Cloud Source

Managing the Complexity of Hybrid Cloud Requires New Skills

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On the way to complete cloud migration enterprises often find that a hybrid solution is the perfect balance, allowing their most sensitive data and systems to stay on-site while gaining cost effectiveness and innovation. Hybrid cloud, while offering some exciting benefits, tends to add a lot of complexity. Enterprises turn to management solutions, which often add their own complexity and confusion to the environments they’re meant to manage.

Hybrid cloud includes storage, computing, and a variety of other services in a combined setting of on-premises infrastructure and at least one public cloud solution. There is also the layer of orchestration between the platforms.

Starting With a Plan: One of the more common mistakes with hybrid cloud is failing to create a transition framework early in the process. IT teams need to decide which applications and data should reside on-premises and which are fine to go into the cloud. Some data is more sensitive and needs to be kept in-house. Included in this discussion should be the destination of other data and applications that are less critical, but still important. Will they be shifted to the cloud at some point, or will they stay on-premises?

Security, operational concerns, and cost are also topics that need to be included in the initial planning stages of hybrid cloud. 

New Management Tools Evolving: Hybrid cloud in its many forms is still evolving, and so are the management tools designed to support it. A good solution will offer oversight as well as network performance, workload management, and cost management tools. The number of solutions coming into the market can be overwhelming to enterprises as they attempt to sort through them to find the best option. Management tools all begin to look the same and companies struggle to find the differentiators that clarify the decision.

To be fair, hybrid cloud management solution providers are still learning exactly the types of tools that enterprises require. One of the biggest challenges is keeping the management tool from adding yet another layer of complexity to hybrid cloud. Some solutions have compatibility restrictions that force the enterprise to work with a single provider or group of providers. 

In a field where application programming interfaces (APIs) may not be standardized, enterprise IT is forced to use standardized, open-source solutions. The other option is to use a solution without standardized APIs, but with yet another layer of software to accommodate the challenge. Experts hope that eventually providers will agree on a specific set of APIs that will accommodate standardization.

Additional Skills Required: Launching a hybrid cloud management solution isn’t as easy as simply buying the software. Your team may need additional education or credentials to be effective in deploying and managing the solution. After fully detailing what the hybrid cloud architecture will be and gaining buy-in from IT teams, create a plan for closing education gaps.

These complex challenges stem from hybrid cloud management requiring both access control operations and configuration, which are not simple. Deploying automation also requires some specific skills and developers who can handle both virtual, software-defined systems and more traditional infrastructure. In short, teams often need to unlearn what they know about network management to succeed in hybrid cloud management.

If you’re considering implementing a hybrid cloud environment or if you are attempting to simplify the complexity of an existing one, contact us at Cloud Source. We can help you develop the right framework and then identify tools to simplify management.

The Intersection of Digital Transformation and Enterprise Networking

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Digital transformation has become so central to business, that it can be hard to separate from other types of objectives. Using technology to improve customer experiences, streamline productivity, and reduce costs is all part of the goal of digital transformation, and of the broader enterprise.

As organizations embrace this mindset, it’s important to note the comprehensive nature of digital transformation. With every adoption of a cloud solution, each implementation of a new digital tool, there’s an impact to the infrastructure. Enterprises need to be aware of how network infrastructure both shapes and is impacted by digital transformation.

In recent years, enterprises have favored alternatives to the costly-but-reliable multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) approach. With software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN), costs can be reduced by augmenting or replacing MPLS lines with a pathway-agnostic approach, utilizing a variety of delivery methods including broadband internet.

Research issued by Cato Networks from a survey entitled, “Networking in 2020: Understanding Digital Transformation’s Impact on IT Confidence in Enterprise Networks,” included responses from more than 1,300 professionals in IT careers.

The survey asked about a variety of network characteristics and how they relate to digital transformation, including security, agility, performance, and operations. The analysis broke down answers based on whether the enterprise used MPLS, SD-WAN or secure access service edge (SASE), which combines SD-WAN with other networking capabilities and security into a single, cloud-native solution.

A few key findings:

  • Budgets are growing in 2020 both in areas tagged for security and for networking.
  • Mobility is central to IT strategy, with IT professionals focusing on secure connections and adequate policy application.
  • More than 60% of respondents said their most critical applications reside in the cloud.

Network Confidence Shaken

The survey also uncovered some findings as they pertain to IT professionals’ confidence in their network in light of digital transformation goals. Here are a few areas cited for concerns:

Agility: While it’s expected that enterprises utilizing MPLS networking would note some difficulties with adding new cloud solutions or new branch locations, it was a surprise that those using SD-WAN also noted some difficulty in rapidly deploying new infrastructure for cloud solutions.

Security: Most SD-WAN solutions do not have security baked in as an integrated part of the solution; many require security features to be bolted on after implementation. Unsurprisingly, SASE fared better in this category because security is a native part of the solution.

Performance: Both MPLS and SD-WAN networks demonstrated difficulty with solution performance following digital transformation.

Management: While enterprises using MPLS reported some last-mile connection redundancy, SD-WAN and SASE seem to be able to automatically overcome any last-mile issues.

The survey results may indicate a few areas of concern for different networking approaches, but it also highlights the need for an implementation plan for network infrastructure that takes into account not only where the enterprise is today, but also what their networking needs are in the future.

Contact us at Cloud Source to evaluate the possibilities of a network infrastructure upgrade and how the right solution can equip your digital transformation process.

Edge Computing Expands in 2020

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The network edge has become more complex and harder to define as the expansion of digital strategies has driven more and more processes away from centralized processing. Edge computing is expected to experience more growth and churn as data is increasingly handled at branch locations and extended out to mobile devices and business partners.

From investing in software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) to interconnected cloud solutions that link enterprises with partners and the Internet of Things (IoT), the perimeter of the cloud is changing dramatically. In fact, Gartner reports that by 2023, over 50% of enterprise data will be processed away from the cloud or a data center, a major growth from 10% in 2019.   

Edge computing is part of a shift in how technologies are supported, with information processing, creation, and delivery occurring closer to the sources of the information. The result is a reduction in network latency, as well as improving autonomy at the edge.

This shift is also impacted by the changing scope of WAN networks. Enterprises no longer operate within a model whose boundaries are comprised of the brand edge and data center edge. The boundaries now comprise individual devices on one end, with data moving across the WAN to individual containers or clouds at the other end. There ends up being edges at branches, devices, data centers, clients, and servers, and the edge quickly becomes hard to define. 

Business applications are no longer centralized, with enterprises operating containerized workloads that are more effectively managed when the edge is closer to the application and its data. This is forcing the network to change to meet the needs of modern technology infrastructure.

With cloud solutions, mobile and IoT technology, and the integration of networks with business partners, the edge is more difficult to define, but there’s sometimes a perception that there no longer is an edge. IT professionals sometimes say the device is the edge, and while it may be true that there’s no single defined perimeter, there are perimeters defined in smaller segments.

Edge computing is being supported by SD-WAN technology that seeks to meet the needs of digital strategies, equipping Software as a Service (SaaS) apps and hybrid cloud environments. SD-WAN allows enterprises to optimize application performance and user experiences with automated application awareness and centralized orchestration.

One of the key improvements rolling out for SD-WAN solutions that differentiates the best options is baked-in security — an approach that means enterprises aren’t forced to bolt on security solutions that may see gaps at the edge. Networking solution providers are combining networking and security to protect the edge in a strategy called secure access service edge (SASE). While the technology is still in its infancy, enterprises can expect to see more advances that work to secure the edge and address the gaps that can occur as the security plane is broadened by edge computing.

Is your enterprise in need of better networking and security for edge computing capabilities? Contact us at Cloud Source for guidance in choosing the right solutions for your digital strategies.

The Hidden Challenges of Cloud Storage

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Enterprises often make a shift in how they handle data storage, selecting a cloud provider that promises cost savings and greater accessibility to data for analysis and reporting. Cloud storage does offer some benefits, but there are common challenges — particularly related to unexpected costs. 

While cost tends to be the most notable pitfall with a cloud storage service, there are also gradual increases in complexity, difficulty moving data, and the formidable area of cloud security. Here are five common challenges of utilizing storage in the cloud:

Cost: Unexpected costs can come in a variety of forms, from charges that extend beyond the date of deletion to automatic storage growth that is both unplanned and uncontrolled. There are also egress costs, which can be difficult for enterprises to budget for, since they rarely can predict how much data they will need to pull. 

In some situations, it is necessary to utilize another cloud service in order to get the full benefit of a cloud storage solution, or there are charges for moving data between services, which may eliminate any anticipated cost savings.   

Complexity: The supposed simplicity of a cloud storage solution often leads to one of the more common challenges that come with it. While storage can be simple in terms of consumption and provisioning is quick, many enterprises don’t properly plan or test cloud storage access. 

In order to adequately design a cloud storage solution, there’s a need for expertise in areas like networking, availability, access, and performance. 

Data Movement: Moving data is a challenge across every industry, with movement depending on the size of the pathways, the distance to the cloud provider and the amount of data being transmitted. It’s common to underestimate the time and cost of data movement. Enterprises need to create a strategy for exiting the cloud as part of the initial design. 

Integration: Convincing your cloud storage solution to work at an integrated level with your systems and infrastructure may require a complex strategy involving gateways, virtual private networks (VPNs), and routing. The integration steps will also likely come with a delay, so it’s important to determine how much you can afford that delay. You may also give up a lot of control over your data, so how you manage it in relation to your other solutions will be impacted. 

Security: When you utilize a shared cloud storage solution, the provider should separate your data from that of other customers as part of your tenancy. Enterprises should prioritize access control and be sure that the provider has a similar culture and set of policies around security. A lax approach, resulting in a leaked account, can cause a tenant to lose the data and related infrastructure with no options for recovery. 

Compliance may come into play as well, with regulations causing you to consider the geographic location of your data, and paying attention to whether you are permitted to use the cloud for storage. You also need to have a plan so that if your data is deleted you can recover it quickly. Don’t assume it’s the provider’s responsibility to have a backup. Even if they promise one, remember that the data belongs to you, and you have the most to lose in a cyber security event. 

When contemplating cloud storage solutions, contact us at Cloud Source. We can help you anticipate the signs that you’ll face these challenges and address them with strategic planning in the early stages of your migration process.

Simplifying Multi-Cloud Strategies With SDN

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Software-defined networking (SDN) allows companies pursuing a multi-cloud strategy to gain better control over network traffic and optimize performance. It’s a way to virtualize the network, separating the control plane from the data plane and address the differing performance requirements of various cloud environments.

Rather than a simple shift of all workloads to a single cloud, most enterprises find that a multi-cloud environment serves their needs best. They get the robust security and customization that comes with investing in private cloud solutions, while benefitting from the speed and agility that public cloud is known to deliver.

In many cases, the multi-cloud environment represents a perfect blend of cost savings and innovation that allows enterprises to maintain a competitive edge in their industry. The approach is not without challenges:

  • Managing the various contracts, performance requirements, and billing of each cloud provider adds a layer of complexity to the management of the IT environment.
  • Security may be disjointed, with different providers offering varying levels of protection and no overarching strategy for protecting the myriad access points.
  • Network engineers are challenged to ensure that mission-critical transmissions are prioritized over more recreational transmissions, such as streaming video, or those that don’t require real-time connectivity.
  • Creating a comprehensive strategy for managing how cloud solutions are added to the environment can be difficult when different business units or branches are utilizing different platforms and software.

Simplifying Through SDN: Enterprises are turning to SDN to solve these challenges, virtualizing the network for added visibility and control. There are several benefits that come with SDN that are ideal for multi-cloud environments:

  • Traffic Prioritization: Through a single network management dashboard, network administrators are able to direct traffic according to priority and performance requirements. Critical workloads can be directed to a link that delivers the speed, performance, and reliability they need, all automated according to business policy.
  • Security: The best SDN solutions offer comprehensive security features, including end-to-end encryption, next generation firewalls, and granular visibility into network activity. The traffic segmentation available through SDN offers an added level of protection, allowing any threat to be isolated until it can be addressed.
  • Application Onboarding: SDN allows IT teams to create a process for implementing new solutions, with accessibility across the enterprise for a consistent approach to technology adoption. A high level of visibility removes the threat of shadow IT and helps create a systematic approach to approval. SDN can handle the varying performance requirements of each solution and ensure a streamlined approach to innovation.

If you’re managing a multi-cloud environment and debating whether SDN may solve some of your network challenges, contact us at Cloud Source. We can help you optimize your network with the best SDN solution for your infrastructure requirements.

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