Transitioning to the Private Cloud and the issues involved

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The “Private Cloud” is a  new term to many business owners and CIOs but the truth is that many of their companies or firms already took the first step in this direction by using server virtualization. Actually, many people say that the “Private Cloud” is just a new name for the virtualization process but things are not quite like this.

Virtualization involves using a powerful server to run multiple operating systems on it at the same time and allowing endpoint users to use several different applications for a more efficient workflow. It is true that end users have access to shared data and operating systems and that it takes fewer  people to manage a virtualized infrastructure but there are still many differences between this and the “Private Cloud”.

To better understand this, here is a diagram (courtesy tredent.com)  which depicts the server virtualization process:

Now, when it comes to Cloud Computing, many of you may be wondering ” Why make the move into a Private Cloud when you can purchase IaaS from dedicated companies ? And for a cheaper price. ” This is a good question and many small and medium sized enterprises are opting for the public cloud instead of the private one because of better costs and faster implementation.

However, things are not so simple when viewed from the desk of a CIO or an entrepreneur. Moving your company’s data into a public cloud and trusting others with all your applications and your entire workflow is something that many individuals activating in the positions mentioned above are reluctant to do. The reasons for this are easily understandable as it seems like a risky maneuver. This is why larger companies decide to invest the time and funds needed in order to create a private cloud infrastructure for their IT needs.

Some of the key aspects and advantages of the Private Cloud and why many companies choose this kind of IT architecture are discussed below -

 Flexibility

Having a company’s entire data in a private cloud means that the IT department has complete control over it and that even if something unexpected happens which requires new software implementation or reconfiguration, it can all be done hastily and efficiently allowing everyone to have access to the new changes.  In a public cloud you could be dependent on the service provider for some aspects.

 Scalability

As a business grows, the need for computing resources will be increasingly higher. By operating in a private cloud any company can create a single pool of spare resources which can be used whenever necessary. For example, if a temporary software implementation is needed, it can be done using the spare resources.

Easier Decision Making

When using conventional IT methods, making decisions and coming up with new sets of policies can be a difficult task. This usually happens every time new data needs storage or when calculating required redundancy. Back-up requirements also make this task even more difficult. In the private cloud, the IT department has to make these decisions only once and changes are applied to the entire infrastructure.

Storage

This might seem like an easy task within the private cloud as it all boils down to creating a shared pool that can handle the needs of the entire infrastructure. As relatively simple as this may seem, when working within a private cloud storage scalability is a major issue. Unexpected influxes of new data have to be taken care of easily and tiering must be managed autonomously. This can be a difficult task and there aren’t many products on the market today that satisfy these requirements. However, once this is taken care of storage issues will no longer be a problem.

Here is a more graphical description of the Private Cloud taken from the Cisco website:

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