With the proliferation of cloud, there’s been a lot of talk around the death of the data centre and how organisations should be aiming to achieve ‘data centre zero’. Rather, an enterprise’s data centre needs to be optimised so that it operates at peak performance, and architected in a way that it is able to take advantage of the cloud.
For those CIOs resisting cloud, it’s only getting harder to make a case against it. Providers are becoming increasingly competitive cost-wise and are constantly adding to their service sets. Since it is up to CIOs to facilitate agility and innovation within their organisations, they cannot afford to be held back by lethargic legacy infrastructure, and the cloud is a sure-fire way to alleviate on premise data centre pain.
Before you can determine the where and the who of a cloud implementation, you need to know the what, as identifying the workloads you’re moving will likely influence where you move and therefore, who, moves them. This requires CIOs to have a deep understanding of their IT environment; only then can they identify the data and applications that are best suited to the cloud whilst also delivering a consistent ROI.
A couple of points to consider when deciding on the what:
Much like the real life version found in the sky, not all clouds are created equal in the IT world. CIOs have a choice between three models – private, public or hybrid – and understanding the differences between them is critical as each cloud drives unique requirements and suits specific workloads.
The following should come into consideration when deciding the most suitable cloud model for your enterprise:
Of course, it doesn’t have to be an ‘all or nothing’ debate. A hybrid cloud model offers the best of both worlds – the security and performance of on premise IT and the agility of a third party cloud. There are a few things to be aware of though. For many organisations, latency issues can arise if their cloud and infrastructure is not co-located in the same facility. Hybrid environments are only as strong as the technology that links them, so an integrated network is ideal and will require less performance monitoring and testing.
CIOs must then decide whether they want to manage their cloud strategy themselves or outsource it to a managed services provider. While DIY cloud migrations are tempting if you have the internal IT resources, it can be bewildering for architects who have little to no experience in cloud deployments.
Security, knowledge of cloud services and 24/7 contact availability have been cited as critical factors when selecting a cloud provider. Equally important aspects to consider include:
What the cloud will do for your enterprise is entirely different to another. For that reason, consultation with cloud experts or a managed service provider is suggested to determine the best migration sequence. This ensures that the benefits of cloud to the enterprise can be delivered within an agreed budget, timeframe, and with a clear understanding of any risks involved.
For a more in-depth, step-by-step process to determining the most appropriate cloud strategy for your enterprise, download our whitepaper, ‘Selecting the right cloud’.