Getting cloud management and sustenance right -- Part-2
I wrote in my last blog that cloud is real and organizations are embracing cloud with open arms and are rapidly marching towards it. As enterprises embark on their journey to the cloud, it is critical to understand that the adoption of cloud-related technologies is significantly different from managing a traditional datacenter. Cloud is more about integrating existing process, people and technology to adapt to cloud oriented operating model. By moving more and more applications and legacy in cloud, the amalgamation makes it more complex. Post adoption, enterprises may face several complexities that need to be factored in and addressed early to ensure smooth functioning of the ecosystem.
The first step in addressing these complexities is to develop a cloud sustenance and management framework. This framework has four key components namely Cloud governance and compliance, Cloud Ecosystem Integration and Orchestration Management, Cloud Automation Management and Cloud Security and Managed Services.
With multiple elements and service providers, the presence of Cloud governance framework is all the more significant. The governance function tracks whether the agreed services are being offered and whether the associated service levels are being met. It also ensures regulatory compliance and monitors budget adherence. Further, it handles partner management, risk management, and communication and escalation management. The governance framework should make a strong emphasis on compliance offering a holistic view across silos.
Enterprises need to synchronize their services that reside on multiple clouds. The primary objective of the cloud integration phase is to understand and develop the interaction analysis of existing infrastructure with Cloud. Without such integration, services operate in silos creating inefficiencies and frittering away the benefits of a cloud solution. To ensure effective synchronization, enterprises need a cloud ecosystem integration solution for all offered services.
Services in cloud demand high level of integration. Typically, a cloud ecosystem integration solution employs available application programming interfaces (APIs). These are offered by CSPs to ecosystem integrators. The essential components of cloud sustenance services are Managing the integration solution, Adding/ removing/ modifying integrations based on future needs, Monitoring and fine-tuning integration performance, Ensuring appropriate authentication and authorization mechanisms are in place to manage information security
It is also equally important develop a performance optimization and monitoring framework as there are high possibilities for impacts due to application and data volume. Therefore, it is critical for organizations to constantly monitor and optimize performance of integration services as part of the cloud sustenance and management framework. In my next blog, I will talk about cloud automation management and managing cloud systems and their security
