w h i t e p a p e r p a g e 1 f 12 Grwing Yur Clud Infrastructure: Planning, Design and Operatin Abstract Clud cmputing services are expanding and evlving rapidly. But with this fast, largescale grwth cmes a cmplex supply chain f service prviders, ften invlving multiple third parties. In additin, quality standards and security practices in the industry are still unclear, difficult t define, and even harder t verify. T succeed in this uncertain and challenging envirnment, rganizatins need a carefully planned, structured apprach t the design, implementatin, and management f clud services. NOTE Drawing n its Bell Labs heritage, Applied Cmmunicatin Sciences (ACS) excels at creating innvative technlgies and services t slve the mst difficult and cmplex infrmatin and cmmunicatins prblems acrss cmmercial, carrier and gvernment sectrs. Applied Cmmunicatin Sciences is legally registered as TT Gvernment Slutins, ding business as Applied Cmmunicatin Sciences. ACS is a whlly-wned subsidiary f The SI Organizatin, Inc. 2011 Applied Cmmunicatin Sciences Registered Trademark f TT Gvernment Slutins, Inc.
P a g e 2 f 12 Rapid Grwth, Lingering Challenges The clud is rising. In 2010, IDC estimated the clud market at $16B and predicted grwth t $56B by 2014. Other market researchers are even mre ptimistic, with Gartner estimating the clud market at $150B by 2013 and Merrill Lynch predicting grwth t $160B in 2011. But n matter where the final number lands in the next few years, ne thing is certain: Planning a mve t the clud isn t a breeze. It invlves navigating a whle wrld f service mdels, prviders, vendrs, and markets. Still, rganizatins are expected t keep migrating t clud services in drves as they lk t the clud s prmise f increased business agility and decreased peratinal csts. But even as their migratin intensifies, debate and uncertainty cntinue t swirl arund clud cmputing definitins, use cases, underlying technlgies, issues and security risks. What s mre, migratin typically requires entrusting missin-critical data t a cmplex supply chain f third-party prviders and relinquishing at least sme cntrl ver netwrk perfrmance, reliability and security. Even after mving t the clud, an rganizatin s private infrmatin may bunce between multiple prviders, creating nging security and management challenges. T ensure the quality f every aspect f the clud supply chain, rganizatins need a carefully planned, structured apprach t the design, implementatin and management f clud services. Frm chsing the right service mdel t develping effective service level agreements (SLAs) t verifying cmpliance, rganizatins must seek ut and implement clud cmputing best practices at every step f the prcess s they can succeed in spite f the clud s nging issues and unknwns. Service and Deplyment Architectural Mdels The definitins, attributes, and characteristics f clud cmputing are expected t evlve and change ver time as the technlgy matures. Currently, the Natinal Institute f Standards and Technlgy (NIST) prvides the fllwing definitin and mdels fr clud cmputing: Clud cmputing is a mdel fr enabling cnvenient, n-demand netwrk access t a shared pl f cnfigurable cmputing resurces (e.g., netwrks, servers, strage, applicatins, and services) that can be rapidly prvisined and released with minimal management effrt r service prvider interactin. This clud mdel prmtes availability and is cmpsed f three service mdels and fur deplyment mdels. Service Mdels: 1. Clud Sftware as a Service (SaaS). The capability prvided t the cnsumer is t use the prvider s applicatins running n a clud infrastructure. The applicatins are accessible frm varius client devices thrugh a thin client interface such as a web brwser (e.g., web-based email). The cnsumer des nt manage r cntrl the underlying clud infrastructure including netwrk, servers, perating systems, strage r
P a g e 3 f 12 even individual applicatin capabilities, with the pssible exceptin f limited userspecific applicatin cnfiguratin settings. 2. Clud Platfrm as a Service (PaaS). The capability prvided t the cnsumer is t deply nt the clud infrastructure cnsumer-created r acquired applicatins created using prgramming languages and tls supprted by the prvider. The cnsumer des nt manage r cntrl the underlying clud infrastructure including netwrk, servers, perating systems r strage, but has cntrl ver the deplyed applicatins and pssibly applicatin hsting envirnment cnfiguratins. 3. Clud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The capability prvided t the cnsumer is t prvisin prcessing, strage, netwrks, and ther fundamental cmputing resurces where the cnsumer is able t deply and run arbitrary sftware, which can include perating systems and applicatins. The cnsumer des nt manage r cntrl the underlying clud infrastructure but has cntrl ver perating systems, strage, deplyed applicatins, and pssibly limited cntrl f select netwrking cmpnents (e.g., hst firewalls). Deplyment Mdels: 1. Private clud. The clud infrastructure is perated slely fr an rganizatin. It may be managed by the rganizatin r a third party and may exist n premise r ff premise. 2. Cmmunity clud. The clud infrastructure is shared by several rganizatins and supprts a specific cmmunity that has shared cncerns (e.g., missin, security requirements, plicy and cmpliance cnsideratins). It may be managed by the rganizatins r a third party, and may exist n-premise r ff-premise. 3. Public clud. The clud infrastructure is made available t the general public r a large industry grup, and is wned by an rganizatin selling clud services. 4. Hybrid clud. The clud infrastructure is a cmpsitin f tw r mre cluds (private, cmmunity, r public) that remain unique entities but are bund tgether by standardized r prprietary technlgy that enables data and applicatin prtability (e.g., clud bursting fr lad-balancing between cluds). Understanding and Evaluating Netwrk Cmplexities Befre the intrductin f clud services, all f a user s data and applicatins were stred and hsted by a hard drive n a cmputer r a set f servers in the IT department f an enterprise netwrk. The figure belw shws that with clud cmputing, there isn t any need fr that hard drive r fr thse servers. Everything is in the clud stred, shared, r managed with anywhere, anytime availability. Fr example, an enterprise clud user can access the cmpany netwrk frm hme r frm the rad, day r night all that s needed is an Internet cnnectin.
P a g e 4 f 12 Based n the mdels defined by the NIST, individual clud service culd be classified against a clud service mdel (e.g., SaaS, PaaS r IaaS) and the deplyment mdel being utilized (e.g., private clud, cmmunity clud, public clud, r hybrid clud). Hwever, there are additinal cmplexities t cnsider frm the perspective f the underlying cmmunicatins netwrk. These include: The access netwrk arrangement and technlgies (e.g., fixed and mbile) The cre netwrk arrangements. Figure 1 Delivery f clud services There are different implicatins fr perfrmance, reliability and security depending upn hw the clud services are accessed whether thrugh the managed IP netwrk services f a prvider r the pen Internet. Therefre, the planning, design and peratin f clud services must invlve a cmplete system engineering view f the verall architecture that includes the relatinships with the underlying netwrk.
P a g e 5 f 12 Setting Effective Criteria fr Quality f Service and Security The main challenge facing the clud industry is a lack f effective criteria t describe and measure quality f service and security assurance. This absence f clear and precise standards makes it difficult t pinpint the critical elements t be included in SLAs. Mre imprtantly, it s als challenging t determine effective means t verify cmpliance t the technical and security criteria that is stipulated. Fr missin-critical applicatins, these issues must be reslved by setting effective clud criteria fr a netwrk s: Perfrmance Reliability, Availability and Disaster Recvery Security Perfrmance Issues Clud planning, design and peratins must take end-t-end perfrmance int cnsideratin. Given the variety f service architectural and deplyment mdels, as well as variatins f the underlying cmmunicatins netwrk arrangements, perfrmance in terms f quality f service (QS) is unpredictable. This vlatility in the clud can lead t netwrk delays, latency, jitter and dwntime. There are n well-knwn r established criteria t describe the requirements fr end-t-end quality f service that takes int cnsideratin bth perfrmance at the clud applicatin level and perfrmance f the underlying cmmunicatins netwrk. This issue is further cmplicated by the fact that the cmmunicatins services prvider may be different frm the clud service prvider. Therefre, key perfrmance issues must be identified by rganizatins themselves and verified with the service prviders they use. Reliability, Availability and Disaster Recvery Issues Certain critical applicatins, if mved t the clud, wuld demand a guaranteed QS, high levels f reliability, and cntinued availability frm their cmputing infrastructure. While SLAs can be structured t meet the demands f varius businesses, the reality is that sme level f failures will ccur when using cmmdity-based hardware slutins. It is likely that events resulting in netwrking failures and utages will ccur frm time t time. Therefre, clud deplyment and implementatin planning must include the peratinal measures t verify enfrcement f diversity and redundancy rules t survive a variety f uncntrllable perils. Operatinal measures must be implemented, enfrced, and audited fr nncmpliance. The planning, design, and peratin f clud services shuld include identifying physical and lgical interdependencies in the clud prvider's infrastructure tgether with the underlying netwrk infrastructure. Understanding hw resurce demcratizatin ccurs within the clud prvider t best predict system availability and perfrmance is critical t the migratin and nging maintenance prcess.
P a g e 6 f 12 Security Issues There are bvius cncerns abut the security f transfer and retentin f sensitive data, especially as a clud-based infrastructure seems t imply a less transparent mechanism f string and prcessing data. Many cmpanies and gvernment agencies are uncmfrtable with their data being lcated n hardware utside f their direct cntrl. This unease quickly turns t fear when yu add the fact that clud cmputing services are ften multitenant, meaning that ther cmpanies, even cmpetitrs, are sharing the same hardware resurces. In additin, a heightened regulatry envirnment has driven the need fr rganizatins t be extremely cautius with their infrmatin due t serius legal and financial sanctins if persnal data is cmprmised. Clud prviders are faced with the need t prvide prper security measures and are unsure what functinalities are apprpriate r adequate. On the ther hand, the enterprise custmer f clud services faces difficulty determining the requirements fr security and the apprpriate measures t check fr cmpliance. Mitigating security risks and threats assciated with the use f clud infrastructure, platfrms and applicatins is a majr challenge. When chsing a clud service prvider, the fllwing security issues must be cnsidered: Chain f Trust Identity Management (IdM) Third Party and Supply Chain Management Establishing a Chain f Trust The assurance that the risk frm using clud services is at an acceptable level depends n the trust that the rganizatin places in its clud service prvider. In sme cases, the level f trust is based n the amunt f direct cntrl the rganizatin is able t exert ver the prvider s security techniques. The security planning, design and peratins fr clud must establish and maintain apprpriate measures t enfrce a chain f trust. This includes building cnfidence that each participating service prvider in the clud supply chain ffers adequate data prtectin and security. The chain f trust can be cmplicated due t the number f entities participating in the cnsumer-prvider relatinship chain and the type f relatinship between the parties. It s als pssible that clud service prviders may utsurce services t ther external entities, making the chain f trust even mre cmplicated and difficult t manage. Ensuring Effective Identity Management (IdM) T deply and maintain clud services, rganizatins must establish clearly defined and enfrceable plicies fr identity management amng the multiple parties invlved, including the clud custmer, the clud prvider and any third parties. A clear and structured apprach t risk assessment shuld be established and used amng all parties t determine, select and implement the necessary security cntrls. Fr example, t
P a g e 7 f 12 enable strng authenticatin, clud applicatins culd supprt the capability t delegate authenticatin t the enterprise netwrk that is cnsuming the services. In this case, the enterprise can enfrce strng authenticatin using existing infrastructure and authenticate with pen standards such as Security Assertin Markup Language (SAML) with the clud prvider. This wuld require clud prviders t externalize authenticatins and cnsider supprting varius strng authenticatin ptins such as ne-time passwrds, bimetrics, digital certificates and Kerbers. Managing the Clud Supply Chain Supply chain security issues must be carefully cnsidered when selecting clud prviders. T prevent security breaches, rganizatins must maintain tight cntrl ver key business, technical and security issues. Specifically, the clud prvider s supply chain and the prvider s management f thse relatinships shuld be assessed t the extent pssible. Assessment f third party service prviders shuld specifically target the prvider s: Incident management plicies Business cntinuity and disaster recvery prcedures C-lcatin and back-up facilities Metrics illustrating the effectiveness f cntrls in these areas. Cnsidering Operatins frm Every Perspective Operatins need t be cnsidered frm a variety f different perspectives and in the cntext f several different relatinships. Using the diagram belw as a guideline, cnsider the fllwing perspectives when designing, deplying and maintaining clud services: 1. Business cnsumer perspective a. Relatinship t enterprise IT department 2. Enterprise IT department perspective a. Relatinship t business cnsumer b. Relatinship t cmmunicatins service prvider c. Relatinship t clud service prvider 3. Cmmunicatins service prvider perspective a. Relatinship t enterprise IT department b. Relatinship t clud service prvider 4. Clud service prvider perspective a. Relatinship t cmmunicatins service prvider b. Relatinship t enterprise IT department
P a g e 8 f 12 Figure 2 Rles and relatinships invlved in the prvisin f clud services Business cnsumer perspective: This perspective shuld nt be impacted by the intrductin f clud services. Enterprise IT department perspective: ITIL prvides best-practice advice and guidance n all aspects f managing the day-t-day peratin f an rganizatin s infrmatin technlgy (IT) services, including relatinships with business cnsumers. Accrding t ITIL Service Design, an IT service is cnstructed frm a cmbinatin f IT assets and externally prvided underpinning services. Clud services, delivered via cmmunicatins services, prvide a new pprtunity t explit the cncept f underpinning services. While ITIL Service Design is fcused n the design f new services, it may in sme cases be apprpriate t redesign existing services t explit the advantages ffered by the clud. In this perspective, the clud service prvider and the cmmunicatins service prvider becme suppliers t the enterprise IT department. The ITIL Supplier Management prcess ensures that suppliers and the services they prvide are managed t supprt IT service targets and business expectatins. Nte, hwever, that while the ITIL Supplier Management prcess prvides best practice guidance, the applicatin f this prcess t a specific enterprise IT department adptin f clud services will require additinal custmized and detailed prcess engineering. Cmmunicatins service prvider perspective: Fr cmmunicatins service prviders, TM Frum s Business Prcess Framewrk, als knwn as etom, serves as the blueprint fr standardizing and categrizing business activities (in the frm f prcess elements) that will help set directin and the starting pint fr develpment and integratin f business and peratins supprt systems (BSS/OSS). Even prir t the clud, the cmmunicatins services and IT services wrlds had been mving clser tgether, including the crrespnding business and peratins prcesses needed t supprt such services. This has been well recgnized thrughut the industry and is discussed in mre detail in a TM Frum study n integrating ITIL and etom t prvide a pragmatic jint slutin fr business supprt in the cmmunicatins sectr. The
P a g e 9 f 12 cnvergence f cmmunicatins and IT is further accelerated by the intrductin f clud services, particularly fr the case when an existing cmmunicatins service prvider wants t enter the clud service prvider market. Nte, hwever, that while the TM Frum study prvides guidance n hw t blend ITIL and etom prcesses, the applicatin f a cnverged prcess set within a specific cmmunicatins service prvider envirnment will require additinal custmized and detailed prcess engineering. Clud service prvider perspective: Fr the clud service prvider (whether stand-alne r integrated with a cmmunicatins service prvider), the peratinal prcesses cnstitute thse disciplines that directly prvide IT service delivery (e.g., ITIL). Reflecting n the terminlgy used by the ITIL framewrk, this wuld include the cre disciplines f service peratins: Access management Event management Incident management Prblem management Request fulfillment The nature f the peratins disciplines d nt easily amend t a strict demarcatin between the clud service prvider and the cnsumer s respnsibility acrss OS s, virtual machines, servers, databases, middleware, and applicatins. There will need t be shared respnsibilities when data must be accessed r a wrkflw perates acrss bth entities. Hence, each party must prvide data visibility t the ther, mutually set pririties and crdinate tasks. At a high level, the peratins respnsibilities fr a clud service prvider are as fllws: Mnitring service: The service prvider must mnitr the envirnment (including event, capacity, security and utilizatin) t ensure SLAs are met. The prvider s mnitring data must be prvided ver standardized APIs. Management f incident: Each party must infrm the ther f incidents which may affect the ther. Predefined agreement must be reached n incident priritizatin and the level f effrt required by the service prvider during an incident. Autmated and standardized interfaces are t be established t manage incidents. Crdinating the peratin f change, cnfiguratin, and release/deplyment: Each party will ntify the ther when a change in cnfiguratin r ther peratinal aspect may affect the service capabilities f the ther party. Practive management is required t ensure a stable envirnment. Establishing gvernance: The service prvider must adhere t and permit enfrcement f gverning framewrks and plicies, internal/external audits, minimum standards/certificatins and security cntrls. Penalties and cntract terminatin may be established fr instances where requirements are nt adhered t. Prvisining f services: The service prvider must have effective autmated (wherever pssible) mechanisms t request, prvisin (resurces, access keys, etc.), manage and meter usage f services.
P a g e 10 f 12 Establishing Effective Service Level Agreements Clud cmputing uses the cncept f service level agreements t cntrl the use and receipt f cmputing resurces frm, and by, third parties. Any SLA management strategy cnsiders tw well-differentiated phases: the negtiatin f the cntract and the mnitring f its fulfillment in real time. Thus, SLA management encmpasses: SLA cntract definitin including basic schema with the QS parameters SLA negtiatin SLA mnitring SLA enfrcement accrding t defined plicies The underlying benefit f clud cmputing is shared resurces, which is supprted by the underlying nature f a shared infrastructure envirnment. Thus, SLAs span acrss the clud and are ffered by service prviders as a service-based agreement. Measuring, mnitring, and reprting n clud perfrmance is based upn an end user experience r the end user s ability t cnsume resurces. A majr challenge fr clud cmputing, relative t SLAs, is the difficultly in determining rt cause fr service interruptins due t the cmplex nature f the envirnment. Frm the diagram belw, it can be seen that the imprtance f SLAs spans all relatinships that exist between a prvider f a service (any type f service) and the cnsumer f that service. Histrically, service prviders have specified the details f what is cntained (r nt cntained) in the SLA based n what service capabilities they are able t deliver accrding t their deplyed technlgy infrastructure. Hwever, the recent trend is fr custmers t becme mre and mre invlved in the SLA specificatin prcess based n their particular business needs. With respect t clud cmputing and SLAs in particular, custmers wuld like t see the fllwing attributes addressed: Clarity f pricing unit ptins Clarity and cmpleteness f definitins, targets, failure types and remedies, mnitring and reprting Service credit plicy in the cntext f a service management tl (nt t be cnfused with liability cncerns) Ability t change and mdify, within parameters, at the custmer s discretin Year-ver-year imprvement if a lnger term cmmitment is required Clarity f day ne cmmitment Metrics addressing (at minimum): availability, prvisining, perfrmance, incident and prblem management, reprting quality and timeliness, change respnsiveness, regulatry driven respnsiveness, prvisin f underlying data and service sets, verall custmer satisfactin, sustainability and efficiency
P a g e 11 f 12 Figure 3 SLAs applicable t the prvisin f clud services Chsing the Right Service Prvider In tday s cmpetitive clud envirnment, rganizatins shuld expect the highest quality and prfessinal standards frm their clud service prviders. Because the clud is a relatively new phenmenn, nt all prviders have the necessary expertise t slve the cmplex netwrk challenges that rganizatins face. T ensure a reliable and secure netwrk in the clud, ptential prviders shuld be evaluated n best practice criteria, which call fr experience in: Safeguarding sensitive, missin-critical data in the clud envirnment Managing cmplex clud supply chains that invlve multiple parties Planning effective service level agreements that ensure netwrk perfrmance, reliability, disaster recvery, and security Due diligence fr cmpliance and verificatin f all technical requirements and security plicies
P a g e 12 f 12 Cnclusin The transitin t clud services fr critical applicatins that demand quality f service and security present tugh new challenges fr rganizatins t slve. T succeed in this difficult envirnment, rganizatins need a structured apprach t planning, designing and implementing their clud structure. By demanding transparency and accuntability frm clud cmputing service prviders, negtiating fr mre effective SLAs, and ensuring nging cmpliance t technical requirements and security plicies, rganizatins can maximize their clud infrastructure s perfrmance, reliability, and security and meet their cre business gals. F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N A B O U T E F F E C T I V E L Y G R O W I N G C L O U D I N F R A S T R U C T U R E, C O N T A C T U S A T : Applied Cmmunicatin Sciences 150 Munt Airy Rad Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 inf@appcmsci.cm www.appcmsci.cm......................................... 2011 Applied Cmmunicatin Sciences. All rights reserved. WP-033