Cloud 3D

Defined, Differentiated & Debunked

Cloud Defined: NIST Working Definition

In short, cloud service is elastic (users can have as much or little of a service as they want at any time), sold-on-demand, and fully managed by the provider. More importantly, cloud computing makes it possible to increase capacity and add capabilities on-demand – without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel or licensing new software.

Cloud Differentiated

Cloud Debunked

Myth: Cloud Computing = Loss of Control

Quite the contrary.  While some are concerned that outsourcing their IT will result in a loss of control, the beauty of the cloud is that it’s really more of a trade-off. When you own and self-manage your hardware, you are obviously in full control over configuration and performance. But as you outsource more and begin to move workflows, applications and data to the cloud, what you lose in direct control over hardware, you gain in complete control over IT resources and usage. The cloud enables you to spin up and down virtual instances on demand, tailoring storage, RAM, CPUs and more in ways you simply couldn’t do easily or as often in a dedicated environment. 

You enable your team to optimize the performance of the underlying technology that drives your systems and applications, instead of spending their time maintaining and managing IT assets.

Myth: It's Best to Go 'All In' When Migrating to the Cloud

Don't bet on it.  Certain applications are clear matches for the burst-ability and elasticity cloud solutions provide: file sharing; social media; testing and development; email; server virtualization; and SaaS. But there are many applications where the answer isn’t as clear-cut. Legacy enterprise commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications require significant due diligence due to the hierarchical nature of their architecture. These applications might be a great fit for the cloud, but traditional hosting may be a more ideal solution. More than ever, it’s essential for you to carefully evaluate the costs associated with transitioning to the cloud and be realistic about what you’re trying to achieve. 

You've got to know when to hold certain applications back, and which ones to fold in to the cloud.

Myth: Cloud Computing is the Cheapest IT Outsourcing Option

Subtraction by Addition? While it’s true that in the cloud you pay for only what you need to use—avoiding the need to engineer your infrastructure for peak levels of activity—the additional layer of orchestration on top of a managed hosting environment is just that - an additional software component that providers are delivering deliver to users to enable self-management, faster provisioning and granular control. This means that the same configuration consuming the same amount of resources for the same period of time is going to cost more in the cloud than it would in a dedicated environment. Cost savings are realized by leveraging dedicated hosting for predictable workloads and the cloud for variable workloads. Be sure to fully understand the ongoing usage and access fees associated with the infrastructure you are deploying to avoid any surprise charges. And challenge your vendor to tailor a hybrid dedicated and cloud solution to your specific needs.

Cloud computing may be the answer, but you'll have to show your work to get full credit.

What's Next?

• Take Your IT
  On-demand
• Your Cloud Strategy
• Latisys Infrastructure
•  

Contact Us

You probably have more questions. Call our team of enterprise cloud hosting and  migration experts at 866-956-9594 and we would be more than happy to answer them.

We can also assess your current IT infrastructure and examine your requirements relative to security, performance, management, governance, compliance and cost – and present you with a streamlined Enterprise Cloud Migration Plan that ensures your business is optimized for strategic IT growth moving forward.

Once it is clear what applications you will be migrating, we will then run you through the qualification process we put everyone through for our Enterprise Cloud, and then recommend a configuration to start with.