Seven Things You Should Know About Cloud Computing
Thursday, July 23, 2009 by Brian Wolff



1. It’s not all-or-nothing move, most will opt for a hybrid approach.
Cloud computing will not necessarily replace a company’s entire infrastructure or serve as a total outsourcing option for data center operations on-site.  Most companies will use the technology in addition to their resources, blending public and private clouds to maximize efficiencies and resources.  I would even argue that companies will begin to adopt different cloud providers for different business functions (i.e. test/dev vs. production environments) because of differing needs and requirements in addition to their on-site resources.

2. Workloads
Some argue that cloud computing is best used for pre-production workloads such as test/dev and storage rather than production.  I’m here to say that some providers are able to handle different workloads better than others.  For example, BlueLock offers 99.99% uptime in the cloud because our clients are enterprise-level companies with mission-critical production environment needs.  They can’t afford the downtime that would be threatened with a provider who can only promise 99.9% or 99.95% uptime.  But similarly, clients who only need test and development models don’t need to pay the premium for a 99.99% uptime cloud environment when they only require 99.9%.

3. One size doesn’t fit all in the cloud
Each company has its own needs and requirements when it comes to their computing environment.  A financial company cannot and should not use the same type of an environment a social media site does.  A cloud computing model or environment must be built to service the specific needs of that client.

4. It’s just a delivery model
Cloud computing isn’t a technology – it’s just a shift in the way the world does IT.  Cloud computing represents a combination of technologies such as SaaS, online storage, and grid or utility computing.

5. It’s for the big guys and the small
Many think cloud computing is just for the SMBs, but many large corporations have jumped on the bandwagon as well.  BlueLock has added on a number of large enterprise clients this year who are using the cloud because it makes the most business sense.  Outside of BlueLock, the market is seeing large companies consume a mix of cloud services – public, private and both.

6. Self-service
Self-service is one of the cornerstones of cloud infrastructure.  Some transactions just don’t require “people” to be there and the logical step was to remove that element in the service.  Therefore, the self-service aspect of cloud computing is a huge step in automation and cuts costs on both the buyer and seller sides of the hosting business.

7. Standardization
Cloud computing is highly touted for its ability to create efficiencies by cutting out the capital expenses and transferring those to lower operating expenses (subscription or pay-per-use model) and for its on-demand benefits.  But that’s not the big picture – cloud computing allows people all over the world to access, connect and work smarter, faster, better. 


0 Comments »
BlueLock CTO Excited for Sourcefire’s New Virtual 3D Partner Program
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Sourcefire, Inc., a leader in Cybersecurity, recently announced its Virtual 3D Partner Program, providing cloud computing companies and OEMs the ability to leverage the new Sourcefire Virtual 3D Sensor™ and Sourcefire Virtual Defense Center™ to efficiently and effectively increase customer protection.

The Sourcefire® Virtual 3D Partner Program is designed to provide hardware, software and services companies with virtual security solutions to address their customer’s critical requirements. The company is currently forging relationships with:
  • Cloud computing companies – Providing these companies with the ability to easily add a virtual security sensor into their existing cloud, allowing the vendor to monitor and manage the appliance to protect customer information residing in the cloud.
  • Virtual OEMs – Enabling companies that are already delivering virtual solutions or hardware with additional processing ability to add Sourcefire’s complementary security capabilities.
  • Traditional channel partners – Allowing them to easily add a Sourcefire virtual security appliance, pre-loaded onto an existing server from other vendors.

“We’re very excited about the capabilities of Sourcefire’s new Virtual 3D Sensor and their Virtual 3D Partner Program,” said Pat O'Day, Chief Technology Officer at BlueLock. “Sourcefire is making it very easy to integrate their security technology into our cloud-based offerings and provide our clients with an additional level of protection for their hosted VMware applications.”

The Sourcefire Virtual 3D Partners can utilize the recently announced Virtual 3D Sensor and Virtual Defense Center, which provide users with the flexibility to deploy the company’s leading security solutions within their virtual environments for increased protection of both physical and virtual assets. These new virtual appliances can inspect traffic between virtual machines, while also making it easier to deploy and manage sensors at remote sites where resource may be limited. They also enable partners to easily implement Sourcefire’s leading security solutions on existing customer hardware or within a cloud infrastructure for increased protection.

“While security is a top concern for every organization, many require solutions that can be placed on existing hardware or in the cloud,” said Matt McCormick, Vice President of Business Development at Sourcefire. “With the launch of Sourcefire’s new Virtual 3D Sensor and Virtual Defense Center, we are enabling partners to easily provide customers with value-added protection without requiring new hardware investments.”

To read other BlueLock posts on cloud security click here.
0 Comments »
Your Infrastructure Choices: A cloud is not a cloud…is not a cloud
Thursday, July 16, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Cloud computing providers differ in two main ways: people and control.  No two cloud services are alike for that very reason and people and control are the two variables that differentiate cloud computing providers from one another.

The definition of cloud computing varies everywhere, but some main characteristics of “the cloud” are: virtualization, capacity on demand, shared resources and subscription-based pricing.  If you fit that bill you’re a cloud, but which segmentation of cloud?

It's either:

SaaS (Software as a Service) – The web-facing software that users interact with (i.e. SalesForce or Google Apps)
PaaS (Platform as a Service) – a platform that helps utilize cloud resources (i.e. RightScale or rPath)
Or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) – the actual infrastructure behind the cloud, the virtualized servers and network (i.e. BlueLock, GoGrid or your internal cloud)

For purposes of this post, we’re going to focus on Infrastructure as a Service (makes sense because that’s what we’re experts at).  From here, there are also a few different type of IaaS clouds (surprise, surprise!) and their characteristics, to make things just a little more interesting.  Here they are:

Private internal cloud:
-    Limited Capacity
-    Expensive
-    Highly Secure
-    Enterprise Features
-    Self Managed

Public utility cloud
-    Limitless Capacity
-    Lower cost
-    Self Managed (DIY)
-    No/DIY SLA
-    No/DIY Security

Full-service public cloud
-    Large Capacity
-    Fully Managed
-    Customized Security
-    Enterprise Features
-    Enterprise Services
-    SLA

Back to IaaS cloud differentiation – again, all about people and control.  First, you have to decide how much control of the infrastructure you want, can manage or more importantly, can afford.  Then take a look at the other components that will affect your costs in the cloud (some of these you may already have):

-    Hardware & software
-    Licenses
-    People
-    Place

If you’re looking at a do-it-yourself platform like Amazon EC2, you’ll have to purchase your own people and they’ve have to monitor, control and manage the infrastructure.  With this option you’ve got a lot more control, but a much higher TCO – because those people are going to cost you lots of money.  But if you don’t have the people, or you want them to focus on something else, like your core business (i.e. your software solution) instead of the infrastructure then a trusted full-service cloud option like BlueLock makes a lot more sense and could save you about $50,000 a year. 

How’s that even possible?  When you purchase a BlueLock solution, you’re not only purchasing the infrastructure and place to house that infrastructure, you’re purchasing the people and expertise behind it – meaning less employee costs for you (or more beneficial employee costs).  Some would argue you lose a little control because your people, your team isn’t the one working on the infrastructure, but others think that a partner like BlueLock is just an extension of their own team – and a better use of their IT budget at that.  Take Projetech for instance – watch this video and you’ll see that they really see BlueLock as an extension of their company not just another vendor, and that’s the way we like to think about it too. 



0 Comments »
Defining Cloud Computing: rPath does it in Plain English
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 by Brian Wolff
We're big fans of our friends over at rPath, and you will be soon too if you're still a little confused as to what this cloud computing stuff really is.  Take a look at this short, simple and fun cloud computing video that explains, in plain english, the definition of cloud computing.



0 Comments »
Four Weapons of Cloud Computing
Friday, July 10, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Wondering what the big deal is about cloud computing?  Why does it really matter and what's the real business value?  Read this BlueLock article recently published in Business Management Magazine:

0 Comments »
Cloud-oriented Architecture
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Joe McKendrick rose a good topic in a recent post: Do we need cloud oriented architecture?  ZapThink’s Ron Schmelzer has been wondering where architecture fits in among all the cloud talk out there.  With lots of other topics such as cloud security, cloud interoperability and more, it’s a wonder the topic of cloud architecture hasn’t been more widely talked about online. 

Ron says, “The discussion of architecture has been given short shrift in cloud computing conversation.”  The main focus on cloud computing has been around the infrastructure rather than the architecture specifically.  “When the ‘architecture’ team meets these cloud providers, what problems are they aiming to solve? Business problems?” he asks.  “Certainly not…Where’s the business in all this?  The answer: nowhere.”

I can say that cloud architecture has come up in many cloud computing event discussion such as those at CloudCamp events and our monthly Indy Cloud Users meetings right here in Indianapolis, but there hasn’t been much press, writing or online discussions regarding the topic. 

When you’re in a do-it-yourself type of environment such as Amazon EC2 it’s a very important aspect of cloud computing and some companies have found great success in developing the right architecture such as our friends at ShareThis in Cincinnati.  The good thing about going to a full-service cloud provider such as BlueLock is that we have a team who architects the environment for you based on your applications and needs.  However, when it comes to architecting the application itself, now that’s another conversation. 
There’s a lot that cloud architecture could cover – from the infrastructure architecture to the application architecture.  But one thing is for sure – both have to be engineered in a way that can fully optimize the cloud environment.  A poorly constructed application will never fully realize the benefits of an impeccably architected infrastructure and vice versa. 

0 Comments »
Is Cloud Computing the Future of the Internet?
Monday, July 6, 2009 by Brian Wolff
I would argue that it’s not just the future of the internet; it’s the future of computing as a whole.  Del Diax recently wrote an article entitled, “Cloud Computing, the Future of the Internet” in which she examines the pay-as-you-go computing utility that is saving companies thousands of dollars each month.

No longer do companies have to engage in a huge capital outlay for the servers, racks, and even people required for a traditional data center.  They are now able to rent computing power and pay only for the compute (and expertise in the case of BlueLock) they use. 

Diax interviewed Matt Mullenweg, founding developer of WordPress who claims, “The biggest mistake we made at WordPress.com in terms of infrastructure was buying servers.  Now we lease them all month to month.”

BlueLock started talking about this infrastructure as a service idea a few years ago (when it wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now) and the trend towards outsourcing and renting servers and the licenses to run infrastructure has really caught on, specifically with the economy troubles that we’ve encountered.  It just makes financial sense. 

Cloud computing can be grouped into 3 categories – Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). 

IaaS provides the infrastructure – and at BlueLock that includes the management and monitoring (people) required to run the infrastructure.  Amazon’s EC2 and other players like GoGrid and RackSpace are providing just the infrastructure.  No matter what level of infrastructure service you’re looking for, I think it’s become quite evident that the cloud, in all its grandeur, is really proving itself as the future of the internet and computing as a whole.

0 Comments »
New Way of Thinking about Cloud Computing
Monday, June 29, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Reuven Cohen, a loud and important name in cloud computing has pointed towards a new way of looking at the definition of cloud computing.  He argues that we should look at cloud computing as a euphemism rather then trying to define it through a metaphor or analogy or by simplifying it as internet-centric infrastructure.

Cohen says:

"To put it another way, the problem with describing cloud computing as a metaphor for the Internet is it's actually a "euphemism" for the world wide web.

According to wikipedia, Euphemisms may be formed in a number of ways. A Periphrasis or circumlocution is one of the most common — to "speak around" a given word or concept, implying it without saying it. Which it seems is what we are actually doing when referring to "cloud computing". Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms for particular words or ideas. Basically cloud computing is an other way to describe the web, or more broadly the next generation of the world wide web.

With this in mind, I think the challenge in trying to define a simple common definition for cloud computing is that we've been describing the wrong concept. We're not describing the physical infrastructure of the Internet so much as the application of that infrastructure."

So there it is.  Let's start taking a look at the bigger picture like Mr. Cohen.  Cloud computing isn't the infrastructure of the internet, its simply a better way of "applying" it.
0 Comments »
Jackson News Slows Sites
Monday, June 29, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Last week with the death of megastar Michael Jackon, news sites and social media outlets posting the earliest reports of the death of Jackson experienced availability problems as web users around the world sought to confirm the tragic news.  TMZ.com was the first site to post the news and was soon kicked off line due to the immense amount of traffic that hit the site.  Twitter struggled and even turned off search features to slow the load.  Many of the other large news sites were slowed as well including ABC, NBC, AOL, CBS, and Yahoo! News. 

Reuven Cohen of Elastic Vapor jumped right in arguing that there is no longer a reason for sites to experience this type of slow-down with cloud computing available.  One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing is capacity on demand.  With capacity on demand, these sites can access almost infinite supplies of compute, leaving the end users with no experience of failure or slowdown.  Cohen says, "Not having a cloud bursting strategy in the age of cloud computing isn't just wrong - its idiotic."

Cohen is obviously very blunt with his feelings, but honestly its true.  These sites have no doubt experienced these huge traffic loads before so either they aren't worried about their end users or they just aren't keeping up with technology enough to make use of the cloud computing solution.

0 Comments »
CloudCamp Columbus Next Week!
Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Brian Wolff

It's getting down to crunchtime for CloudCamp Columbus registration!  The event is taking place at TechColumbus in Columbus, OH on June 30th.  For more information what CloudCamp is and how to register go to www.cloudcamp.com.

If you haven't attended one yet, I can't tell you how compelling the events are.  Very interactive and entertaining - register today!
0 Comments »
Software as a Service, the New Growth Industry
Monday, June 22, 2009 by Brian Wolff
In Malcolm Gladwell’s first book, The Tipping Point, he studies the social factors which contribute to the spread of an “idea virus.”  In Gladwell’s thesis, it is never just one thing which causes the social shift, but a convergence of social factors, and influential people.  We may very well be at the cusp of such a “tipping point” with Software-as-a-Service.  A quick look at year to date software sales shows the beginnings of the trend. 


While all software sales are relatively flat, SaaS has enjoyed significant growth the last two years.  The factors?  I think there are three major factors contributing to the growth of this category:

1)    The technology is available – With numerous players jumping into SaaS, IaaS and PaaS, there is a race to build the best, fastest, safest applications, platforms and infrastructure.
2)     General increase in consumer confidence in web-based applications.   Only a few years ago, consumers were hesitant to shop online.  Today the explosion of online retail extensions to traditional retailers, as well as sites like eBay and Amazon clearly indicate how comfortable consumers have become with online shopping.  Along with this is the increase in social media.  The web is simply becoming a more integral part of daily life.
3)    Economic factors – It is simply to expensive to build and distribute software using traditional methods. 


0 Comments »
IBM - Glad You are Here, Hope You Don’t Mind We Started the Party Without You
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 by Brian Wolff
In a long overdue announcement, IBM, this weekend officially embraced the cloud with the announcement of some initial products and services and a roadmap for its stable of corporate and government customers to comfortably embrace cloud computing.  Steve Lohr of the New York Times draws parallels to IBM’s role is the advancement of Linux servers and personal computers.
 
While it is good to see IBM joining the ranks of companies embracing the cloud, I see it much more as a “me too” strategy than a leadership position I would have expected from Big Blue. Cloud computing as a technology has already been accepted by larger numbers of organizations world wide, because some degree of virtualization makes sense for almost every business and organization.

I do agree with Lohr, that IBM’s entrance will reinforce many of the things we, and other firms like BlueLock have been saying for several years, but I think they should have said it sooner. 

0 Comments »
Congratulations to our friends and client Right On Interactive (ROI)
Monday, June 15, 2009 by Brian Wolff
With the right business model, Right On Interactive is well positioned for growth.  They plan to do that, adding more then 100 jobs over the next five years.   This is good news for ROI and good news for Indy.   

Troy and his team have created a unique software-as-a-service product which works in tandem with users existing systems.  They have enjoyed rapid growth because of the seamless compatibility of their Customer Lifecycle Marketing software with the popular Salesforce.com product as well as other CRM tools. 

They have been able to stay ahead of the curve, meeting explosive demand, in part because of their decision to move their application to the BlueLock cloud. Read the related case study. While we can grow their servers on demand, other operations will need additional people with the immense growth they are experiencing.

If the growth of your software-as-a-service product is constrained by capacity, talk to BlueLock to find out how making a change to virtualization  can free you up for growth as well. 

0 Comments »
Cloud Computing Going International
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 by Brian Wolff
The Open Cirrus cloud computing test bed led by HP, Intel and Yahoo has broadened the global impact of cloud computing.  With over 50 research projects currently plugged into Open Cirrus now including the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute in South Korea and MIMOS in Malaysia cloud is affecting more and more companies, agencies and colleges outside of the US, where much of the leading edge work has been done.

IBM has also helped broaden the reach of cloud computing with their work with Vietnam Technology and Telecommunications and the Wang Fu Jing department store chain in China, one of China’s largest retailers.  The city of Wuxi is also using an IMB cloud for test/dev purposes.

These global early adopters will play a key role in bringing new opportunities and problems to solve in the cloud computing realm.  BlueLock has also seen a rise in global attention to the capabilities of virtualization solutions.  We now have clients in 4 countries and over 10 time zones, and the national and international list of prospects keeps growing!

0 Comments »
Misconceptions of Cloud Computing
Monday, June 8, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Mary Hayes Weier wrote a piece about the misconceptions of cloud computing in InformationWeek’s “Plug Into the Cloud.”

Conventional wisdom says that small and midmarket companies are more interested in cloud computing due to their tighter infrastructure budgets and constraints while larger companies want to keep everything inside their walls (i.e. private cloud computing performed in-house).

However, she argues, Forrester’s research shows that thinking is wrong.

Myth #1: Smaller companies are more interested in cloud computing.
Forrester’s research shows 1 in 4 large companies with 1,000 employees or more plan to employ an external provider or have already done so for pay-per-use computing of virtual servers, AKA infrastructure-as-a-service (lately also called computing as a service).  In comparison, only 18% of midmarket and 15% of small businesses have plans for IaaS, from a survey of more than 2,600 hardware decision makers at organizations.

Myth # 2: Larger Companies are more interested in internal or private clouds.
Forrester’s research shows that 33% of large companies plan to outsource their IaaS while only 24% want to run their own clouds. 44% plan to use a mixture of both.  (Hint: we believe a mixture of public/private will be the solution that will make the most sense for the most companies going forward, along with different types of public clouds for different needs – production, test/dev, etc.)

Another finding I find not too surprising: the larger the company, the greater the awareness of pay-per-use cloud computing.

Company size & percentage of those unaware of cloud computing:

20,000 +: 21% of respondents
5,000 – 19,000: 23%
500 – 5000: 20%
100 – 499: 26%
100 or less: 31%

0 Comments »
Google is not the only cloud.
Thursday, June 4, 2009 by Brian Wolff
In May, a major outage affecting 14% of Google users caused widespread panic, and raised questions about cloud computing in general.  While Google has a cloud solution, Google is not the only choice when it comes to cloud computing. 

An attractive, and affordable no frills model, it serves the need of a subset of users, willing to invest time and effort instead of cash in their infrastructure.  However, for users requiring a more full service approach, there are other, more stable alternatives.  For example, at BlueLock, we are proud of our 99.99% uptime promise.  With cloud computing, just like any other product or service, you often get what you pay for.

0 Comments »
Data Centers and the Flu
Thursday, June 4, 2009 by Brian Wolff
In recent weeks there are more and more conversations about the potential impact of the Pandemic Crisis on communities, schools and businesses.    In a recent post, Rich Miller presents a collection of resources written specifically for data centers.

Do you have a pandemic operating plan?  What happens to your business if a significant portion of your IT department is affected by the flu?  Just as you would plan for any other impending disaster, the World Health Organization is suggesting organizations activate their pandemic preparation plans.  Do you have one?   As you formulate your plans, the IT Pandemic Planning Checklist, created by Scott McPherson, CIO, Florida House of Representatives can help you get started. 

Interested in disaster recovery? Click here.

0 Comments »
VMware Leading the Way in Virtualization
Thursday, June 4, 2009 by Brian Wolff
Mr. Stephen Herrod has been quite a busy man steering the virtualization giant we call VMware.  IT and enterprise organizations everywhere are flocking towards virtualization in order to consolidate and maximize their IT infrastructure - and VMware keeps up by continuing to add to their virtualization portfolio.

While VMware is known for being the most advanced and widely adopted server virtualization platform, Herrod is pushing the organization further by working to tap into new virtualization markets such as desktop, smartphones and the most obvious…cloud computing.  VMware does a lot to lay the groundwork for cloud computing considering the fact that virtual machines are the enablers of the technology, so Herrod has quite a hefty job ahead of him.

To learn more about VMware, their virtualization portfolio and what lies ahead according to Stephen Herrod in this great article in ComputerWorld.

BlueLock is a VMware vCloud partner and we can say from experience that VMware has got what it takes to help make sure virtualization and cloud computing get bigger, faster, easier, smarter.

0 Comments »
New on the Dow – A Sign of the Times?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 by Brian Wolff
The Dow Jones, 30 stocks which represent a cross section of American business has a few new players this week.  Managed by the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, it is considered one of the best metrics for the US Stock Market., and it now includes Cisco Systems.  In what is clearly a changing of the guard, they are replacing General Motors, which was dropped after filing for bankruptcy this morning. Travelers Insurance also replaced struggling Citigroup.

Will this be the last of the changes?  I doubt it.   Although it takes a long time to earn a spot on this prestigious list, it is only natural that as more of our economy becomes based on technology and the internet, I expect we will see more changes more in the make up of the Dow Jones.  In the not to distant future, it is possible we will see software-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service based companies joining the Dow as well.

0 Comments »
Outsourcing is Good for Indy
Monday, June 1, 2009 by Brian Wolff
In many communities, “outsourcing" brings up images of American jobs being sent overseas, but according to a recent study by KPMG, Indianapolis is one of two American cities well positioned to profit from outsourcing.  The report outlines several key drivers, which give Indianapolis a competitive advantage in a global marketplace including:
  • A number of reputed universities located around Indianapolis offer courses in information technology, creating a ready talent pool for the IT-BPO industry
  • The city offers a variety of incentives to the IT-BPO industry. In a 2008 study, KPMG has ranked it the city with the third most cost effective tax structure
  • Most  centrally located among the top 100 markets in the US, giving it access to talent from other cities
  • Well developed infrastructure including power, telecom, roads and a good quality of life for its residents
  • The city is suited to leverage the outsourcing potential in the life sciences industry, due to presence of a large number of life sciences companies in the region
  • Companies locating in Indianapolis have the benefit of onshore operations combined with lower costs compared with other IT centers in the US, especially the Silicon Valley area.

While the results of the report may have surprised some people, those of us in the technology community here in Indianapolis are simply pleased to finally begin getting the recognition we deserve. 
0 Comments »