Rebooting for cloud computing

Thu, Oct 22 11:41 AM

Cloud computing is seen as a game-changer in the technology landscape. Several IT companies have announced their visions for cloud computing and many have begun implementing these. This model is creating a huge buzz among service providers and the end-user because of its potential to deliver major cost and operational benefits, with services replacing infrequently-used resources. Other benefits include the ability to respond immediately and inexpensively to changes and a reasonable price model for purchasing only those resources that a company really needs, and paying only for those resources that the company uses.

However, cloud computing is not an easy business model to implement. It rolls together a range of IT concepts—network computing, SaaS, server-based computing, utility computing, and grid computing—into a single, all-encompassing service abstraction.

Cloud computing provides strong opportunities for network service providers that have mastered the complexity of operating large data centres. They can pre-empt markets for cloud computing if they use existing infrastructure and management systems.

Telecom companies can grasp the new business opportunities presented by cloud computing by leveraging their inherent advantages in having an IP infrastructure and operating capacity that goes far beyond those of other IT service providers.

In addition, communications-related operating software fits well with cloud computing. Next generation telecommunications technology like IMS, which can efficiently provide services using an IP network or next generation network service architecture, is also a logical service component for the cloud computing environment.

To translate these advantages into sustainable growth, based on the provision of differentiated service, the cloud computing network service providers need the following:

* A reliable IT infrastructure and operating capacity that can guarantee stability of service.

* An enhanced service infrastructure and large economies of scale through which a large physical IT infrastructure can be established and used in a cost-efficient manner.

* Advanced software technology and efficient resource management capabilities, along with the ability to provide flexible services.

* A long-term business strategy and stable operations, which are vital to establishing private cloud computing for larger companies.

Enterprises need economically compelling solutions that help them run their businesses in smarter ways, while never taking their eyes off of security, resiliency and compliance. Cloud computing gives them the opportunity to leverage considerable cost advantages, while maintaining integrity, responsibility and control. As enterprises and service providers gain experience with the cloud model and confidence in the security technologies that are available, many will decide to deploy cloud-based services.

At the start of last year, Gartner predicted that "by 2011, early technology adopters will forgo capital expenditures and instead purchase 40% of their IT infrastructure as a service... 'Cloud computing' will take off, thus untying applications from specific infrastructure." To judge by the phenomenal growth rates experienced by some of today's public cloud offerings, this may have been a conservative outlook.

Data centre networks stand at the epicentre of powerful technological and economic trends. Cloud computing, together with the processing, storage and software technologies that make it possible are straining the capabilities of legacy networks, even at this early stage of transformation. The way companies plan their network migrations today will determine their cost structure, performance and scalability for years to come.

This new production environment fits a new set of demands. New technologies make it possible to virtualise computing and storage, centralise infrastructure, and scale operations radically and instantly. At the same time, businesses and consumers demand more, richer and faster content, and services delivered to any device, at any location. Cloud computing matches these new capabilities and demands—but only if data centres can overcome the challenges embedded in the design of today's data centre networks.

Today's data centre networks have grown too complex to realise cloud computing vision. Most IT executives will recognise these trends in their own data centre networks:

New application architectures—the old 'stateful client-server' application model confined application traffic to 'north/south' communications between servers and clients, but couldn't scale to serve tens of thousands of users, let alone millions. Today's service-oriented and other Web 2.0 architectures spread that traffic across multiple specialised servers, placing new demands on the network.

New content—now that everything from training courses to phone calls is digitised, there's an exploding volume of progressively richer content to store.

New clients—the explosion of portable and wireless clients, plus all the server and storage infrastructure needed to accommodate them, guarantees more network traffic and complex network connections.

Today's oversubscribed switching resources and sprawling aggregation and core layers are symptoms of legacy problems. Most networks were originally designed to accommodate the limited throughput and port densities of an older generation of switches and routers, and the traffic volumes and patterns of client-server applications.

Ideally, a centralised, virtually partitioned network would be implemented as a single 'logical' switch that is physically redundant, and capable of delivering high-performance, low-latency any-to-any conductivity across the data centre.

Few of today's data centre networks even approach this ideal, but most can profit from a fresh approach. New technologies let designers reduce network complexity and cost of ownership by collapsing switching layers, reducing interconnection links, consolidating security infrastructure, and standardising on a single operating system to automate network operations across switching, routing and network-services infrastructure. This approach sets the stage for high performance, and rapid adaptation and growth tomorrow, regardless of whether a company goes all the way to the highly-virtualised, network-intensive services of cloud computing.

—The writer is director, enterprise and channels, India, Juniper Networks

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