Cloud computing means different things to different people – the good news is that largely they are all correct in their understanding that fundamentally the Cloud is not a single product but rather the enabling platform for the adaptive delivery of IT or software as a service.
There are three different types of cloud.
Many individuals and businesses already utilise public cloud services, commonly in the form of web email (i.e. Gmail), online storage (i.e. Microsoft Azure) and on-demand applications (i.e. SalesForce.com), where you can subscribe to or buy resources on demand from an external provider over the public Internet.
2. Private Cloud
The private cloud is characterised by being contained within an individual enterprise or organisation, used solely by the internal users, customers and partners for the purpose of that organisation’s business.
3. Hybrid Cloud
The overlap between a private and public cloud, where the organisation utilises services and resources from an external cloud provider to supplement their own, is defined as being the Hybrid Cloud.
Why should you embrace Cloud computing?
A large number of companies already subscribe to externally provided systems, software and services, which makes those businesses cloud consumers already. The chances are that at least some of your users are already a user of external cloud computing
By adopting or transitioning to a Private Cloud model, your organisation can realise many benefits including:
Efficiency through Utilisation and Automation
Resource pooling and a self-managed, dynamically optimized environment dramatically increase IT efficiency through properly leveraging existing resources to avoid unnecessary infrastructure investment and technology lock-in. The result is lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
Agility with Control
Cloud computing aims to empower end-users while ensuring security and preserving IT oversight and authority. The VMware solution interweaves all three, greatly simplifying IT services provisioning and deployment while maintaining IT control, protective safeguards, and regulatory compliance. The IT organization can then respond more quickly and securely to evolving business needs.
Freedom of Choice
IT retains the ability to support traditional systems and gains the flexibility to deploy them internally or externally, without being restricted to any single technology or vendor. Developers can build applications that are portable among hybrid, private, and public clouds within a common management and security framework.
Your journey to the Private Cloud
Cloud computing is a strategic decision for any business and should begin with detailed analysis and planning - typically questions to get started with include:
What do I want / need or where do I want to get to?
What do I currently have?
How do I currently manage my existing environment and provision services for my organisation?
What are the steps I need to take to complete this journey?
Virtualisation technology, automation, and management, are the key elements which underpin the Cloud – together they can unlock the efficiency, agility and freedom that your business needs to maintain a competitive edge, and deliver excellence to your customers whilst you grow your business.
All sound a little daunting?
Well it needn’t….. At Foundation IT we focus on understanding your business needs and working with you to deliver the right solution specifically for you. Recognising all organisations are different, we do not advocate that there is any such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ approach or technology, and are able to provide custom and complimentary services at any and every step of your journey into the cloud and beyond. So whether you just require a consultation and cloud readiness assessment, a detailed technical design or complete delivery, we would like to hear from you.