7 Reasons To Convert To A Private Cloud
If you're considering -- or merely curious about -- converting your data center to a private cloud, we'll help you learn about the management, scalability, and efficiency improvements you may gain.
IT infrastructure and application administrators who have grown accustomed to the management and provisioning capabilities of public and hybrid clouds may be longing for that same functionality within their own privately managed data centers -- and with good reason. In my experience, many private data centers are full of inefficiencies, time-consuming manual processes, and blind spots in data center optimization and utilization. It makes cloud management seem light years ahead.
If you want the benefits found in cloud architectures, why not bite the bullet and choose a service provider? While this might sound appealing, in certain circumstances, it's simply not possible.
IT departments get stuck supporting at least a portion of their applications and data in-house and without the cloud features they have become so fond of. But there is another option: Even though you may have to operate your own data center, you can convert it to a private cloud.
Public and hybrid cloud spending are growing at a significantly faster pace than private clouds. Still, there's a substantial market for private cloud. IDC forecasts that by 2019 annual private cloud spending will reach nearly $20 billion globally.
Because of the projected growth of private cloud spending, there are some wonderful private cloud options available that give you all the flexibility and ease of administration that you can get from cloud service providers.
Learn to integrate the cloud into legacy systems and new initiatives. Attend the Cloud Connect Track at Interop Las Vegas, May 2-6. Register now!
At the same time, private clouds offer the increased visibility and peace of mind you get when you're fully controlling and protecting your own data.
Here are seven reasons why you should consider transforming your traditionally managed data center into a private cloud of your very own. The benefits are widespread and cover factors such as cost savings, rapid and streamlined provisioning, elimination of repetitive manual processes, and better accounting tools.
If you're considering -- or merely curious about -- converting from a traditionally managed private data center to one with the cloud's management, scalability, and efficiency improvements, read on to learn more. Once you've reviewed these options, let us know what you think in the comments section below. Are you currently using a private cloud? Is it an option you're considering? Do you have any of your own pros or cons to share?
Create a culture where technology advances truly empower your business. Attend the Leadership Track at Interop Las Vegas, May 2-6. Register now!
One major benefit found in converting a traditional data center to a private cloud is the ability to reuse your hardware and software. If your data center is already virtualized at the compute and storage level, you're halfway there. The next step is to choose a private cloud platform which ties your compute, network, and storage resources into a unified repository for automated deployments.
Because private cloud software essentially pools the management of compute, storage, and other infrastructure resources onto a single management platform, you gain increased visibility into resource utilization on the various applications running in the cloud. This allows administrators to quickly identify and eliminate areas where resources are inappropriately allocated. Not only does this reduce inefficiencies, it also helps accurately project future resource needs.
Much in the same way that public Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers offer a short list of infrastructure cloud service catalog options that can be self-provisioned, the same can be done in a private cloud. This simplifies the self-provisioning process, and reduces chances where resources are misallocated due to human error.
Non-IT employees who have experience with public and hybrid cloud offerings value the ability to self-provision their own data center resources through the cloud service catalog discussed on the previous page. Self-provisioning becomes straightforward even for less technical staff -- and it eliminates a repetitive, manual process typically performed by server administrators.
In addition to the automation benefits of self-provisioning, private clouds can automate several other repetitive and time-consuming tasks and processes your administrators handle. These other automation options include inter-resource workflows, data/flow monitoring, and unified change management.
One of the negative aspects of using a cloud service provider to host your applications and data is losing underlying infrastructure visibility. This can be a problem when troubleshooting and attempting to optimize application data flows. But if you manage your own private cloud, not only do you not lose visibility, you actually gain visibility, as you now have a "single pane of glass" platform that manages all your data center resources.
A difficult challenge facing IT departments these days is determining how much to charge various departments for the services and resources consumed on the network. Most private cloud platforms include software that closely meters cloud resource utilization. This can then be categorized by department for chargeback. Not only does this improve the accuracy of billing, it also helps estimate future IT budgets.
If you're on the fence about whether converting to a private cloud would be beneficial to your organization, hopefully these tips will help with your decision-making process. If you do choose to proceed, your next step is to evaluate which of the open source and commercial private cloud platforms are the best fit for you. Much of this depends on your current infrastructure setup, as well as knowing which cloud management features you need the most.
If you're on the fence about whether converting to a private cloud would be beneficial to your organization, hopefully these tips will help with your decision-making process. If you do choose to proceed, your next step is to evaluate which of the open source and commercial private cloud platforms are the best fit for you. Much of this depends on your current infrastructure setup, as well as knowing which cloud management features you need the most.
-
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like