Cloud Source

Cloud Network Security Needs Zero Trust Solutions

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The public cloud and its widespread adoption has led many cloud architects to anticipate the end of network security. But the reality is that network security remains a large market and cloud service providers continue to launch new solutions addressing cloud network security concerns.

It should be no surprise, given that the network is the central control point for securing all workloads and applications, regardless of architecture. Even as some companies have anticipated that the network would be unnecessary after moving to the cloud, where security would be handled by the provider, the reality hasn’t been so simple.

The Complication of Network Security: For years, executives have heard of the possibility of moving to the cloud and not having to deal with infrastructure concerns anymore. As workloads moved to the cloud, this dream has become more of a reality, enabling organizations to focus on the workload and applications with its security and functions.

But as cloud adoption grew, there were some trends emerging:

  • Scaling is sometimes complicated, especially when trying to patch a vulnerable workload or trying to apply policy across multiple clouds.
  • Network security may not be about network security at all; it was simply an easy place to manage security tools.
  • Providers are securing the cloud network, but they aren’t concerned about the company network and what is running there.

Cloud Network Security and Data Center Security:  As workloads multiplied, the standard approach to patching became cumbersome. Some vulnerabilities could take months to address, demonstrating the need for security approaches that exist outside the application or workload.

There are different ways to approach this, such as through a container or computer, but it has become a pressing need. Different application architectures have unique needs, but there are some reasons to approach it via the network.

First, the network is a centralized placement for defenses that can be applied to every architecture and application, or everything that makes contact with the network. It offers a single place to house defenses for consistency across all workloads and apps.

Second, a network approach offers cost-effectiveness. A relatively few enforcement points can serve multiple and varied workloads.

Successfully Implementing Cloud Network Security: Securing networks has been a priority, but it has never been the true goal. It’s more about the security of workloads and data. There is also a change in how cloud network security is executed, with organizations and cloud providers recognizing that traditional approaches won’t work when as-a-Service is the standard priority pursued by companies.

Companies that have adopted a multi-cloud environment need automated, cloud-native solutions that support a zero trust networking approach. When zero trust network access is applied, both cloud network security and data center security receive the necessary protection.

To learn more about how cloud network security and data center security are addressed through zero trust strategies, contact us at Cloud Source. We can assist you in a process of identifying your network vulnerabilities and then leveraging the right solutions for a comprehensive security approach.

What Is Cloud Storage?

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Technology has made it possible to create highly personalized experiences for customers, based on an acceleration in data insights. But for many companies, the headaches around data management and data storage can almost overshadow its benefits. If this sounds familiar, you may want to consider cloud storage.

If you currently store data in an on-premise data center, you likely have backup procedures to protect against natural disasters and cyber security threats. Managing all of that data takes time and storing it takes space. If you’ve been exploring options, you’ve likely heard about cloud storage as a valuable investment.

What Is Cloud Storage and How Does It Work? Cloud storage differs from on-site storage because data is stored in an off-site, third-party provider’s data center. The data is accessible via the web; data centers are spread across a broad geographic area, but the data is easily retrievable from any secure connection.

A cloud storage option can handle any type of files, including video, photos, text files, and presentations. It is readily accessible.

What Are the Benefits of Cloud Storage? Cost savings may have been the first factor that led to your interest in cloud storage, but there are several key benefits:

  • Cloud storage uses a subscription-based pay model, allowing companies the ability to categorize this spending as operating expenses, rather than a capital investment that typically comes with an expansion to a data center. One of the biggest challenges with an on-site data center is growth constraints, but with cloud-based data storage, the expansion possibilities are virtually endless.
  • Cloud-based services are inherently scalable. If your business has a seasonal element or if you have an upcoming promotion, you’ll see that storing and accessing data through a cloud-based service means only paying for exactly what you need.
  • If a widespread natural disaster occurs or your systems are breached by a cyber security attack, your data is secure and ready to be used to keep business processes in motion.
  • On-site data centers require IT management and maintenance, as well as extensive space, cooling, and power. A third-party cloud storage provider eliminates all of these challenges.
  • Third-party providers offer a more robust set of security policies and tools than anything you could employ in-house.
  • One of the benefits of cloud storage is the synchronization across all devices. For instance, if you have changed information in a file, that change is recorded so that when your colleague opens the file on a separate device, the change is reflected.

The next time someone asks you, “What is cloud storage?” you can walk them through all the clear advantages that it offers over an on-site data center.

Migrating to a cloud storage solution comes with a lot of critical considerations, but the path is easier with the right guidance. Contact us at Cloud Source for assistance as you identify your needs and then evaluate data storage options that fit best with your goals.

5 Steps to Data Center Optimization

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Investing in a new data center promises new possibilities, but it can be a process filled with challenges. Err on the conservative side, and you’ll be starting the process all over again in a few short years. But if you build your data center too large, you’ll be paying for space you don’t need. Data center optimization is a formidable goal, but these five steps will get you closer:

Manage Pathways: Coordinating pathways with airflow and power, along with cooling efforts, can optimize access and utilization while reducing interference. When investing in cable management, look for a solution that will support cable density, allow ample airflow around cables, provide room for additional cables in the future, and support both copper and fiber.

Go High-Density: To get more computing power in a small amount of space, choose high-density solutions and mixed-media options, which can be used with both fiber and copper, to support larger port densities. This offers the kind of scalability and flexibility you need as demand grows, with the option to add more connectivity without requiring exact port numbers or types of connectors. This enables technology changes and increased density without the need to tear out and replace the original infrastructure. Mixed media makes it easier to switch from copper to fiber without additional components demanding more space.

Small-Diameter Cables: Even if you don’t feel that you currently have a congestion problem with cables, as your equipment footprint gets smaller, the number of cables in your data center will increase. Smaller-diameter cables not only take up less space, but they don’t require the larger racks and cable trays. Small-diameter cables even improve airflow and cooling needs to help you achieve data center optimization.

Think Outside the Rack: Above-the-rack space can be efficiently used to work with Zero U solutions. These maximize RUs for equipment with ladder racks above cabinets, extending your vertical rack space. Zero U vertical patching is also useful with accommodating copper or fiber connectivity in data center cabinets, avoiding taking up rack space. In addition to saving rack space, these types of wall-mount cross connects make network upgrades easier with all equipment ports replicated.

Make the Most of Rack Space: Discussions around data center optimization aren’t complete without a consideration of the square footage taken up by racks. Your data center will operate most efficiently when you focus on seeing how much connectivity can be fit into a specific space, reducing energy usage and freeing up space for other uses. When racks aren’t being used efficiently, you end up purchasing more rack space, in addition to the floor space, to accommodate your new equipment, cabling, and connectivity.

For more ideas around data center optimization, or for assistance in a network infrastructure upgrade, contact us at Cloud Source. From assessing your rack space to pathway optimization, we can help you make the most of your data center.

How a Data Center Completes Your Cloud Strategy

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Your cloud strategy has the potential to allow you to lower your operational and capital expenditures while improving your business agility to meet customer expectations. Cloud adoption is growing rapidly as a way to speed the release of new products, reduce investments in hardware and IT management, and meet changing market demands.

Increasingly, the discussion around a cloud strategy is no longer only about on-premise versus cloud or even public versus private cloud. It should include a consideration of a data center, offering the ability to combine colocation, managed, and cloud services as an anchor for a well-rounded infrastructure. It improves security and data privacy over basic cloud environments while offering management and expertise around compliance that an in-house team likely cannot match.

The data center offers a complete infrastructure that allows for a mix-and-match approach to each workload with the infrastructure best able to support it. There are additional reasons that enterprises may want to consider a data center foundation:

Not Every Application Is Designed for Hyperscale Cloud: While some applications have been rewritten for cloud, there are many legacy applications that require a migration over time and a data center offers that flexibility.

Containerization: This option is becoming a popular choice for giving users the benefits and flexibility of the cloud, without being locked in. Containerization can make colocation in a data center more secure and compliant, giving enterprises a balance of flexibility and security.

Centralized Management: Today’s data centers often offer their own private cloud platforms, as well as colocation and on-ramps to public cloud platforms, giving enterprises the ability to utilize the best infrastructure for each application or workload.

Simplifying IT Management: Even when enterprises decide to maintain an on-premise data center, the cost and complexity of retrofitting or rebuilding is high. It’s more cost-effective to utilize space in a modern data center, while also opening up options for utilizing cloud platforms for applications requiring them.

DRaaS and Redundancy: Disaster relief as a service (DRaaS) gets a boost from the inclusion of a data center in a cloud strategy. Even cloud platforms with some level of built-in redundancy still experience outages, and data centers add another layer of resiliency to a recovery strategy.

Managed Services: While the bigger cloud platforms offer a host of self-service options, technical support can be found wanting. A modern data center offers managed services that cover not only onboarding and migration, but also continuing management.

Compliance and Security: Particularly for those in financial services, health care, or government agencies, security and compliance remain a central concern when migrating to the cloud. A data center operator provides management services for the extensive compliance controls necessary in these industries, with complete reporting and analytics for simplifying the auditing and reporting associated with compliance and security.

Contact us at Cloud Source for more information about how choosing a data center may provide resiliency and management benefits for your cloud strategy.

How the IoT Is Upending Colocation Considerations

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Decisions about colocation services have traditionally been about keeping data accessible to those who need it. Enterprises need to know where to deploy their services and provide the necessary infrastructure to support applications. Colocation and hosting services provide a way to keep data close to key locations, reducing costs and facilitating easy access to data.

What’s complicating the decisions surrounding colocation is the advance of the Internet of Things (IoT), which refers to devices equipped with sensors for collecting and receiving data from control centers. The IoT is growing, creating ways for enterprises to improve data collection and optimize processes to promote efficiency and improve service to the end user.

While the IoT creates broad opportunities, it also creates complications when it comes to colocation. Colocation companies offer enterprises additional options for connectivity and provide physical space that is utilized by multiple service providers. When the IoT is involved, sensors may be producing data that needs to be accessed in real time, or they may be sending and receiving data that is housed in the cloud.

For instance, monitoring the pressure on oil tanks requires real-time access to data in a center physically close to the sensors, while collecting information about energy usage in a residential area may involve a cloud server. These two instances will require different colocation solutions because they have different data needs.

As the technology surrounding IoT ramps up, it seems expected and logical that there will be colocation services designed specifically for the high-volume data exchange that comes with employing a large number of sensors. These kinds of services could influence how decisions are made by enterprises related to which cloud provider they choose.

Enterprises may also have to consider how they architect their data strategy with diverse applications in mind. If a variety of high-value services are being accessed through multiple cloud providers, they may have to solve some complicated data access challenges in addition to addressing the security and connectivity questions that must be answered.

Through close-working partnerships with more than 100 technology service providers, Cloud Source is able to leverage its unique insights and extensive expertise to build customized telecommunications service packages for clients. Contact us to talk more about colocation and how the IoT is impacting decisions surrounding data access.

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