HpOne Internet Crpratin Infrastructure- as- a- Service Lwering IT csts is just ne f many benefits driving enterprises t IaaS. Tim Sextn 2015 Whitepaper
Mving an entire infrastructure (r even a prtin f it) t the clud can yield significant benefits. Nt nly can an enterprise get the cmputing pwer, strage, r ther services they need when, where, and hw they need them, but they pay nly fr the capacity used. What s mre, they get it in a secure, mnitred, metered envirnment that prmises 100 percent uptime. During the past decade, large enterprises have fcused n cnslidating their infrastructure thrugh server virtualizatin, reducing hundreds r even thusands f physical servers by a factr f ten. Fr many rganizatins, mving sme r their entire infrastructure t the clud is the next lgical step. 2 Infrastructure- as- a- Service 4 Benefits fr Enterprises 5 Chsing the Right Slutin 6 When Infrastructure- as- a- Service Makes Sense 7 Preparing fr Migratin 9 Bnus: 7 Criteria fr Chsing an IaaS Prvider Page 1
Infrastructure- as- a- Service Tday, many are making the chice t mve t sme frm f Infrastructure- as- a- Service (IaaS) fr help in managing data center cmputing resurces. In a 2012 study, Enterprise Strategy Grup fund that 30 percent f enterprises (defined as rganizatins with 1,000 r mre emplyees) currently use sme frm f IaaS, cmpared t 19 percent in 2011. The study als fund that an additinal 55 percent are cnsidering r plan t use IaaS in the future, cmpared t 44 percent in 2011. The tp fur reasns fr mving t IaaS include its availability as a resurce fr testing and develpment, the ability t run prductin applicatins, the availability f additinal resurces t accmmdate spikes in wrklad demands, and fr use as temprary cmputer resurce fr time- limited prjects. IaaS Overview At its cre, IaaS is a way fr rganizatins t get the hardware, strage, netwrking, and ther services they need t run their peratins withut wrrying abut buying, managing, r maintaining the equipment. With this mdel, enterprises rent the equipment, paying nly fr the capacity and space they use. An ffsite prvider wns, manages, and maintains the equipment, prviding enugh capacity t scale up r dwn t meet the needs f its custmer rganizatins. Organizatins access the resurces (virtual machines that run their applicatins) via a web brwser. There are many setups fr IaaS, frm full- blwn cmpute- as- a- service t partial infrastructure- as- a- service, such as strage, servers, web hsting, and disaster recvery. The amunt f infrastructure an rganizatin chses t mve t the clud depends n many factrs, including its line f business, the availability f IT staff and IT expertise, and cash flw cnstraints. There are als different ways f implementing IaaS: in a private clud, public clud, r hybrid private/public clud. Again, the path an rganizatin chses depends n several factrs and usually cmes dwn t balancing cst with security needs. Althugh the features f different IaaS fferings and vendrs vary, there are several that are fairly standard, including the fllwing: Dynamic infrastructure scaling: The service prvider is respnsible fr ensuring the custmer s infrastructure needs will always be met, even if they include peaks and valleys. With this infrastructure mdel, rganizatins can always be assured that will have the IT resurces they need. Guaranteed uptime: IaaS prviders guarantee high availability and 100 percent uptime. This is spelled ut in the service- level agreement (SLA). Page 2
Autmatin f administrative tasks: These tasks include deplying and managing virtual servers, managing virtual server pls, and mnitring nging activity such as disk utilizatin, netwrk activity, active jbs, and member and guest activity. Plicy- based services: This feature impses enterprise- defined plicies n the infrastructure services that specific user grups can access. Based n these plicies, prvisining, and decmmissining resurces becmes an autmated prcess. Elastic lad balancing: Based n requirements at any given time, resurces are balanced and distributed autmatically, apprpriately, and efficiently acrss multiple virtual cmputers. Custmized machine images: With the IaaS mdel, building and deplying machine images n which applicatins can run is fast, autmated, and custmized t an rganizatin s specific needs. IaaS prviders ffer a hst f virtual machine images t their custmers, but rganizatins themselves can als develp their wn r imprt images frm the existing peratinal envirnment. That way, they knw the images will meet their cnfiguratin, security, and cmpliance standards. It als vastly increases the speed at which new instances f the image can be deplyed. Precnfigured templates: Qualified users can create predefined templates fr varius types f virtual machines. This allws ther users t chse frm a preapprved list f templates, standardizing and remving risk frm the prcess f quickly spinning up virtual machines. Access t the newest technlgy: Because rganizatins dn t wn the equipment, they aren t stuck with technlgy that will eventually becme utdated and need an upgrade. Instead, they will always have the mst up- t- date features and the highest levels f efficiency. Stringent security cntrls: Depending n the slutin and the vendr, an IaaS ffering will be cmpliant with SSL (Secure Sckets Layer) r AES (Advanced Encryptin Standard) encryptin, emply a virtual private netwrk (VPN) and prvide rle- based access cntrl. Taken tgether r in bunches, IaaS features prvide the ability t scale up and dwn quickly while paying nly fr the capacity actually used, which is imprtant in tday s fast- paced, cmpetitive envirnment. Fr example, t stay n tp f the cmpetitin, an enterprise may want t create batch prcesses that run every night t better understand its sales data. But it may need ad hc cmputing resurces t d s. An IaaS agreement wuld give the rganizatin the capacity it needs fr nightly intelligence gathering withut laying ut significant budget. Page 3
Benefits fr Enterprises With IaaS, IT shps dn t have t buy, maintain, r upgrade sftware, hardware r perating systems. They dn t have t wrry abut netwrk cnfiguratins. They can save big mney, bth up frnt and ver time. IaaS, like all clud fferings, is a pay- as- yu- g mdel. S rganizatins dn t have t manage large cash utlays. Instead, they pay nly fr the resurces they use, which is mre cst- effective than the traditinal methd f paying set fees fr services and equipment, even when they aren t being used. Either way, the IaaS mdel allws enterprises t meet capacity spikes withut having t add infrastructure within the data center, and t reduce capacity when the spike ends. The IaaS mdel als takes a lt f pressure ff f IT staff, wh generally are respnsible nt nly fr the hardware and the infrastructure, but als fr handling requests frm line- f- business wners, applicatin develpers, and engineers. In a traditinal IT envirnment, IT staff ften des nt have the resurces t respnd t all such requests in a timely manner, frcing divisins t purchase externally. With the IaaS mdel, requests can be filtered quickly thrugh the IT department, maintaining internal plicies and prcedures and then sent t an IaaS vendr apprved by the rganizatin, recmmends Ken Nunes, HpOne Chief Technlgy Officer. IaaS is cmpatible with tday s anytime, anywhere wrk mdel. Because everything is IaaS are web- based, administratrs can manage the systems frm anywhere, whether they are adding capacity, remving users, r accessing reprts. Users can get the cmputing resurces they need frm wherever they happened t be, significantly imprving the agility r the rganizatin as a whle. Finally, IaaS can slve the issue f inevitable system upgrades. Technlgy changes rapidly, and thse changes usually bring higher capacities, greater reliability, and useful new features. Purchasing upgrades can be expensive, and rganizatins that rely n internal IT infrastructure must eventually upgrade their equipment (even virtualized servers), either t increase capacity r features r because a system has failed r is n lnger supprted by a vendr. With IaaS that never happens because the equipment isn t the rganizatin s prblem it s the IaaS prvider s respnsibility. Page 4
If infrastructure as a Service is a way t prvide virtual machines, servers, strage, and ther infrastructure services via the clud, what is Platfrm as a Service (PaaS)? There has lng been cnfusin between the tw, and with gd reasn. Bth ffer cmputing via the clud, but at different layers. The difference is this: The PaaS mdel prvides bth a cmputing platfrm, cnsisting f applicatin building blcks such as databases and file sharing, alng with applicatins that run n the platfrm, while IaaS prvides the infrastructure building blcks nly strage, hardware, and netwrking cmpnents. Clearly, PaaS and IaaS are clsely related, because applicatins, platfrms, and infrastructure can t wrk withut each ther. This has led t speculatin that the tw will eventually becme ne layer f service. By adpting sme clud infrastructure earlier rather than later, rganizatins will be better prepared. Chsing the Right Slutin The term infrastructure is brad in meaning, s it s nt surprising that subcategries f clud- based services fall under the IaaS mniker. Sme f the mst ppular IaaS slutins include the fllwing: Cmpute- as- a- Service: One f the mst ubiquitus IaaS fferings tday, cmpute as- a- service prvides cmpute capacity that includes servers, perating system access, firewalls, ruters, and lad balancing n demand. These systems have management interfaces, and their capacity shuld be either shared r private. Web hsting: Many rganizatins rely n their websites fr marketing and revenue, and any glitch in peratins can mean a lss f business. Mving a website t an IaaS- based mdel ensures that the website wn t get bgged dwn during peak traffic times and that rganizatins wn t have t verpay fr capacity t manage thse traffic spikes. What s mre, lads will always be balanced, and uptime is guaranteed, thanks t SLAs. Other perks include ffsite backup and fast cnnectins fr eliminating slw page and cntent dwnlads, n matter hw much rich media a site cntains. Strage- as- a- Service: Strage is ne f thse necessities that nly grw ver time. It can be a cnstant struggle t maintain enugh strage capacity and mange it effectively. Strage- as- a- service ges a lng way twards easing that burden. These slutins have interactive self- service prtals that allw administratrs t prvisin strage, transfer data t different tiers f strage, dispatch specific data sets t different media, and add r remve strage as needed. Tiers generally include fast strage fr high I/O applicatins, standard strage fr system disk and bulk strage fr file serving. Clud- based strage has the security cntrls t ensure that all data is stred securely in date center facilities, with extremely high availability. Disaster recvery and backup as a service: The idea behind mving disaster recvery t the clud is t ensure that rganizatins have uninterrupted access t data and applicatins, regardless f emergencies, such as pwer utages, natural disasters, r system failures. These Page 5
slutins always include redundancy and autmatic failver t ensure nging access, reducing dwntime t nearly zer. Many slutins als emply cntinuus data prtectin (CDP), which allws fr multiple versins f all data sets t be recvered. Servers- as- a- Service: Accessing servers in the clud means that n matter what the prject, r even if it s the busy seasn, there will always be enugh cmpute pwer t g arund. It s useful fr ne- time prjects that require additinal capacity, r fr handling spikes in transactins. And because it s a service, enterprises can rest assured that they ll never be paying fr mre server capacity than they need. Netwrking- as- a- Service: This is the newest entrant in the IaaS categry. The idea is t ffer netwrking resurces n demand in rder t supprt virtual netwrks resurces such as firewalls, lad balancing, and WAN acceleratin services. Simply put, NaaS prvides unified cnnectivity acrss strage, netwrking, and servers that changes t meet the demands f virtualized infrastructures. When IaaS Makes Sense All enterprises are lking fr ways t cut csts, and the clud prvides an pprtunity. The pay- as- yu- g mdel means that rganizatins never pay fr capacity nt used. Plus, there are n mre csts fr upgrading hardware and ther infrastructure, n mre service cntracts, and few if any virtualizatin licensing csts. Organizatins see clud cmputing as a cst reductin strategy fr many reasns, accrding t a study by Enterprise Strategy Grup: There is n need t renegtiate cntracts, n need t pstpne prjects fr lack f capacity, and n need t dedicate staff t managing infrastructure. Organizatinal mdels that require the capacity t quickly react t market changes are als gd candidates fr IaaS. Such rganizatins may need t stand up a system n shrt ntice, create r trublesht a prduct quickly r get new emplyees up t speed in hurs rather than days. Page 6
That might be pssible with an in- huse infrastructure, but nt withut sme fast thinking arund repurpsing and repsitining equipment. With infrastructure in the clud, the capacity is always there when needed. It makes sense t cnsider IaaS when the data center is due fr a cmplete refresh r verhaul. That s the time t cnsider if it makes sense fr the rganizatin t cntinue managing its wn data center. Is that the best use f yur salaried emplyees? If an rganizatin is nt in the IT business, chances are gd that it may nt be in its best interest t spend the mney n new infrastructure. Saving mney is a ppular reasn fr mving t IaaS r any type f clud cmputing. But depending n the situatin, that may nt always be the case. It s wrth taking the time t d a cmplete cst/ benefit analysis. That means cnsidering every angle the mney an enterprise wuld save by nt buying, maintaining, and upgrading its wn equipment, as well as the csts f labr the rganizatin is nw paying t manage its internal infrastructure. Thse are the hard csts, and they are fairly easy t quantify. The bigger issue is determining the sft csts. Fr example, if an rganizatin is anticipating significant grwth but can t be sure hw much cmputing capacity it will need, it s difficult t run the numbers. Hwever just knwing that a majr grwth stage in n the hrizn is gd infrmatin fr a ttal- cst- f- wnership (TCO) calculatin. Because IaaS can be scaled up r dwn quickly, it s nt as imprtant t knw hw much the rganizatin will grw as it is t knw that it will grw significantly. But perhaps the mst difficult csts t determine are the missed pprtunity csts. In ther wrds, if an enterprise can perate faster and better using an external IaaS prvider, it may gain sme type f advantage that it currently can t imagine. Preparing fr Migratin Althugh making the leap frm a physical infrastructure t an IaaS envirnment may seem verwhelming, there is a lgical way t structure the mve. The first step is t virtualize the current envirnment if the enterprise has nt dne s already (generally, servers first, fllwed by applicatins, then desktps). By virtualizing as a first step, data and applicatins wind up separated frm the physical machines n which they reside. This gives IT managers and executives a clearer understanding f which applicatins Page 7
and data are mst imprtant, alng with the interdependencies amng them. Thrugh this prcess, it becmes clear which applicatins make sense t prt t the IaaS envirnment, which is itself based n a virtual infrastructure. At the same time, the virtualizatin prcess begins the cultural shift that will lead wrkers t access applicatins and data thrugh virtual machines. And it will train IT staff t deal with services- based, shared- resurces mindset the same mindset and prcesses used in all clud deplyments. The next step is t discver which apps and sftware versins are in use thrughut the envirnment, which users have permissin t use them, and the interdependencies amng thse applicatins. Once that infrmatin has been gathered, it s imprtant t cllect and measure data abut each applicatin s resurce utilizatin levels hw much CPU pwer and memry des each app use? IT shps will als need netwrk and strage metrics, specifically as they describe thrughput and latency. This data is crucial t determining hw the applicatins will wrk in the new IaaS envirnment. Applicatin dependency mapping is next. This invlved identifying dependencies between applicatins, as well as between applicatins and the data infrastructure. The idea is t find ut hw t architect the migratin plan s that thse dependencies aren t disrupted. It s a painstaking prcess, ne that an utside cnsultant r a special- purpse mapping tl can help with. It s als imprtant t ensure that the clud- based infrastructure is cmpatible with the rganizatin s existing server hardware and perating systems. If the hardware isn t cmpatible, applicatins may have t be redeplyed r recmpiled fr the new platfrm. If the perating systems are different, ther changes may have t be made when the enterprise migrate its systems. Finally, it s imprtant t prepare the IT staff fr its changing rle. Althugh it might be tempting t think that the IT functin will n lnger ne needed nce an rganizatin mves infrastructure t the clud, that s nt the case. Instead, the IT staff s rle will change frm ne f a hands- n, trubleshting, in- the- weeds rle t ne that is mre managerial. The IT manager nw becmes a liaisn t the IaaS prvider, mnitring its wrk and making sure the rganizatin gets its best value. Infrastructure- as- a- Service makes a great deal f sense fr many rganizatins. Agility and prductivity are keys t surviving and thriving in a challenging ecnmy. S anything that cnserves cash and allws the enterprise t fcus n its cre business r missin is wrth cnsidering. Chsing amng the many ptins available tday may seem an verwhelming task. But by asking the right questins, talking t the right vendrs, and cnsulting with trusted advisrs, enterprises are much mre likely t make the right decisin a decisin that will prpel the rganizatin frward securely, quickly, and prfitably. Page 8
Seven Criteria fr Chsing an IaaS Prvider I. Rbust Infrastructure Lk fr a fully managed IaaS clud slutin running in an enterprise- class data center with secure, reliable clud services t supprt and deliver hsted sftware slutins. II. Revenue Opprtunities Ask what pprtunities exist t generate additinal revenue with services that create annuity incme, including disaster recvery, applicatin mnitring, and service desk fferings. III. Best Practices Accept nly a best- practices apprach based n ITIL v3 standards; the prvider shuld have 24x7x365 mnitring and management in place, as well as highly autmated prcesses with a wide range f sphisticated sftware tls, all cmbined with real- wrld experience with sftware cmpanies t deliver hsted slutins. IV. Flexible Capacity Explre the clud slutin prvider s ability t deliver flexible capacity t accmmdate fluctuatins in custmers prductin wrklads, as well as n- demand capacity fr training, demnstratin, prf- f- cncept r test/develpment. V. Custmizability Lk fr a cnsultative apprach t architecting a clud slutin t the sftware slutin s requirements rather than just learning anther ckie- cutter clud ffering. Alternatives such as legacy perating systems, hybrid slutins, and managed appliances shuld be ffered. VI. Serius SLAs Examine the prvider s service- level agreements. There shuld be a designated service- level manager verseeing stringent SLAs backed by stiff financial penalties t ensure target reslutin times nt just target respnse times are met. VII. Industry Recgnized Chse a prvider with a prven, industry- recgnized slutin that has earned certificatins and awards and that fares well in cmparative rankings. Page 9