Toe in the cloud

IDG News Service — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:59:51 -0400

In these tough economic times it is increasingly common for C-level executives to come to IT saying: "I've read about that cloud computing thing. Why aren't we using the cloud instead of buying so many servers?" But is the cloud ready? As any good engineer would say, the answer is "it depends."

The cloud is already recognized as a great alternative for Internet sites, hosted e-mail, scalable storage and on-demand computing needs. Those who have embraced the cloud for these purposes say it offers them the kind of computing they need, when they need it and at a reasonable price with no commitments. Projects are implemented faster and IT is better prepared for unpredictable traffic patterns, spikes or last minute emergencies. But while the benefits of cloud-based hosting are compelling, there is still resistance.

Resistance to the cloud comes primarily from two fronts: IT pros who are used to managing their own hardware, and business executives who fear the cloud as an unknown and insecure world where everybody's data is intertwined with no boundaries or safeguards.

Both feel safer knowing their servers are controlled and running under their supervision. But the price for that security is substantial and the security of the cloud is already very good and only getting better. As the economy digs its way out of this recession, tighter budgets and fewer resources will lead many IT and business professionals to their first experience with cloud and/or the more traditional managed hosting.

Start with a hybrid

Those reservations aside, the question remains: is cloud computing really ready for everything? The answer is probably not, but it is ready for everyone.

There are cloud answers for some portion of your applications and IT infrastructure needs today. One important thing to remember is cloud computing doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Cloud can be a component of a larger IT infrastructure strategy that may include in-house data centers, co-location or managed hosting.

In fact, the hybrid combination of cloud plus traditional infrastructure is probably the best answer for most companies. A hybrid approach can provide you the cost savings, the scalable on-demand infrastructure and the security you need with very few tradeoffs.

In planning a hybrid strategy it is helpful to put applications in three buckets: those that require dedicated infrastructure, those that can live completely in the cloud, and those in which a combination of the cloud and dedicated would be ideal.

Start by taking an inventory of your applications portfolio and try to sort them into these three categories. And remember, it's not all-or-nothing; a single application could potentially span both dedicated and cloud infrastructure.

The services that require a high degree of security or are very I/O or database intensive probably ought to stay on dedicated infrastructure for now. Applications that are public facing or scale up and down unpredictably are good candidates for the cloud. And then there's everything in between. Here are some applications and where they might fall:

Applications that can be hosted in the cloud today:

* A company's blog and support wiki

* Exchange or IMAP e-mail

* The landing page for marketing's latest mega-promotion

* Brochure-ware Web sites for a company's products and brands

* The test/development servers that developers seem to need more of every day

* Data storage for e-mail archives, backups, log retention

* A minimal remote disaster-recovery capability

* New applications that are still in development or ready for pilot

Applications that probably need dedicated infrastructure:

* ERP

* Enterprise data warehouse

* Credit card processing services

* The launch codes for the country's nuclear arsenal

* Storage for the designs of latest secret R&D project

* Applications that require specialized hardware or operating systems not available in cloud

We'll ignore the hybrid category because that is the most difficult to generalize. At the same time, recognize that this category probably offers the biggest payoff. There are dozens, possibly hundreds, of applications in every IT organization that will benefit from a cloud combined with traditional infrastructure.

How do you tap into the cloud to create these hybrid solutions? It can be difficult when the cloud is 2,000 miles away and you're trying to solve the physics problem better known as the speed of light. If your cloud is at a distance, then a hybrid strategy is probably limited to applications that can utilize the cloud for batch processing of some sort. You might also make use of cloud storage for applications that are not sensitive to latency or for which you can cache data locally.

But there are even better hybrid options on the horizon and even some available today. Providers that offer cloud and complement it with traditional infrastructure in the same data center can open up a larger set of options than cloud-only providers. Imagine having the cloud connected to your physical servers via gigabit Ethernet rather than over the Internet. This type of hybrid approach offers the most flexibility and is emerging as a promising way to take advantage of computing as a service without the tradeoffs.

If nothing else, the current financial pressures are spawning innovation and companies are suddenly willing to try new things. If you're making any changes in your infrastructure strategy, take a hard look at this type of hybrid cloud solution. It could save a lot of capex dollars and allow you to continue to grow in this economy.

Most businesses are still very in favor of managing their data in a traditional manner. And no one is going to make a wholesale shift to cloud hosting overnight. But as the business climate changes, we can expect to see more business and IT professionals adapt, overcome and improvise with one foot in the cloud and the other on more solid and familiar ground.

Engates is CTO of Rackspace.