In order to continue the conversation about getting started in the cloud, let’s move on to step number two: comparing cloud computing vendors (to determine which best fits your needs based on the infrastructure and expertise inventory you took).
Getting Ready to Compare Cloud Computing Providers:
After looking into the amount of IT infrastructure you currently house and run as well as the people and expertise you need to manage it you should have a pretty good idea of what it takes to keep your company up and running. From there you need to decide what kind of cloud computing solution you’re looking to use. Is it something simple like an additional software-as-a-service account? Or are you hoping to use PaaS to access some infrastructure? Or better yet, does your company want to outsource its entire infrastructure to the cloud?
There are many options when it comes to “moving to the cloud.” For this post we’ll focus on the migration to an infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud. One easy first step is test and development. This is a low-risk way to test out cloud providers and their capabilities while also making a decision around the type of infrastructure you prefer. Do you want enterprise-level VMware hosting or is Amazon EC2 for you? Do you want to be able to migrate between clouds and providers and if so, what might that look like and what additional platforms would that require?
While engaging in a test/dev environment, developers should focus on testing their application’s functions, performance and scalability. Keep in mind that most applications can be tested in a public cloud, but that some for technical or cultural reasons should be kept in-house, unless you are able to secure the type of SLA that would allow you to migrate those “special” applications.
Now let’s say that you’re ready to make that infrastructure move to the cloud (sometimes this may mean you skip the whole test/dev show). There are four main items to consider when comparing cloud computing vendors.
The SLA is the most important item you need to compare vendors against. If you have sensitive data or applications that require high uptime capabilities, you would be wasting your time to look at any vendor with and SLA below 99.99%. But if you just need a test and development environment it wouldn’t make sense to pay the premium for such high availability (higher availability = higher price). Find out your uptime needs and then locate the vendors who offer the SLA you need.
Technical offerings are the next determining factor. Depending on which kind of infrastructure you prefer (if you have a preference) you would need to figure out which providers use which technologies. For instance, do you need enterprise-level VMware hosting technology or does your organization want to use something more along the lines of Microsoft Hyper-V? If you have a preference work around that, and if not, let’s move straight to #3 – Control.
How much control do you want of the infrastructure? Do you have your own people to manage your infrastructure or are you on a hiring freeze and need your cloud provider to manage the infrastructure. There are a number of options in the cloud – some vendors provide managed cloud hosting services (like BlueLock) and others just provide the infrastructure while you manage it. Whatever your preference, there is a vendor for you.
Lastly, and most obviously – once you’ve compiled a list of vendors who provide the SLA, technical specs, and right amount of control, you’re left to look at pricing. By now, you may only have a couple cloud vendors left, but you should be in a great place to compare and make the right choice.
Getting Ready to Compare Cloud Computing Providers:
After looking into the amount of IT infrastructure you currently house and run as well as the people and expertise you need to manage it you should have a pretty good idea of what it takes to keep your company up and running. From there you need to decide what kind of cloud computing solution you’re looking to use. Is it something simple like an additional software-as-a-service account? Or are you hoping to use PaaS to access some infrastructure? Or better yet, does your company want to outsource its entire infrastructure to the cloud?
There are many options when it comes to “moving to the cloud.” For this post we’ll focus on the migration to an infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud. One easy first step is test and development. This is a low-risk way to test out cloud providers and their capabilities while also making a decision around the type of infrastructure you prefer. Do you want enterprise-level VMware hosting or is Amazon EC2 for you? Do you want to be able to migrate between clouds and providers and if so, what might that look like and what additional platforms would that require?
While engaging in a test/dev environment, developers should focus on testing their application’s functions, performance and scalability. Keep in mind that most applications can be tested in a public cloud, but that some for technical or cultural reasons should be kept in-house, unless you are able to secure the type of SLA that would allow you to migrate those “special” applications.
Now let’s say that you’re ready to make that infrastructure move to the cloud (sometimes this may mean you skip the whole test/dev show). There are four main items to consider when comparing cloud computing vendors.
1. Service Level Agreements (SLA)
2. Technical offerings
3. Control
4. Price (this is the most obvious)
2. Technical offerings
3. Control
4. Price (this is the most obvious)
The SLA is the most important item you need to compare vendors against. If you have sensitive data or applications that require high uptime capabilities, you would be wasting your time to look at any vendor with and SLA below 99.99%. But if you just need a test and development environment it wouldn’t make sense to pay the premium for such high availability (higher availability = higher price). Find out your uptime needs and then locate the vendors who offer the SLA you need.
Technical offerings are the next determining factor. Depending on which kind of infrastructure you prefer (if you have a preference) you would need to figure out which providers use which technologies. For instance, do you need enterprise-level VMware hosting technology or does your organization want to use something more along the lines of Microsoft Hyper-V? If you have a preference work around that, and if not, let’s move straight to #3 – Control.
How much control do you want of the infrastructure? Do you have your own people to manage your infrastructure or are you on a hiring freeze and need your cloud provider to manage the infrastructure. There are a number of options in the cloud – some vendors provide managed cloud hosting services (like BlueLock) and others just provide the infrastructure while you manage it. Whatever your preference, there is a vendor for you.
Lastly, and most obviously – once you’ve compiled a list of vendors who provide the SLA, technical specs, and right amount of control, you’re left to look at pricing. By now, you may only have a couple cloud vendors left, but you should be in a great place to compare and make the right choice.
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