Cloud computing can be very confusing. It can be abstractly discussed but also detailed to intricate levels. A few years ago, part of the reason why people weren’t adopting cloud computing was because they simply didn’t understand it and what it could do for them. And, a few years ago, the technology and services were relatively new and not as built-out and established as they are now.
In my previous posts of this series, I talked about what I thought would come in 2012 for cloud computing, I debunked a few common misstatements about the cloud and, I listed out some ways to make cloud computing work better for people. With this article, I’m going to break down some of the different types of clouds and explain how they might be used.
Because the cloud is relatively new to many businesses and individuals, I typically describe and explain it more as a generalist than a technologist. If you get into the weeds too quickly, you can frequently lose your audience. That is not my goal in this article. If you want to get into the geek speak about which hypervisor you should look for (hint: it doesn’t really matter), what type of I/O performance should you be achieving or how to configure a Cassandra DB cluster that spans multiple data centers with real-time replication, you aren’t going to find that here. I like to keep things moderately simple so that more people can understand and hopefully gain insights into why cloud computing might be the right choice for them.
This list is not complete, but should provide you with some of the most prevalent clouds out there. You, of course, have the daunting task of trying to decide which one works best for your business or personal needs. [click to continue…]
So you have heard about cloud computing but are not really sure what you can do with it. Or maybe, your only exposure to the cloud is what you have seen in ads or heard in the media. Let me tell you, what you see on TV is only a fraction of the cloud’s true power. I’m obviously a bit biased, as I work for a cloud infrastructure provider. But that also gives me the ability to really focus in on use cases that seem to be popular this day and age.
As I wrote in my previous article, there are some things that the cloud definitely is not. And, I would like to add that it is definitely not some sort of magical concoction that deploys and repairs itself. Cloud computing, just like traditional hosting, can have issues or outages if not approached and worked with properly. Think of it this way, if you were a football coach, you wouldn’t use your playbook at a baseball game, right? Obviously not. When working with the cloud, you need to design and build specifically for the cloud in order to take advantages of its capabilities and strengths.
With this article, I want to provide some ideas on ways to make cloud computing work for you. That is to say, some best practice suggestions and implementation ideas that can get you down the road toward success. The most important thing to remember when embarking on a cloud adventure is to know that no two cloud are the same. So if someone is trying to sell one a “one size fits all” type of solution, you might want to consider a different vendors.
1) Choose the Right Cloud Layer – In my previous article, I briefly outlined the distinct layers of cloud computing: Application, Platform and Infrastructure. When you are thinking about adopting a cloud strategy, you need to be sure that you select the right layer for your architecture as they can be dramatically different. Even within the same layers there are nuances that can change the direction of your IT rollout. Without completely rehashing the previous article, you need to decide what your business needs. Is it merely that you want to have a shared network drive for backups, document storage, remote access and disaster recovery – a cloud storage, if you will? You are most likely looking at a cloud application like Dropbox or Box.net. On the other extreme is the infrastructure side where you can essentially build that cloud storage example above yourself as a business model or for your enterprise, using a variety of infrastructure components like load balancers, servers, firewalls, storage and other appliances. The infrastructure side provide flexibility and a higher degree of control while on the application side, you get a “pre-packaged” solution that, most likely, will not be tailored exactly to your needs. And right in between these two is the platform layer, where you get more flexibility than the application side, but less than the infrastructure side and you only have access to a framework like .NET or Ruby, for example. But, the underlying infrastructure (e.g., patching, distribution of compute, etc.) is managed for you. So figure out what you really need and how you will use it.
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by Michael Sheehan on January 9, 2012
in CES, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, Hardware, Intel, Microsoft, Opinion, Review, Tech News, video
Remember when netbooks were the “next big thing”? A few years ago, everyone wanted one of these small, compact and seemingly essential computers. But after a few years, the fog lifted from people’s eyes as they realized that the small form factor wasn’t the only thing that people needed. They wanted the best of all worlds, a small, lightweight, portable laptop that is fast and boast solid performance, has stellar battery life and looks slim, sleek and edgy. This new form-factor, based on a reference design from Intel, actually now has a name - Ultrabooks - and you will be hearing more and more about them in 2012, especially over the next few weeks with CES 2012 upon us.
Over the past few weeks, I have had quite a bit of hands on time with an ASUS Zenbook UX31E, which, for all intents and purposes, is a perfect example of an Ultrabook. It has a sharp-looking design, weighs next to nothing and does not compromise on performance, given that it is powered by a second generation Intel Core i5 processor. The Ultrabook is no netbook. It’s not even close.
Some UltrabookDads Videos
Instead of reading, I have a couple of videos that you should watch instead, one by me and one by Jeff Sass. (Jeff and I go back quit a few years to some Sony project work we did together. More recently we have participated in the Intel Advisor programs and events, and we both are part of the Cast of Dads.)
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A few weeks ago, I laid out my predictions for 2012, casting seeds into the wind to see where clouds and businesses may crop up. But there are still skeptics out there, people who believe that cloud computing is just a passing phase or that it really isn’t that much different than traditional infrastructure. Having lived and breathed cloud for over 4 years, I believe that I have seen it all and heard many of the arguments that say that the cloud isn’t really a game changer.
So, I thought that I would present a few Cloud Computing Myths or fallacies that I have come across, to help people better understand what they might be getting themselves into when they go down that cloudy path.
I think that it is important to first outline what experts around the world believe that cloud computing is and then we can look at some of the things that it isn’t. Cloud computing is the on-demand and scalable consumption of IT resources via the internet. It is billed by usage and utilizes standard internet technologies when it is deployed.
Several years ago, there was a lot of confusion as to the characteristics of cloud computing because there were various types of clouds available for consumption. In order to present the “layers” of cloud computing, I developed a graphic called the Cloud Pyramid that graphically represents the multiple layers of the cloud. Over the years, people have accepted this visual depiction of the cloud because it is less abstract than more scientific approaches. Let’s take a look at the layers of Cloud Computing.
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