Public Versus Private Cloud Services

Public Versus Private Cloud Services

Table of Contents vs. What constitutes a Public Cloud versus a Private Cloud solution? When considering moving to a public Cloud infrastructure, what questions should a CTO or CIO ask? How is the data secured? Additional Considerations Comparisons between the Public and the Private Clouds Is the security better in a Private Cloud? About JCM 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 1

What constitutes a Public Cloud versus a Private Cloud solution? Cloud Service Providers build infrastructure for Cloud Computing, sold to a customer as a service offering. It could be Storage as a Service (SaaS), Application as a Service (AaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), or the platforms themselves that are Platform as a Service (PaaS). These are offered for a monthly service charge as compared to a capital expense model where it is necessary to buy dedicated hardware or software that depreciate over time. Most cloud services are an operational expense model which is considerably cheaper since a shared infrastructure is used along with a "pay-as-you-go" model. Initially the term Cloud was a nickname or a marketing term for the Internet. It soon expanded to refer to the entire computer infrastructure -- including applications, systems and storage -- that are maintained offsite or away from the company data center. So the Public Cloud is defined as a service of providing an application, network, as well as its infrastructure. Technically it s about public use offsite, outside of a customer environment. Typically providers for the Public Cloud would be web or application services. Leaders in the industry: Amazon, Microsoft and Google all own public infrastructures and offer Cloud Services through resellers or partners. This public infrastructure allows the customer community use of these services in a dedicated environment or domain for that customer, but not necessarily dedicated infrastructure or hardware. These are shared in entities, or virtual machines, or instances that are created in that environment. 2

When considering moving to a Public Cloud infrastructure, what questions should a CTO or CIO ask? Is it a fully managed service where there is a help desk or a network operation center if problems arise? Is the Cloud self-healing, meaning, can it heal itself if there is a problem with an application, system, network or storage? Can the server scale the necessary volume of data or the volume of processing that needs to occur as the data changes or as those requirements increase (scalability)? Does the Cloud Service Provider have a Disaster ecovery plan in place to recover the applications and data that are running in their facility? Is there a reciprocated or replicated infrastructure on a second or a third site depending on the cost for redundancy? Is maintenance continually done on the operating systems that are housed within those servers or the infrastructure network that s supporting connectivity to those sites, including proper notification of changes? And as part of the service, does the Cloud provider offer solutions or architecture support to their customers in scaling and building the management of the resources that are used in the Cloud? In summary, Public Cloud can make for a great choice as long as all considerations are addressed and mature, stable, service offerings protect your computer infrastructure. Our next blog will look at additional considerations for moving to the Public Cloud. 3

When considering a move to the Public Cloud, the first question is this: Are those deployments, infrastructure, or virtual machines secure? Because of security concerns sensitive customer data, company confidential data, or data in a federal environment would never be destined for a Public Cloud infrastructure. However, if the data is already encrypted and resides on a storage platform in a customer environment, then that encrypted data can be shifted to the public Cloud to keep an offsite archive. Using offsite server applications to access that data, can be thought of as a virtual data center. The second thing to consider: How is the data secured? Do they encrypt the data in-flight, not just at storage but also in-flight with perhaps an AES 256-bit encryption algorithm, for example? Do they use SSL Encryption for transporting data over the network? Do they have an extremely bullet proof password authentication to get into the accounts or inside of the network or into the servers to take a look at the data? Do the servers reside in a very secure physical data center facility that has at least a SAS 70 Type II or SAS 70 Type III compliant infrastructure? Does it have a biometrics security access system -- perhaps fingerprint, face recognition, DNA, Palm print, hand geometry, or iris recognition? Even if it s a Public Cloud scenario, all of the applications and data need to be in a secure facility. 4

Additional Considerations Does it integrate with backup and archiving software when data needs to be protected? Does it have the capability of supporting the same level of application or the same release levels of the operating systems and applications that currently reside in your own facility? The fourth thing to consider: do they have the ability to manage that data with a web-based management interface? And then, the fifth area, are they using the right software to deploy this infrastructure? Virtualization of machines, operating systems that your team knows like Linux, Windows, AIX, UNIX, and in some cases, mainframe z/os. And Lastly... When updates are done on hardware and software or when migrating data between servers or sites are those tasks done on a managed basis? Or is that supported as ongoing enhancements to functionality and systems at no additional cost? Are those changes which are change-management-related monitored? Are they managed within the contract requirements of delivering 99.99% or 99.999 % uptime capabilities as per the service level agreements? And is there the ability to have a test environment to test those changes such as operating system upgrades and infrastructure improvements? Is that managed by the provider or is that expected to be managed by the customer? These are all very important topics. In summary, Security and Management of the Cloud Provider s environment must be well defined and documented extensively in a service level agreement. The expectations of deliverables, commitments to the availability of systems, and completely secure infrastructure are not negotiable items in the contract, but a standard operational deliverable from the provider. 5

An alternative type of Cloud offering is the Private Cloud. Most of the time the Private Cloud consists of both infrastructure and services operated for a single organization. It can be managed internally by a customers own operational staff or the management can be outsourced to the Cloud Services Provider with either internal or external hosting. As such, all applications, servers, operating systems, network infrastructure, and the storage behind the data repositories exist withinthat Cloud. This requires the customer to re-evaluate whether they want to use their existing technology or the Cloud Provider s technology. This could be a significant cost-improvement or a challenge for cost-management. The options come down to customer buying, building and managing the technology or packaging that into a service offering or choosing a per-use model that most Cloud Providers seem to prefer. Comparisons between the Public and the Private Clouds We talked about all the different items that can be hosted inside of a Public Cloud that can also be done on-premise in a customer facility with the same build-out of infrastructure and applications and services. Let s talk about what stands out when looking at the differences. The initial cost, most of the time, in a Public Cloud does not require any capital expenditures upfront, because the infrastructure has already been built. Since it has been purpose-built to house specific requirements the customer can start deploying on an as-needed or per-usage basis right away. When deploying a Private Cloud, that provider needs to build-out the solution at the customer's facility as if building any other data center. 6

The running cost or the on-going total cost of ownership of a Private Cloud is a little more predictable than with the Public Cloud because the cloud provider already knows the typical cost per processor in a system or per gigabyte of data storage. In most cases, the customer doesn t understand this model, especially if the Private Cloud solution contains components the customer is not familiar with. Customization is almost impossible in a Public Cloud environment because of the cookie-cutter solution that the Public Cloud provider typically uses and adapts to the customer's own solution requirements. But in a Private Cloud, it s scalable because that scalability is actually part of what's being delivered for a premium cost. Is the security better in a Private Cloud? Of course! In a Public Cloud, the data can be secured at rest on a storage platform or in flight with the proper encryption. In a Private Cloudit is not just aboutaddressing the data security; It s also about addressing the transport of that data, the archive of that data, as well as the ability to access that data. There is also a consideration to address a shared environment, with Public Cloud, versus a dedicated environment at the customer's facility, as in a Private Cloud. The facility that hosts the Private Cloud provides a higher level of privacy because it s already leveraging a secure infrastructure for physical data center access. There are obviously a lot of things to consider regarding security when using this type of facility. But once determined as secure, it's just a matter of utilizing a Private Cloud infrastructure that s already made and is sold as a service per month. 7

The ability to scale is easy within a Public Cloud but is a little more labor intensive in a Private Cloud, but it can be scaled, at a cost, though, because that is basically how the Cloud Providers grow. Customers rely on the ability for the Private Cloud to scale compute and data storage services as needed, quickly and simply. In summary, considerations for TCO, Scalability, and Security help you as a customer to determine whether to purchase a Public or a Private Cloud solution. 8

About JCM Technology About Consistent Quality Delivery - Every Time - No Excuses Mission We develop strong partnerships with our customers by delivering quality products and services that produce increased performance and manageability, while yielding measurable results at reduced costs. We will remain focused on customer satisfaction at every touch point, while safely generating value for our shareholders. Description Website: www.jcmr.net LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/jcmr-technology Twitter: @jcmrtechnology We focus on differentiation through ITSM and only providing solutions that our customers need. We take the time to help our customers understand the more important underpinning problems that are causing or may lead to IT infrastructure service degradation such as lack of Asset Management, Change Management, Configuration Management, undefined Help Desk procedures, etc.