and data security commitments. New and emerging technologies offer unprecedented benefits and hybrid cloud solutions like Qstack can solve the inherent conflict between compliance and innovation, a conundrum most global enterprises such as CCP Games face.

2 In pursuit of a cohesive hybrid cloud Solutions that ensure the longevity of existing investments, with the ability to adapt and allow onboarding of new technologies with the least possible disruption to operations are key. While businesses seek low-cost and highperformance answers to address priorities, the pressure to quickly adopt different cloud-based solutions like compute resources in Amazon EC2 -compatible public clouds, elastic object storage, or high-performance technologies taking advantage of bare metal provisioning can create a painful limbo, particularly as compliance considerations also need to be addressed. hardware pools proved to be a crucial feature in the decision for choosing Qstack. Merging the company s existing operations seamlessly into an improved, unified front-end was another greatly welcomed benefit. Qstack s ability to adapt to an established networking configuration made the transition painless, and helped make onboarding staff members quicker. In the case of CCP, an international game developer and production enterprise, these requirements were clearly defined: ability to consolidate resource usage - without disruption to existing workflows involving public cloud workloads - under the same single-pane-of-glass interface flexibility to accommodate internal structures for a smooth transition compatibility and interoperability between proprietary and open source technologies and geographically diverse teams scalability and agility for future expansions and migrations clear cost transparency of IT resources across departments, projects, and individuals. Qstack was deployed as a hybrid cloud to satisfy all these needs; plus solve operational issues by improving transparency and eliminating provisioning bottlenecks while enhancing collaboration between teams, projects and office locations. The ability to utilize resources from Amazon EC2 compliant public clouds as well as CCP s private CCP needed a solution that would enable us to manage our growing infrastructure effectively, while reducing cloud sprawl and facilitating greater usage and cost transparency. Greenqloud s Qstack creates for us a cohesive hybrid cloud with the visibility and flexibility we need in one comprehensive dashboard. Jón Viggó Gunnarsson, IT Director, CCP

3 Single-pane-of-glass multi-cloud management Qstack s single-pane-of-glass resource management meant minimal disruption in day-to-day operations. Pre-existing, external public cloud usage and workflow was unaffected, as the new deployment recognized their resources and made them available seamlessly within the new framework. Through its unified interface and API controls, We re dependent on agile teams working together across the globe. To avoid over-procurement of hardware for every office, and deal with sudden workload spikes, we re plugging into services from multiple public cloud infrastructure providers. Qstack gave CCP s developers a set of tools to consolidate resource availability across private and public infrastructures. Taking advantage of the more flexible capacity and utilization cost of regional datacenters, different offices are now able to reach peak productivity without communication issues or prolonged hardware procurement. By attaching external credentials to users within Qstack, provisioning can be done in both the private and public cloud space. Compatibility with Amazon EC2 -compliant tools gives CCP the ability to keep using their existing tools for both types of resources without distinction. Controlling the different credentials is configurable, and can be set to any level from user to project or administrator allowing more flexibility for assigning responsibility and accountability within an organization. Additionally, Qstack s enterprise-grade credentials storage ensures that access keys aren t exposed and cannot be exploited. Qstack s compatibility with any Amazon EC2 compliant public cloud also affords the opportunity for companies like CCP to select the services that are most suitable, instead of being locked into a specific technology ecosystem. The ability to weigh options more flexibly is particularly beneficial for companies that already partially utilize, or are Global multi-cloud management with Qstack

4 planning to switch to public cloud services for noncompliant workloads. Qstack offers a more inclusive selection of tools from which to choose. Even further, integrating with resources orchestrated by technologies varying from VMware to KVM, Over Investment Over-investment in hardware to Workload accommodate spikes in infrastructure need Periodic spikes in infrastructure need Periodic Workload Spikes Current infrastructure need Base Workload Timeline Adapt and enhance vs. disrupt and rebuild Many cloud adoption processes fail because of their inability to adapt to a large organization s existing structures. Disruption to operations manifests as loss of business and credibility, and adoption challenges can result in resistance from management or staff. Qstack s flexible networking configuration options meant an easier transition, as already familiar operational procedures didn t need to change drastically. Compatibility with N-tier networking, and integration with existing, traditional networks allowed the established workflow to continue uninterrupted and left resource allocations undisturbed. In addition to its standard network offerings, Qstack can be tailored to the specific needs of global project and team structures, adopting their existing configurations. Bridging together our private and public, permanent and temporary networks, CCP s developers were able to preserve their internal workflow, and protect sensitive data and technology.

5 Multi-tier networking in Qstack Productivity benefitted from a more streamlined provisioning process, and the chargeback features allowed for cost transparency and insight for resource consolidation and procurement planning. Unrestricted scalability on rock-solid foundations The extendability of Qstack ensures a stable and reliable foundation that s also ready for expansion and innovation without losing the established benefits. Expanding the infrastructure with additional storage and compute resources, whether private or public, can be accomplished with insignificant to no downtime in services, and integration of new technologies as they become approved and available is fluid and simple. Maintenance procedures are restricted to the backend, and pose no disruption to business workflows. Through Qstack s live migration and data backup features, troubleshooting and changing faulty hardware is done with data loss prevention and high availability built in.

6 A global solution built for global business An enterprise s resources, particularly when serving a global customer base, are rarely geographically contained. Multiple, globally dispersed teams often must work in sync, utilizing resources scattered across several areas. Sharing data, personnel, and other resources between projects and teams is necessary to the success of a unified brand vision. Qstack s ability to create synergy and transparency across multiple zones and resource pools, and facilitate resource sharing beyond physical boundaries makes it a valuable asset that fits the needs of a global enterprise. Staff is able to respond to requests by project or department level in a more timely manner, as the self-service capabilities prevent bottlenecking their workflow by individual provisions, and the simplified management speeds up their processes significantly. global entertainment production company like CCP, it absolutely can adapt to other environments and solve similar problems across industries. The pain points that CCP Games faced are recognizable across all industry verticals, posing a hindrance for many enterprises looking to modernize their IT without experiencing disruption to business or losing the value of existing resources. Just as Qstack was able to address the requirements of a

7

8 Greenqloud The cloud solutions company Website: Telephone: (Int l) The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Greenqloud shall not be liable for technical errors, editorial errors, or omissions contained herein. Greenqloud and Qstack are trademarks of Greenqloud and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Greenqloud. Qstack is not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by, or otherwise endorsed by Microsoft Corporation, Amazon.com, Inc., Apache Software Foundation, Elasticsearch BV., or Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks, product names, and company names or logos mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. Usage of these logos and trademarks does not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Qstack Greenqloud ehf. All rights reserved (USA)