One of the major benefits of virtualization is that it allows you more flexibility to scale your virtualized environment on demand. Cloud computing not only allows you to scale your storage, as discussed last week, but it also allows you to scale your processing power and RAM.
If you've ever wondered about the differences between commoditized cloud computing and the enterprise cloud, Jake and I outline some of variables of cloud computing performance and dissect what is commonly referred to as "the resource pool."
So, watch the video, and let us know what you think!
UPDATE: Jake put together this handy visual aid, which he references in this vid:
A recent study shows that the awareness of cloud computing in Asia is still relatively low at 46%. That means over half of the survey respondents answered that they were not familiar with the concept of cloud computing. This sound to me like half of Asia has never even heard of cloud computing!
So what does that mean for the market of cloud computing? There is room for a lot of global growth. While currently over two-thirds of the respondents say that cloud computing is "not relevant" to their businesses, I have a feeling that as the benefits of virtualization and cloud computing become more apparent, those thoughts will change, especially in a country where 95% of organizations are aware of or using Software as a Service.
“Cloud computing is the next phase in the delivery and consumption of IT-enabled services and a major evolutionary step in the maturing of the IT industry,” said Michael Barnes, vice president.. “It provides an opportunity for organisations in Asia Pacific to leapfrog competitors in other regions. We expect organisations across Asia Pacific to embrace Cloud Computing as a way to drive greater standardisation at the IT infrastructure level while simultaneously lowering the resources required to leverage technology solutions for business benefits,” Barnes added.
All schmoozing and business-card-swaping aside, there are some fantastic advantages of attending cloud computing conventions and expos. I've found meetups like Cloud Camps, ITEC, TechPoint Summits, and Cloud Users Groups to be a fuel source for both professional and personal growth.
Assimilation of knowledge through osmosis is simple. There are usually tons of super-smart people at events like those listed above. Whether these people are cloud computing providers, vmware virtual server specialists, or others utilizing a cloud computing platform; just standing b and listening in on conversations can be a learning experience. Be curious, pay attention, and ask questions. Networking -- the interpersonal relationships kind -- reaps rewards. Meet some new people, nd expand your network. How can you help event attendees? I always make it a goal to make at least three connections that don't immediately benefit me in any way. While you should never help someone with the intent to gain something in return, the law of reciprocity always pays dividends.
Fluency increases competency. The simple repetition of explaining the advantages of cloud computing has helped me build a certain level of confidence and competence around the benefits of virtualization, vmware hoted environments, and SaaS irtualization. Join in the conversation and learn to talk the talk. The act of speaking about cloud computing platforms, helps to organize thoughts, enhance comprehension, and vet new ideas.
Bottom line: get out of the office and learn somthing from somebody -- including yourself. Find the next cloud computing meetup in your area. Hope to see you there.
New to the idea of Software as a Service SaaS Virtualization? This video from Salesfor will help bring you up to speed:
This short video clip, produced by Salesforce.com, effectively points out that managed cloud hosting is a superior way to run your business. It's clear that multitenancy is simply a more efficient way to approach IT infrastructure.
For those of you who are new to cloud, some of the major benefits of cloud computing are that your data is:
secure
backed up in another location (redundant)
not limited in storage or resources
To help you better understand Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas), Common Craft recently put out a cool little video that is put together like School House Rock for the 21st century.
I always keep an eye open for better ways to explain the benefits of virtualization and cloud computing to not-so-technically-inclined friends as well as potential clients. I found these quick videos to be expremely helpful in succinctly illustrating cloud computing hosting.
I'm sure you've heard a lot about the many advantages of virtualization, but what are the drawbacks? Can you believe everything you hear about the technology? Well, a recent post on Forbes dove into a number of virtualization myths, and debunked them.
Here are my favorites:
Virtualization is only for large companies. False. Virtualization can be used in almost any company, as long as you have more than one server. In addition to workload consolidation, other benefits of virtualization include high availability, live migration, streamlined backups and fault tolerance – all of which can benefit any organization by simplifying maintenance and lowering infrastructure costs.
Virtualization is expensive. Most likely false. Virtualization is somewhat expensive on the onset, but it will pay for itself. The cost savings come over time from using fewer servers, less power, cooling & operating system licensing and reduced maintenance. TIP: Do a ROI calculation from the beginning to see how much virtualization will really cost you.
Virtualization is not secure. Any type of software can be found not secure. In every circumstance, virtualization included, it is always important to follow best practices for network, storage and operating system configurations to produce a secure environment. If your company has its own security requirements, it obviously smart to follow those as well. In short, security measures should be followed no matter what – virtualization is no less secure than any other technology.
Interested in learning more about virtualization? Read these other posts. Or contact us.
In a recent post Nicole Schepker asserts, “Cloud computing makes modern, world-class IT infrastructure available to companies of all sizes regardless of the economic condition."
To support her assertion she cites seven reasons cloud computing reigns:
Lower Up Front Costs
Faster Time to Market
Reduced Financial Risk
Lower Capital Expense
Lower Operating Expenses
Decreased Downtime and Costly Delays
Additional services most mid-sized businesses can not afford on their own: high levels of security, redundancy, and bandwidth
Individually, each of the elements offers a compelling reason to strongly consider making the transition from traditional data centers to cloud computing. Collectively cloud computing and the benefits of virtual servers are too good to ignore.
Dell has just announced that they plan to preload their computers with more subscription based services. While this is good news for individual users as they begin to access the benefits of Cloud Computing, it can create real headaches for corporate IT departments. The complexity this causes was described in this recent article in Information Week.
The challenge is data. Information and processing will be scattered all over the net, just as they once were scattered on user desktops. We've seen the phenomena many times before, most recently as companies made the transition to Virtualization.
Technology enhancements make it easy to launch virtual machines, but the unwanted result, often referred to as VM sprawl, creates challenges as IT managers struggle to maintain some type of organized information protocol.
Proactive companies need to get ahead of the trend by developing
Virtualization. guidelines to steer early adopters toward service
providers that fit your overall IT infrastructure. This is
particularly critical with regard to security requirements.
In other
words, you need a Cloud Computing plan and policy, an architect or
blueprint to integrate cloud services with existing infrastructure, and
tools to manage and leverage the benefits of Virtualization.
Indianapolis based, BlueLock has the experience to create a
proactive strategy to help companies of all sizes leverage the benefits Cloud Computing provides.
How would you characterize your company's move into the "Cloud" so far:
Carefully conceived and executed? Or a few steps down a slippery slope?
Let's hear how it's going.
When I read Larry Ellison's comments (link to original article) earlier this week, I felt he was " circling his wagons", trying to protect Oracles position the marketplace by rejecting Cloud Computing.
I was pleased to see John Chambers (link to this article )does not share his view stating the whole idea of cloud computing is just a logical "evolution" of what people have come to expect from the Internet. With driving factors, such as the economic benefits of virtualization solutions continues to expand, ignoring this trend is like continuing to sell buggy whips after the introduction of the automobile.
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