A Cloud Federation means more power and stability

Small businesses are ready to jump into cloud computing, but a lack of inclusiveness or cohesiveness across multiple services and providers seems to be preventing them from taking the final plunge  cloud computing stability

When most of us go to the store to buy an adapter or power supply for any one of our hundred+ electronic devices the tendency is to go for the “universal” component. This is to say that when you buy a universal adapter, you know that it’s going to be compatible with your device as well as a host of others. Likewise, when we buy computing devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, PC’s, Mac’s, etc…) we often base our choices on the compatibility, versatility and connectivity of its included operating system(s). After all, who wants to buy a computer that can’t run or take advantage of our favorite software, apps, or services? In a very similar fashion, concerns over universality and inclusiveness are what most cloud computing providers are dealing with right now.

The problem with most current cloud computing services and providers is that there is no guide or guarantee that any of their products or software will work with that of others on the market. If you sign on for an extended and fully managed cloud service, can you still add individual cloud elements as you find / encounter them? Currently, the ability for multiple cloud services to interoperate is somewhat limited. This is to say that there is no guarantee that any individual service from one cloud provider will work with that of another; but that may be changing.

A Cloud federation is essentially the best solution for dealing with cross-functionality issues. What is a cloud federation, you ask? In a nutshell, a cloud federation is a union between multiple cloud service providers. Through a federation, providers can share workloads, services, environments, etc…in an effort to create a more extensive, balanced and versatile experience for customers / users. For example, if there are two separate services (which are both great for your business) and they are only available from independent providers, a cloud federation allows you to bring them together in the same environment, perhaps even utilizing them together in some unexpected manner.

How does a cloud federation agreement work?  
Currently, cloud federation agreements allow one provider to sell their services (often at wholesale prices) to other providers in the hopes that they will package them along with some of their products. This arrangement actually benefits both providers as:

• One is generating direct and dependable sales of their services (not to mention advertising)
• And the other is adding substantial (new) benefits to their arsenal and utilizing underused computing assets which they may have on hand already.

There is also another proposed type of cloud federation in the works which is much more comprehensive, it’s currently being referred to as the “Intercloud”. Many individuals want to see some form of universal cloud federation to take effect which would allow virtually anyone, not just providers, to combine multiple services from disparate providers in a more simple and user-friendly manner. The Intercloud would create standards and a universal platform upon which individuals could build their own clouds; somewhat similar to how html works in relation to the internet, for instance.  

Just imagine being able to quickly and easily pick and choose cloud services at whim and instantly package and deploy them for your own purposes and those of your business, all without having to worry about compatibility issues. If such a system were indeed instituted it would most likely lead to the formation of increased specialization. In other words, you would see more cloud providers focusing on specific areas like security or storage and being able to more easily share their findings, research and products to everyone. The end result of all this sharing is likely to be improvements all across the board; meaning, even more secure and stable cloud computing.

When will we see a defined “Intercloud” emerge?  It’s tough to say, some experts see the idea of the Intercloud taking hold sooner, others, much later. The biggest fear, ironically, is that of standardization. It has been suggested that implementing too many standards during such an early stage in the development of cloud computing as a whole might limit its growth, so to speak. Regardless of when it happens, it is clear that some form of advanced and integrated cloud federation is already being laid out and virtually every cloud provider out there is eager to get with the program.

Possibly one of the most important questions (with regards to businesses and cloud computing) is; have the proper educational preparations been made?  While there’s no doubt that cloud computing offers businesses distinct advantages, how many organizations can honestly say that their personnel truly understand the technology and infrastructure behind it? This isn’t really a major issue however, as cloud computing foundation training and certification programs are readily available, inexpensive, and thoroughly enlightening. Likewise, these e-learning programs for cloud computing can be accessed via the internet, some even offer distinctly beneficial materials designed to prepare individuals for certification tests.

A cloud federation or Intercloud is good news for everyone. Cloud providers will be able to put their products in front of a larger customer base and offer their users more advanced and dependable packages. Customers and cloud users will reap the benefits of having more services to choose from and combine under a federated cloud as well. Through cloud federations, we will see cloud computing as a whole become a more stable and powerful enterprise, which will benefit us all in the long run.

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Will CloudPassage bring even more security and stability to cloud computing?

Arguably, the single biggest “hot button” issue in the world of cloud computing continues to be security. At this point, there really aren’t that many people left who might be inclined to believe that cloud computing is anything but a step in the right direction, technologically speaking. But if there’s one thing that strikes fear into the hearts and minds of cloud aficionados, it’s probably the issue of security.

Let’s not foster a misunderstanding or “get our wires crossed” though, cloud computing is in most respects, very secure. The reason why security in the cloud is such an important point of interest is that has yet to present a marked improvement over that of traditional IT. In other words, in general, cloud computing is at least as secure as most of the infrastructure that we have running right now (which is not cloud-based). What the tech community is after however, is a new type of security altogether; something that will not only be extremely secure and highly manageable, but also powerful enough to make traditional IT security redundant.

With the release of CloudPassage Halo, we might just have made one big step closer toward realizing an even more secure and stable form of cloud infrastructure. But before we get into exactly how CloudPassage might help clouds achieve new standards of security, we need to ask the question; what is CloudPassage?  

First off, you only need to look at who CloudPassage is partnering with to understand that they must be offering a quality security solution. Some of the top cloud providers in the world right now (like Rackspace and AWS) are partnering up with CloudPassage and leveraging its security solutions. In addition to providing an active, multi-tiered form of cloud security, CloudPassage is also deployable on public, private and hybrid clouds. Simply put, this is an extremely versatile security solution which essentially has “all the bases covered”.

CloudPassage Halo security components
The following are a number of components / benefits offered by CloudPassage:  

• Firewall Automation – Allows you to manage multiple firewalls from one central location.

• Multi-Factor Authentication – Engage in remote administration and utilize “GhostPorts” along with single use passwords.

• Configuration Security – Useful for containing expanding exposure, also highly compatible and adaptable to various policies.

• Vulnerability Scanning – You not only get up-to-the-second data concerning system security, you are also given or prompted with specific actions you can take in the event of a problem / breach.

• File Integrity Monitoring – Allows you to monitor servers for unauthorized alterations to important system elements and components.

• Account Management – Advanced management of all layers of your IT / cloud infrastructure is possible (assimilation and centralization).

• Security Event Alerting – Not only will you have a more in-depth logging system in place, but it will also allow for event-specific alerts / actions and give you the ability to create and store profiles and groups.

• API Automation – Provides an entirely new approach to security and system integration / automation (much more in-depth and to-the-point).

In order to implement and / or take advantage of CloudPassage Halo has to offer, you are probably going to need an IT team that understands and can work with cloud computing infrastructure, right? You basically have two options; one, hire an entirely new cloud computing division, or two, simply have your current IT department certified and/ or trained in one of several cloud computing disciplines.

They’ve created a (good) Monster!
What CloudPassage has basically created is a more versatile and complete set of interconnected and compatible security solutions for cloud computing which also address many of its major perceived (security and stability) flaws. What’s truly exciting about all of this is the fact that virtually all of the seemingly insurmountable security issues touted by cloud naysayers are not only addressed, they are elegantly (and somewhat simply) dealt with. This is what (arguably) makes CloudPassage Halo such a potentially useful system; it is basically providing easy to understand solutions which are also highly customizable and deployable. With CloudPassage adding new major clients and customers to their ongoing list on a regular basis, we might be seeing a clear indication that one of the first major cloud security solutions might have arrived.  

Visit CloudPassage on the web.
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A closer look at the wide range of things that people accomplish with Amazon’s web (cloud) services cloud computing services

Whether or not you realize it, there are some really big companies that are using cloud computing (courtesy of Amazon’s web services) to accomplish some very interesting things, most of which we use everyday (and probably take for granted). For example, there are numerous companies which utilize one or more cloud services out of Amazon’s 9 types of offerings.

Those 9 areas are as follows:  cloud computing services

1. Application Hosting
2. Backup and Storage
3. Content Delivery
4. E-Commerce
5. High Performance Computing
6. Media Hosting
7. On-Demand Workforce
8. Search Engines
9. Web Hosting

Application Hosting
For those businesses that are not looking for a complete cloud-based IT solution, there is the option of simply using it to drive specific apps or tools. Of course that doesn’t mean that more extensive hosting capabilities aren’t possible with application hosting, only that a fair number of organizations are using it to drive things like browser add-ons and social media-based interactive applications.

Backup and Storage
If there’s one type of cloud service that is among the “must-haves” it’s got to be backup and storage. Arguably, no other type of infrastructure – computing / networking method is able to offer as much to users as cloud computing-based backup and storage, and Amazon is considered to be one of the best in this category. Who uses the Amazon backup and storage service? Nasdaq OMX is among one of the users of this particular service; just in case you didn’t already know this, Nasdaq OMX is the largest exchange business in the world (that’s pretty significant, don’t you agree?).  

Content Delivery
From providing supplemental content for live concerts (Madonna) to ensuring the delivery of content for various high-traffic sites, Amazon’s content delivery service is a great all-purpose solution for getting things where they need to be quickly and smoothly.

E-Commerce
Makes processing payments much easier and accessible to a larger variety of users and is compatible with various other services as well. E-commerce through Amazon gives you the tools to create more attractive ways to reach out to customers.

High Performance Computing
Amazon’s ability to deliver high performance computing simulations is one of the coolest things imaginable. They’ve been able to assist companies with the development more efficient jet engines, market / credit evaluations, NASA projects, genome analysis, etc…If you want proof of the power inherent to cloud computing, it is embodied in Amazon’s high performance computing service client list. So many globally significant businesses rely on the incredible power of Amazon’s cloud.

Media Hosting
Most organizations that use Amazon’s cloud services to host their media and content are seeking a static place to park their current and incoming data streams. However, some forward-thinking companies are also using this service to stream live events as well. For instance, if you were watching the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, you should know that it was through a cloud computing-based solution.

On-Demand Workforce
This area of cloud service has been primarily used to enable situations where computing and processing meet human processing and interaction. Mechanical Turk (transcription) is the most immediate and basic example of what Amazon’s on-demand workforce service has been used to achieve.

Search Engines
Some companies in the search engine market use Amazon’s web services to index and store large amounts of data. Likewise, Amazon-enabled search services are also aiding biologists who use the technology to link relevant articles to specific types of DNA sequences.

Web Hosting
Finally, there is web hosting, one of the most encompassing and direct cloud services out there. Under the banner of web hosting, virtually any or all of Amazon’s other cloud services can be leverage to create a complete enterprise-ready solution. The point is, regardless of what you need to do, there are multiple solutions available through Amazon’s cloud-powered web hosting services.  

What do you need in order to take advantage of Amazon’s web services?  
While there are certain types of hosting packages available which don’t require a user to have their own IT staff, many of the people entering the cloud market already have their own technological assets in place. Right now, it’s imperative that professionals (who are serious about the future of their organization) educate themselves about cloud computing. Naturally, the folks in IT will want to gravitate toward more advanced certification programs, while non-IT professionals should strongly consider looking into cloud foundation training. Those companies that have personnel on hand who know how to maintain and best utilize certain cloud technologies will likely find themselves “ahead the pack” in terms of market competition. Often times, it is through the merging of several individual cloud services that a business is able to create more useful and profitable products; however, you can’t really achieve this if you don’t have people on board who truly understand cloud computing, can you?  

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Year of the Cloud: Will 2012 be the year for over 50% cloud adoption? cloud computing adoption

Are we going to see a majority of businesses using some form of cloud computing this year?

One of the biggest areas of growth in the technological sector continues to be cloud computing. In fact, cloud technologies seem to be fusing and diverging in ways that virtually no one could have anticipated. Right now, there are cloud-based services, apps, and products available for anything and anyone. In other words, whether you are a business owner or individual, tech specialist or layman, an entertainment consumer or a media content producer…there are cloud-based technologies out there for you. Moreover, there are cloud computing-driven products and services which can help you to more efficiently complete your duties, distribute your ideas/media, and access vastly powerful resources. This is especially true for businesses, which have everything to gain from exploring what cloud computing has to offer.

According to a study* conducted by TBR, today’s businesses are definitely buying into cloud computing in a big way. Cloud adoption in most international markets is increasing and cloud-deployed applications are becoming increasingly sought after by businesses and consumers alike. The question is, when are we going to see the tides turning toward a full-scale worldwide cloud adoption, right? The moment when over 50% of businesses are employing some form of cloud computing could be interpreted as the “event horizon” moment. This is to say that when we finally have a majority of businesses which are using (and are reliant on) cloud computing you can anticipate more rapid growth and adoption of cloud-based technologies. Some individuals are even claiming that we’ve already passed the 50% mark…that we’re already on the other side of a global cloud computing takeover. Regardless of what the actual rate of adoption is, it’s certainly true that businesses are buying into cloud computing in a very big way right now.

There are basically three reasons why business owners and managers should be very concerned about this over 50% cloud adoption figure.

1. Increased numbers of businesses utilizing cloud computing means that competitors are going to begin leveraging this technology as well.
2. Higher adoption rates could also mean more cloud service providers will emerge; which also translates into increased affordability via supply and demand (further reduced cost of cloud-based services due to competition).
3. As cloud computing becomes a “de facto” method (or component) of IT, it will require more businesses to update / upgrade / rethink their own IT assets and resources.

While cloud computing can certainly add a number of perks or benefits to any size, shape, or style of business, we must also keep in mind that it can do the same thing for our competitors. So, as increasing numbers of businesses worldwide begin transitioning to cloud computing, it is likely that competition will also rise. This is of course, a natural occurrence; but it’s also important for businesses to understand that failure to adopt cloud computing could very well give one’s competitors the upper hand, so to speak.

Additionally, when we see a definite majority of the world’s businesses using and relying on cloud computing we will probably also see more and more cloud service providers and vendors spring up. As demand for cloud computing increases, the supply of it must also increase. A potential side-effect of this would likely be that more stringent competition will arise between the cloud vendors / providers themselves, which will in turn drive down the prices of individual services and packages.

Then of course you have one of the most pertinent and immediate problems facing most businesses today, which is IT preparedness. Or in other words; is your IT department ready for or certified in cloud computing? While it is true that there are specific types of cloud service packages that include completely managed IT services, most businesses are still going to want (and perhaps need to) maintain on-site IT personnel. Not only is it a bit dangerous to relegate all of one’s IT stability and security to an outside party, it could severely limit one’s ability to fully capitalize on emerging opportunities. However, before you can begin contemplating the many ways of using cloud computing to the benefit of your business you’ll need to get your IT department certified and/or trained in one of several cloud computing disciplines. E-learning for cloud computing certification has become an industry standard due to its efficiency and affordability. One of the major perks associated with e-learning for professional development is that it allows for adequate training without interfering with busy work schedules.  

As the total number of businesses which are utilizing cloud computing continues to grow it is arguably only a matter of time until we see cloud computing dominating and replacing traditional IT entirely. Not only does cloud computing offer a number of incentives over current IT models, it is also much more economically (and environmentally) sound. Whether or not 2012 will be the year in which cloud computing is formally adopted by over 50% of the businesses out there remains to be seen. However, it is extremely likely that we will continue to see a steady increase in the total number of businesses (and individuals) adopting (and using) cloud computing this year.

*www.slideshare.net/TBRMarketing/slides-from-tbr-cloud-webinar-on-public-cloud-adoption-final

Who are some of the top Cloud Computing service providers?

If you own a business or are involved in some facet of management (IT or corporate) you’re probably familiar with the online chatter concerning cloud computing and the many benefits it offers. Given its increasing popularity and full-service nature, many businesses are opting to sign up with cloud providers in lieu of taking a more hands-on approach (i.e. a private cloud).

What is a cloud provider and what do they do, you ask? You should think of a cloud provider as operating in a similar fashion as that of a utility company. In other words, a cloud service provider is basically offering you a metered service, which is based on consumption. However, unlike utility companies (which act to only provide access to a resource) cloud providers often give their clients a complete solution. This is to say that many of these companies aren’t simply granting you access to their hardware / service, they actually mange, maintain and / or set up your infrastructure. Of course this type of implementation isn’t always completely self-contained and/or remote; often times, those who are have cloud providers will also need qualified personnel on-site to manage IT assets. This is why it’s a great idea to get your IT squad certified in cloud computing. Additionally, if you are an IT professional, now is the time to familiarize yourself with some of the finer points of cloud computing, if for no other reason than to protect your future career.

The following cloud service providers are among the most visible, dependable, affordable, and impressive for 2012. These providers have tailor-made services which are designed to compliment the needs of various types and sizes of businesses as well. So, without further ado, let’s start shopping.

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Bluelock
Bluelock is a cloud service provider that primarily seems to service mid to small sized businesses. In addition to offering fully managed services, Bluelock has been a leader in terms of convincing more and more organizations to transition (all or in part) to cloud computing.

Joyent
This public cloud provider is fairly well known given that it is the engine behind LinkedIn, Dell, and a bevy of online gaming sites. Joyent has been primarily concerned with forging new partnerships in recent months, as well as with integrating all manner of accelerated-performance applications. As if all of that weren’t enough, Joyent is also forming strategic partnerships with emerging telecommunications companies; definitely a provider to keep an eye on in the future.

CenturyLink / Savvis
The recent merger or rather, absorption of Savvis into CenturyLink has produced what can only be described as an extremely significant cloud provider. Given that CenturyLink already has a great number of infrastructure-related assets on hand (networking and hosting) and Savvis, as an entity, is capable of providing managed cloud services as well as products, it is pretty clear that this is a match made in heaven.

Rackspace
A very forward thinking company, Rackspace is currently able to offer its customers managed hosting, Public cloud hosting (PaaS), and even hybrid cloud service. To say that the company is doing well would be an understatement; they are seeing significant growth year over year (in 2011 they netted around $1.3 Billion). This is a great “all-purpose” cloud provider for businesses, whether they are looking for a complete solution or perhaps a gentle transition to the cloud by way hybridization.

Amazon web services, a.k.a. AWS
Seeing Amazon on a list of the top cloud providers shouldn’t really come as any great surprise. Since the emergence of the cloud computing market, Amazon has been right there with various types of services and products for a variety of customers. Amazon’s AWS offers its users a dizzying number of simple to understand (and implement) options which are coupled with a managed service. Not only does AWS give its clientele options for each category of their service (storage, networking, database, etc…), it also achieves this at an extremely affordable / attractive price. There’s a very good reason that Amazon is a leader in providing cloud computing services, they have the tools, resources, finances, and vision needed to really deliver a top-tier experience.

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So there you have it, 5 excellent cloud computing providers to choose from (assuming you are establishing service in 2012). While it’s impossible to say which of these organizations is going to be able to deliver the best type of solution for your money (without having knowledge of the specifics involved with regards to your business and industry), it’s safe to say that any of these fine companies should be more than able to provide you with top-notch cloud service.