What do you see when you look at cloud computing? Here at Interop, there’s a lot of speculation, interpretation—and heated discussion—as to what cloud computing actually is. Here’s my definition:
Cloud computing, whether internal or external, is a dynamic IT environment that efficiently delivers business services. If that IT environment is owned and run by a third party, it’s a public cloud. If it’s your own IT environment, it’s a private cloud.
Some see public cloud computing as IT nirvana, where services are magically outsourced to the cloud without major cost, compliance or security consequences. Others see private cloud infrastructure as the natural evolution of their existing IT infrastructure services—providing the ability to deliver on the promise of utility computing while leveraging their existing assets. Everyone agrees that cloud computing is raising the bar for both internal and external IT service providers.
When we assess cloud computing at Novell, we see opportunities to enhance IT in both public and private models—as well as the strong likelihood that most companies will adopt a combination of the two and the need to manage them in a heterogeneous fashion. We also recognize that security, cost control, compliance and the ability to provision on-demand services must be implemented up front in an automated, systematic way.
When you’re looking at making a move to the cloud, whether it’s building your own private cloud or leveraging external cloud resources, I encourage you to look into a company that understands enterprise computing requirements. Ask potential vendors how they can help you create and manage a secure and compliant cloud.
However you choose to define cloud computing, remember one thing: while the label may change over time, the requirement to align IT to the needs of the business won’t. And that requirement is all that really matters.
Posted
Apr 28 2010, 03:51 PM
by
JohnStetic