Cloud Computing Archives

VMWare Upgrades Cloud Infrastructure By Unveiling vSphere 5.0

July 14, 2011

VMWare recently stepped out with a new advancement in their infrastructure – vSphere 5.0. VMware vSphere 5.0 provides major enhancements to the entire cloud and infrastructure stack. VMware vSphere 5.0 supports “virtual machines (VMs) that are up to four times more powerful than previous versions with up to 1 terabyte of memory and 32 virtual CPUs,” according to VMware.com, meaning it tackles even the toughest application requirements. These VMs will also be able to process 1 million I/O operations per second, at its maximum speed. Other product highlights include: Storage: Storage DRS, 64 TB LUNs and Storage IO Controls for NFS vCenter: Increases in scaling, new Linux vCenter and vCenter Appliance, and new Web-based client vCloud Director: Fast provisioning through cloning and enhanced API features for integration vShield: New features focused on security and compliance needs. SRM: More affordable and easier DR using host replication without the need for SAN replication. vSphere 5.0 is the first in a whole “Infrastructure Suite” approach that VMware is taking. This supports building and scaling cloud hosting solutions, including Enterprise, Public and Hybrid Clouds. Online Tech will be hosting an educational Cloud Security webinar with special guest speaker, Brian Foley, vCloud Solutions Architect at…

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Private Cloud Hosting Advantages for Small Businesses

June 24, 2011

Yan Ness, Online Tech CEO, discusses the advantages of private cloud hosting for small businesses, including affordability and ease, on the Business Next radio program hosted by The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM). See the original post on SBAM’s Power Boost Blog.

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The Five Benefits of Managed Cloud Computing

June 8, 2011

In previous blogs I wrote about the benefits of private cloud computing and the benefits of public cloud computing based on the unique models of each. Sitting between secure, dedicated private cloud computing and open, low cost public cloud hosting is a secure, shared cloud middle ground we call managed cloud hosting. Public cloud hosting is typically built around the “compute as a utility” model where cost is the driving consideration, overriding security and availability, to deliver commodity-level pricing where computing is sold at pennies per hour. Managed cloud hosting sits on the other end of the spectrum in the shared cloud world. Like public cloud computing, servers can be purchased “by the slice”, or a virtual server at a time. However, the entire design premise for the managed cloud is to put security & high availability ahead of cost considerations. Rather than purchasing servers by the hour, managed cloud hosting is sold on monthly (or longer) contracts for businesses that are running enterprise critical applications for the long haul. At Online Tech, we built our managed cloud hosting solution around our secure, high availability private cloud hosting architecture. We chose to build our shared servers on an “N+1” redundant…

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Three Benefits of Public Cloud Computing

April 28, 2011

Update December 2017: Some of the drawbacks mentioned below are no longer a concern, such as compliance and fraudulent servers. Today, top concerns include data privacy, visibility and redundancy. For more information about these drawbacks and other benefits/challenges of cloud computing, download our free ebook, Guide to Building and Managing a Cost-Effective Hybrid Cloud. Cloud Computing is moving into 3 separate distinct directions: Public Cloud Computing – like Amazon’s EC2 and Rackspace, designed to provide the lowest cost shared computing service with a utility delivery model where you can pay for services by the hour. Private Cloud Computing – the opposite end of the spectrum where the entire cloud infrastructure (servers, storage and network) is dedicated to a single company. Managed Cloud Computing – where a secure private cloud is sold by the server. I’ve written about the benefits of private cloud computing in a previous blog. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the benefits of public cloud computing along with some of its drawbacks. For the most part, the public cloud is designed around the “computing as a utility” model. Amazon’s EC2 is the ultimate example of this model, followed by others like Rackspace and SoftLayer. Like Amazon, most public…

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Private Cloud Computing: How It Changes Disaster Recovery

March 9, 2011

Mike Klein explains about how private cloud computing changes the game when it comes to disaster recovery possibilities.

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Anatomy of a Private Cloud: History, Architecture, Platforms and Other Resources

March 8, 2011

Mike Flaherty of Online Tech describes cloud architecture – the history, platforms and various resources for a cloud computing storage network and management framework.

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Hosted Private Cloud Precautions

February 17, 2011

Deploying a Hosted Private Cloud is a popular way for companies to immediately see the benefits of Private Cloud computing while avoiding significant upfront costs of deploying the hardware and software resources in-house. When planning to host your private cloud to an external provider, here are some important precautions to consider: 1. Use dedicated servers and storage. Public clouds are typically a share everything multi-tenant environment. However for hosted private clouds, a private everything approach is preferred. Having the server, networking, and storage tiers dedicated to your company will result in the most predictable performance and simplified security model. 2. Adjust your security procedures appropriately. The private cloud vendor should have audited security procedures in place such as SAS 70. In many circumstances, the security of the operating system, applications, and other stacks under you control, making a hosted private cloud only as secure as your IT staff make it. If your private cloud vendor does supply patches to the operating system as part of their offering, you should determine how this patching affects your internal application testing, support, and maintenance windows. 3. Have a backup and disaster recovery plan. In a hosted private cloud environment it is critical to…

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What is Managed Cloud Hosting?

February 11, 2011

For many enterprises, the private cloud is the first choice when it comes to cloud computing. Private cloud computing offers a hardware and network environment that is dedicated solely to the enterprise. Whether delivered through a hosted private cloud or internal private cloud, there is an assurance that the hardware, data storage and network security are dedicated to a single organization and not shared with other users. When it comes to highly sensitive corporate data, personal customer lists, PCI or HIPAA certified environments, the private cloud is preferred. At the same time, businesses are recognizing the benefit of the public cloud for some of their applications. Many small and mid-size businesses need the quality of an enterprise private cloud in terms of high availability, redundancy and security with the affordability of a shared cloud. Enterprises need the ability to move non-critical, non-sensitive computing and development work out of their private cloud into a shared cloud but need to achieve a similar level of availability and security. There are a number of public cloud options available. Some like Amazon’s EC2 are basic cloud servers designed to provide the lowest cost computing services for non-critical applications like web or development servers. Others…

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Private Cloud Components: How to Build a Secure Private Cloud

February 9, 2011

Mike Flaherty explains the different types of cloud computing and the components of a private cloud.

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Private Cloud Computing Explanation, Benefits, and Recommendations

January 25, 2011

Yan Ness explains the benefits of private cloud computing and his recommendations for other CEO’s thinking about moving to the cloud. Find out more about the cloud computing and the private cloud.

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