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The Ultimate Cloud Migration Checklist

Abhinav Anand | February 21, 2022

The Ultimate

What Is Cloud Migration?

Cloud migration means moving your business operations to the cloud. Much like a physical relocation, it involves moving data, applications, and IT processes from data centers. Most of the time, cloud migration is defined as the shift from on-premise or legacy infrastructure to the cloud.

Businesses decide to make this shift mainly to stay dynamic and constantly innovative. Legacy infrastructure is the hardware and software that is outdated but is still in use. If a business is running on a legacy system, there is the constant stress of falling behind the competition and a greater risk of a security breach.

What Is the Need for Cloud Migration?

Cloud computing has now evolved to become a corporate need, regardless of the firm's size or the scope of work they do. It enables cost savings, agility, and reliable IT resources. Companies can depend on the scalability of cloud storage to add storage as and when they need it, which increases their agility and lowers their total cost of ownership. They don’t have to worry about the maintenance of their private data centers that store information.

Some benefits of cloud migration are:
• Elastic scaling
• Enabling digital transformation
• High availability and reliability
• Faster deployment
• Enhanced security
• Better cost management


“Understanding shared responsibilities will be critical in the use and distribution of workloads across multiple cloud environments.” 

Brad Fugitt, Chief Information Security Officer, Pax8


The Most Common Issues Faced During Cloud Migration

When done wrong, cloud migration can turn out to be a painstaking task. The most common issues faced while migrating to the cloud are:
• Lacking a strategy determined by business objectives
• Cloud sprawl is caused due to a lack of clear understanding of the cloud environments
• Overdoing the planned budget
• Security weak points and critical service failures
• Unforeseen human errors and lack of skills

Hence, to avoid the issues mentioned above, it is essential that you incorporate a cloud migration checklist. This also helps the organization ensure that everyone within the organization is on the same page during the migration. Using a server migration checklist, you'd be able to keep an eye on the progress of your move.

Why Is Cloud Migration Checklist Important?

In today's environment, hybrid technologies are growing in relevance with the movement of organizations to the cloud. Since digitalization is taking over, organizations need to focus on staying innovative. The process of migration, which is otherwise difficult, can be made easier by incorporating a simple and effective server migration checklist.

Once you have a cloud assessment checklist, you will have a clear understanding of how you should take up the whole migration process. When there is a checklist in place, a complete strategy can be used to get through the process quickly.

Cloud migration can be an easy process if you plan ahead of time. Betabrand's on-premise to cloud migration in 2017 went off without a hitch. They constructed many clusters in GKE and ran several test migrations before the actual migration. They discovered the right processes for a successful launch. Load testing is made easier with the cloud. Betabrand was able to swiftly establish a load testing duplicate of its production services. Tests showed sluggish code routes that would otherwise be hidden under large loads.

To ensure that your migration to the cloud is also as smooth as Betabrand’s, you should also look into some must-have steps for a cloud migration checklist:

Be Certain of Your Workload Priorities

It is a widely established best practice to choose workloads and data sets based on what would best fit your organizational requirements. Most often, workload migration priorities aren’t something that you can expect. Most of the time, the migration priorities would turn out to be weighted technical requirements that weren’t obvious or expected.

Cost Analysis

Cloud migration is an effective way to reduce hardware, software, and IT staffing expenses. However, sometimes legacy enterprise hardware would be more expensive to run as a cloud-based app, and hidden expenses can be an additional burden.

Selecting a Cloud Service Provider and a Cloud Environment

Choosing the right service provider and cloud environment is crucial for a cloud migration checklist. It is crucial to understand which service provider will be able to cater to your requirements. The top three service providers available in the market are AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. They have deployment models like private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud.

Those who want to move to AWS and make the move less stressful can also follow an AWS migration checklist

For AWS cloud migration, they let you in on their checklist, which can be used to migrate to Amazon Cloud.
The five-step AWS migration checklist is:
• Train your staff on cloud migration essentials
• Consider security needs and access management
• Set KPIs for cloud performance
• Plan for database migration
• Plan data migration for static websites and unstructured data

With this AWS migration planning, the whole process can be easily incorporated.

Conclusion

While moving to the cloud might seem like a difficult task, utilizing a practical application migration checklist would drastically ease the whole process. Once you have the checklist in place, you'd simply need to follow the list and easily get all your workload and data transferred to the cloud. Understanding what you need for your business from the cloud and determining the ideal cloud platform partner is the most crucial component of all.

FAQ


What Are the Main Phases of Cloud Migration?

The essential stages of cloud migration are:
• Analysis of technical and business needs
• Risk analysis and migration project scope
• Managed service operation

How Should One Plan Cloud Migration?

While planning a cloud migration, it is best to have a cloud migration checklist in place. Then, when you know what the crucial touchpoints are, the whole migration process can be done quickly and smoothly.

What Is Discovery in Cloud Migration?

The process of identifying and documenting infrastructure, and all its related components, relationships, and dependencies on the operating environm

Spotlight

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Will Multi-cloud Strategy Be a Preferred Option?

Article | March 26, 2022

What Is a Multi-cloud Strategy and How Is It Different from Other Cloud Strategies? Long gone are the days of storing data on expensive data centers. Organizations are now rightfully leveraging the features offered by cloud computing. However, for organizations that use cloud services across numerous geographies, associating with just one cloud service provider to meet their needs is a struggle. This is where organizations opt to utilize a multi-cloud strategy. Most enterprise adopters of public cloud services use multiple providers. This is known as multi-cloud computing, a subset of the broader term hybrid cloud computing. In a recent Gartner survey of public cloud users, 81% of respondents said they were working with two or more providers. According to Michael Warrilow, VP Analyst, Gartner, the dominance of mega vendors in the public cloud services market is the main reason enterprise buyers choose multiple cloud providers. Multi-Cloud vs. Single Cloud According to Forbes, a typical organization would ideally use six cloud computing services. There is a general notion that a single cloud is a better and more effortless strategy to orchestrate. It is only when organizations add multiple clouds to their existing infrastructure in a haphazard manner that it can lead to chaos and trouble in maintenance. Multi-Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud A hybrid cloud infrastructure blends two or more different cloud models, whereas a multi-cloud blends other clouds of the same kind. Since all cloud providers don’t have the same offerings, organizations must adopt a multi-cloud strategy to deliver best-in-class IT services. Multi-cloud infrastructure enables businesses to maintain a hybrid cloud environment that provides security and cost benefits at the same time. The most secure workloads are kept in the private cloud, while typical corporate data and apps are run on less expensive public cloud networks. What Is the Need for a Multi-cloud Strategy? With several major cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, organizations can utilize the advantages of each platform for their own functioning using a multi-cloud architecture. This helps organizations be independent of just one cloud service provider. According to Rightscale’s 2016 State of the Cloud Report, companies use an average of 3.6 different public clouds. It’s not always on purpose. In some organizations, multi-cloud happens by accident. The marketing team decides to use AWS while the HR department, operating in its silo, deploys Azure. And there you have it: a multi-cloud environment. There are several other benefits that an organization can utilize. Some of the most common pros of multi-cloud platforms are: Reduced risk of vendor lock-in and single-vendor dependency Availability of the latest services that suit your business needs Business continuity and disaster recovery Workload optimization Reduction in time-to-market Agility in addressing the latest business needs Challenges of Multi-cloud Approach Even though a multi-cloud approach is significantly advantageous, there are still certain downsides that organizations face while implementing their multi-cloud strategy. Exploring the top four challenges of the multi-cloud approach: Management Complexity With multiple cloud environments, management tasks become more complex. The core issue is the diversity of cloud vendors. Every public cloud vendor has its own portal, APIs, and unique processes for managing their environment. Talent Scarcity One of the significant challenges organizations face while deploying their multi-cloud strategy is the lack of resources with the mastery of managing specific cloud platforms. With supply being scarce, this would mean battling the tight labor market along with rapidly changing technologies. Because of this, organizations will have to rely on service providers who know how to work with multiple cloud systems to fill in the gaps. Cost Control Among other benefits, multi-cloud provides data administrators the ability to quickly deploy applications in the cloud environment of their choice. Unfortunately, the billing process can sometimes become troublesome when organizations implement a multi-cloud strategy. Governance, Compliance and Security Concerns Even though cloud service providers offer robust security architecture and protocols, it is eventually the organization’s responsibility to secure their data in all their cloud and on-premise environments, What Is the Future of Multi-cloud Infrastructure? All cloud services are prone to some failure at any given point and even though this statement is technically correct, there has been tremendous development in cloud computing that caters to such issues. Therefore, for organizations that wish to grow exponentially with the least possible hurdles, the best available option is implementing a multi-cloud strategy. When an organization uses a multi-cloud strategy, it empowers them to distribute their workloads across multiple cloud environments while mitigating any risk associated with individual cloud environments. This alone justifies the widespread growth and adoption of multi-cloud architecture solutions in the future. Some points that define the multi-cloud platform as the future of an organization are: Optimized ROI Superior Security Low Latency Autonomy Less Prone to Disaster Conclusion The use of a multi-cloud strategy alone now provides organizations with a significant competitive advantage. There are new tools that also help you monitor usage, performance, and costs across a multi-cloud environment. This also helps bring intelligence and automation to your multi-cloud approach. This enables your organization to efficiently and cost-effectively leverage multiple cloud infrastructures without having to change applications or operating systems. FAQ Q1: What Is the Difference Between Multi-cloud and Hybrid Cloud? Both multi-cloud and hybrid clouds are deployment models wherein you use more than one cloud. The core difference is that a hybrid cloud blends two or more different types of clouds, while a multi-cloud blends other clouds of the same kind. Q2: What Is the Purpose of Multi-cloud? A multi-cloud strategy allows stakeholders to pick and choose specific cloud solutions that would work best for their organization. When diverse business needs arise, organizations can allocate resources to different cloud providers, maximize those resources, and only pay for what they use. Q3: What Is the Most Important Aspect of Deploying a Multi-cloud Strategy? By effectively deploying a multi-cloud strategy, there are multi-cloud access layers that are deployed. This is a crucial layer of the multi-cloud network because it ensures that the cloud is securely accessible by all business components.

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CLOUD STORAGE

Cloud Computing Vs. Edge Computing

Article | March 21, 2022

Understanding the Difference While talking aboutedge computing vs cloud computing, the first and foremost aspect that one must understand is that these components are entirely different and non-inter changeable. Therefore, one cannot simply replace the other in any circumstance. Edge Computing Edge computing is ideally known as a distributed computing framework that brings the enterprise closer to data sources such as the IoT and local edge servers. Edge computing is used to process time-sensitive data. By placing the computing services closer to the location, users can effectively benefit from faster, more reliable services. Edge computing is also a constructive way for a company to use and share resources across a lot of different places. Cloud Computing Cloud computing can ideally be termed as a platform where resources like compute, storage, and networks can be flexibly used depending upon specific workloads in a highly virtualized manner to fulfill the requirements of modern-day workloads. As a result, organizations can now leverage cloud computing rather than having to invest in hardware themselves and function on-demand effectively. What Is the C-suite Preference? Cloud computing’s central idea of offering centralized data sources that can be accessed from anywhere in the world is typically the complete opposite of edge computing’s local data handling concept. Even though cloud computing plays an essential role, the possibilities offered by edge computing to leverage the IoT.Edge computing efficiently process data they gather closer to the source and arenow asking organizations to reconsider their view ofIT infrastructure. Advantages of Edge Computing The exponential rise of IoT devices emphasizes a shift in how businessescollect and analyze data. While organizations use content delivery networks to decentralize data and service requirements by copying data closer to the user, edge computing uses smart devices, phones, or even network gateways to conduct tasks on behalf of the cloud, ensuring computing power is brought closer to the users. Some of the most renowned advantages of edge computing: Speed Security Scalability Versatility Reliability In 2015, Google Scholar had just 720 new publications relating to edge computing; by 2020, that number had increased to almost 25,000. The number of edge patent filings follows a similar pattern: there were 6,418 edge computing patent filings in 2020, more than a hundred times the number in 2015. Advantages of Cloud Computing The back and forth movement of data from the point where it is created to central servers for processing and then to the end-user requires a lot of bandwidth. The benefits of cloud computing are: Flexibility Consistency Low cost Mobile accessibility Maintenance Cloud computing is a great euphemism for centralization of computer services under one server.” EvgenyMorozov, American writer and researcher Detailed Analysis of the Cons Edge Computing Even though edge computing facilitates more opportunities for data processing and storage at a localized level, some regions are prone to disadvantages when it comes to implementation. Numerous areas will also face a lack of skilled IT professionals who are crucial in launching and managing the local edge network’s devices. With the vicious circle of limited network capacity, building sophisticated network models with diminished network infrastructure would be the ideal way to begin. Some of the cons have been highlighted below: Geographic inequalities Trouble preventing and monitoring security breaches Loss of data with potential energy Cost and storage implementation requirements Cloud Computing Despite the hype around flexibility in cloud computing in the IT world, there are still some disadvantages to cloud computing that users might come across, especially during smaller operations. Some of the cons have been listed below: Cloud security and data theft Cloud downtime Limited control Vendor lock-in Who Wins the Race? Traditionally, cloud computing has emphasized centralized cloud services divided into a handful of large data centers. This centralization allowed the resources to be highly scalable and sharable while maintaining control and security. Edge computing looks to address those use cases that cannot be adequately addressed by the centralization process, often because of networking requirements and other constraints. Several observers believe that in the debate between edge computing vs cloud computing, edge computing will eventually supersede cloud computing as computing, in general, will become decentralized, and the need for centralization will diminish. But because their duties are very different from one another, this scenario is implausible. Conclusion Edge cloud computing devices are built to accurately capture and process data on-site and analyzeitin real-time. This is not predominantly concerned with data storage. Whereas cloud computing is built on infrastructure and can be quickly expanded to meet the requirements of your workloads. So, ideally speaking, edge computing is appropriate for applications where each millisecond matters, and cloud computing is best for non-time-sensitive applications. FAQ What Is the Primary Difference Between Cloud Computing and Edge Computing? The primary difference between cloud computing and edge computing is that edge containers are situated at the edge of a network, near the data source. In contrast, cloud containers operate from a data center. Will Edge Computing Completely Replace Cloud Computing? This is a highly unlikely scenario where edge computing would replace cloud computing. There is always going to be aneed for centralized processing and storage. Edge computing would cover some of the shortcomings of cloud computing, instead of replacing it. Is Edge Computing the Future? A recent report by Market sand Markets predicted that the edge computing market will grow from $36.5 billion to $87.3 billion from 2021 to 2026.

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CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

Impact of Cloud Computing in Changing Management

Article | March 15, 2022

Constantly evolving with growing technology and the market's needs makes an organization dynamic. Several companies have made significanttech changes to accommodate the ever-changing working environment. Resourceful computing has been a blessing to organizations as it helps them better manage themselves. Impact of Cloud Computing Cloud-based technology is an aspect that has constantly come up with innovative ways for organizations to perform better and more efficiently. It also accommodates the remote working requirements of employees. All operations, including management processes, are now shifting to the cloud. Cloud computing has been offering a wide range of options, even for managerial purposes. At present, around 94% of enterprises are already using a cloud service. In a way, it is also changing the landscape of management. Understanding How Cloud Computing Is Changing Management Cloud computing for businesses has allowed them to move massive amounts of data in a short period of time. It is fair to say that cloud computing management has fundamentally changed how we communicate and work. This has paved the way for an entirely new level of expectations, where organizations make the most of the benefits of the services provided by the cloud. Facilitates Faster Change Processes Cloud computing business models are specifically designed and built to facilitate speed when change is required. Cloud-based technology ensures that components and licenses are available on demand. As a result, by using only a few clicks and operations, inculcating change has become fast and straightforward. It also has a feature called auto-scaling, which means that capacity can be increased automatically and on demand. Shift from Control to Enablement Agile and DevOps have become the mainstay of solution development in the cloud; change management needs to move from control to enablement. New approaches like these are entirely self-managed and repel any attempt to impose bureaucratic power, which is a hallmark of change management. Cloud-based technology works towards de-risking numerous changes. Adopting the cloud computing business model means that change management should focus on leveraging capabilities and emphasizing change models. Historically, it has been seen that in the world of information technology, the main changes in management are influenced by the changes in the ways of gathering information. In the age of cloud computing, information is traveling in both directions at a great speed across computing systems, and possibilities like virtualization, scaling up or down for handling bigger workloads, or automated security patching across thousands of computers are far more flexible in nature. This demands a more flexible organizational structure that can respond to customer needs by adjusting itself. This flexible system depends on rapid data collection, analysis, and over-the-air changes to product software if required. Change Authority's Need to Adjust Traditionally speaking, several change authorities are dependent on the type of change that would be implemented. For example, a crucial difference like cost and risk would go to the board for approval, whereas a low-level change might require the data center manager's approval. To speed things up in the cloud environment, product and infrastructure teams need to prioritize and decide on changes first. With the cloud, individuals and small businesses can snap their fingers and instantly set up enterprise-class services.” Roy Stephan, Founder, and CEO, PierceMatrix. How Does Cloud Computing Management Redefine Business Functioning? The cloud computing business model helps organizations understand future processes. It presents an excellent opportunity to identify the impact of change that deployment will have on the organization at a very early stage of the project. Organizations can compare the impact of changes across various application platforms and factor this input into their software selection process. Early understanding of change impacts and delay elements also allows businesses to define project scope better and address their present challenges. The steps mentioned below will help your organization effectively start to manage change. Capture and analyze the effects of change Determine the degree of difficulty of the change Create the OCM roadmap, resources, and budget Conclusion Actionable insights are critical for pivoting the company in new directions as it responds to market changes. As a result, organizations that want to shift their business to the cloud must think carefully about their options and implementation strategies. FAQ How Can Cloud Computing for Business Change Management? Cloud environments also facilitate a wide range of automation, integration, and deployment tools. These tools allow organizations to make small, frequent changes that can reduce business risk and introduce business value at an increased rate. What Are the Considerations for Change Management in the Cloud? There are three considerations for change management in the cloud: Cloud environments facilitate faster change processes New solution development approaches require a shift from control to enablement Change authorities’ perspectives need adjusting What Are the Benefits of Cloud Computing for Management? The benefits of cloud computing for management are: Organizing and planning Product development and customer experience Controllability

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CLOUD SECURITY

Importance of an Effective Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy

Article | March 11, 2022

What Is Cloud Disaster Recovery? To understand cloud disaster recovery, one must know what disaster recovery is. As the name suggests, it has everything to do with the aftermath of a disaster. Ideally, disaster recovery is the process where organizations prepare for disasters and are fully equipped to recover from them. Therefore, it is undoubtedly an integral part of any business and helps maintain business continuity for any organization. In addition, disaster recovery is focused on securing an organization’s assets. Hence, cloud disaster recovery plans are a group of procedures and measures that ensure an organization is functioning smoothly with the help of dedicated cloud service providers. Understanding Why Cloud Disaster Recovery Is Important Business continuity is an essential component for every functioning organization. A business that has a break in functioning due to a disaster can hamper almost everything. This is precisely where a cloud disaster recovery plan comes into action. Using the amount of flexibility available, cloud technologies vastly aid in efficient disaster recovery, irrespective of the intensity of the workloads. With data being stored in a secured cloud environment that is curated to provide high availability, managing and setting it up isn’t a humongous task. The possibility of your business being affected by a disaster is never too small, and with the current rise in cyber-crime, is it worth the chance? Disaster recovery in cloud computing can help your business deal with ransomware, cyber-attacks, and other such disasters. These are threats that have the potential to completely destroy your files and present your business with a painful downtime. Most organizations know the value and importance of having an effective disaster recovery plan, and if you don’t have one in place yet, you already have a late start. But it’s never too late to implement effective disaster recovery strategies and benefit from cloud-based solutions. Understanding cloud disaster recovery benefits: Offers great flexibility Drastically reduces downtime Provides reliability Ensures simplification and efficiency Easy to deploy Highly cost-effective How to Formulate an Effective Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy? With the help of cloud computing, disaster recovery has ideally become just another task that can be taken care of using some simple steps. Before formulating a cloud disaster recovery plan, it is suggested that you look into all the possible threats that might affect your organization. In the event of a disaster, you can figure out how much money will be needed and where your infrastructure is at risk by taking into account all the risk factors. To effectively formulate a cloud disaster recovery strategy, it is best to follow the steps below: Outline your possible risks and understand your infrastructure Conduct a business impact analysis Parameters of assessment: Recovery Time Objective (RTO) Recovery Point Objective (RPO) Establish a disaster recovery plan based on your RTO and RPO Choose the right cloud partner Focus on building your cloud disaster recovery infrastructure Standardize your disaster recovery plan on paper Constantly test your disaster recovery plan As data security becomes more important, the global disaster recovery cloud services market has increased dramatically. It is predicted to grow from $4.35 billion in 2019 to $23.3 billion in 2027.88% of enterprises say the public cloud will play a role in their backup plans in the future. Factors to Weigh While Assessing the Ideal Cloud Partner Strategic cloud disaster recovery assessment and planning is something that not everyone can take up.Also, why stress on this when you can engagewith a provider with great experience. The right cloud partner should ideally help you conduct a thorough business impact analysis to aid in the familiarization of the potential operational limitations you would encounter during a disaster. Hence, choosing a cloud partner who is intelligent, pragmatic, and solution-oriented should be of the utmost priority. Such a cloud partner will have all the necessary tools and help you carry out a better assessment of the potential danger to your data. While formulating the cloud disaster recovery plan, keep in mind: Design your strategy according to your recovery goals Implement control measures Prepare your software Implement your security and compliance controls Use cloud storage as your daily backup routine Conclusion In today’s age and time, disaster recovery should be a priority for every organization. While some calamities are unforeseen and highly impactful, successful organizations are always the ones that are capable of getting back up, and this is exactly where a cloud disaster recovery plan comes into action. Once you have assessed every aspect of your recovery strategy, you’d only have to pick the service provider who’s capable of implementing your requirements seamlessly. Once you have all these points in place, your business will be well equipped for almost any possible disaster. Make ‘business continuity’ ‘business as usual’ and imbed it into your management routines as decisions are made, instead of an afterthought check off the box exercise later.” Bobbie Garrett FAQ What Is a Cloud Disaster Recovery Plan? Cloud-based recovery plans help the organization recover its critical systems after a disaster and also provideremote access to your system using a secure virtual environment. Why Is a Cloud Disaster Recovery Plan Essential? When an organization does not have an effective disaster recovery plan, it puts the organization at risk of high financial costs, reputation loss, and an even greater risk of losing clients and customers. What Are the Benefits of Having an Effective Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy? Using a cloud disaster recovery strategy, organizations can benefit from: Cost efficiency ncrease employee productivity Greater customer retention

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CLOUD APP DEVELOPMENT

Will Multi-cloud Strategy Be a Preferred Option?

Article | March 26, 2022

What Is a Multi-cloud Strategy and How Is It Different from Other Cloud Strategies? Long gone are the days of storing data on expensive data centers. Organizations are now rightfully leveraging the features offered by cloud computing. However, for organizations that use cloud services across numerous geographies, associating with just one cloud service provider to meet their needs is a struggle. This is where organizations opt to utilize a multi-cloud strategy. Most enterprise adopters of public cloud services use multiple providers. This is known as multi-cloud computing, a subset of the broader term hybrid cloud computing. In a recent Gartner survey of public cloud users, 81% of respondents said they were working with two or more providers. According to Michael Warrilow, VP Analyst, Gartner, the dominance of mega vendors in the public cloud services market is the main reason enterprise buyers choose multiple cloud providers. Multi-Cloud vs. Single Cloud According to Forbes, a typical organization would ideally use six cloud computing services. There is a general notion that a single cloud is a better and more effortless strategy to orchestrate. It is only when organizations add multiple clouds to their existing infrastructure in a haphazard manner that it can lead to chaos and trouble in maintenance. Multi-Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud A hybrid cloud infrastructure blends two or more different cloud models, whereas a multi-cloud blends other clouds of the same kind. Since all cloud providers don’t have the same offerings, organizations must adopt a multi-cloud strategy to deliver best-in-class IT services. Multi-cloud infrastructure enables businesses to maintain a hybrid cloud environment that provides security and cost benefits at the same time. The most secure workloads are kept in the private cloud, while typical corporate data and apps are run on less expensive public cloud networks. What Is the Need for a Multi-cloud Strategy? With several major cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, organizations can utilize the advantages of each platform for their own functioning using a multi-cloud architecture. This helps organizations be independent of just one cloud service provider. According to Rightscale’s 2016 State of the Cloud Report, companies use an average of 3.6 different public clouds. It’s not always on purpose. In some organizations, multi-cloud happens by accident. The marketing team decides to use AWS while the HR department, operating in its silo, deploys Azure. And there you have it: a multi-cloud environment. There are several other benefits that an organization can utilize. Some of the most common pros of multi-cloud platforms are: Reduced risk of vendor lock-in and single-vendor dependency Availability of the latest services that suit your business needs Business continuity and disaster recovery Workload optimization Reduction in time-to-market Agility in addressing the latest business needs Challenges of Multi-cloud Approach Even though a multi-cloud approach is significantly advantageous, there are still certain downsides that organizations face while implementing their multi-cloud strategy. Exploring the top four challenges of the multi-cloud approach: Management Complexity With multiple cloud environments, management tasks become more complex. The core issue is the diversity of cloud vendors. Every public cloud vendor has its own portal, APIs, and unique processes for managing their environment. Talent Scarcity One of the significant challenges organizations face while deploying their multi-cloud strategy is the lack of resources with the mastery of managing specific cloud platforms. With supply being scarce, this would mean battling the tight labor market along with rapidly changing technologies. Because of this, organizations will have to rely on service providers who know how to work with multiple cloud systems to fill in the gaps. Cost Control Among other benefits, multi-cloud provides data administrators the ability to quickly deploy applications in the cloud environment of their choice. Unfortunately, the billing process can sometimes become troublesome when organizations implement a multi-cloud strategy. Governance, Compliance and Security Concerns Even though cloud service providers offer robust security architecture and protocols, it is eventually the organization’s responsibility to secure their data in all their cloud and on-premise environments, What Is the Future of Multi-cloud Infrastructure? All cloud services are prone to some failure at any given point and even though this statement is technically correct, there has been tremendous development in cloud computing that caters to such issues. Therefore, for organizations that wish to grow exponentially with the least possible hurdles, the best available option is implementing a multi-cloud strategy. When an organization uses a multi-cloud strategy, it empowers them to distribute their workloads across multiple cloud environments while mitigating any risk associated with individual cloud environments. This alone justifies the widespread growth and adoption of multi-cloud architecture solutions in the future. Some points that define the multi-cloud platform as the future of an organization are: Optimized ROI Superior Security Low Latency Autonomy Less Prone to Disaster Conclusion The use of a multi-cloud strategy alone now provides organizations with a significant competitive advantage. There are new tools that also help you monitor usage, performance, and costs across a multi-cloud environment. This also helps bring intelligence and automation to your multi-cloud approach. This enables your organization to efficiently and cost-effectively leverage multiple cloud infrastructures without having to change applications or operating systems. FAQ Q1: What Is the Difference Between Multi-cloud and Hybrid Cloud? Both multi-cloud and hybrid clouds are deployment models wherein you use more than one cloud. The core difference is that a hybrid cloud blends two or more different types of clouds, while a multi-cloud blends other clouds of the same kind. Q2: What Is the Purpose of Multi-cloud? A multi-cloud strategy allows stakeholders to pick and choose specific cloud solutions that would work best for their organization. When diverse business needs arise, organizations can allocate resources to different cloud providers, maximize those resources, and only pay for what they use. Q3: What Is the Most Important Aspect of Deploying a Multi-cloud Strategy? By effectively deploying a multi-cloud strategy, there are multi-cloud access layers that are deployed. This is a crucial layer of the multi-cloud network because it ensures that the cloud is securely accessible by all business components.

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CLOUD STORAGE

Cloud Computing Vs. Edge Computing

Article | March 21, 2022

Understanding the Difference While talking aboutedge computing vs cloud computing, the first and foremost aspect that one must understand is that these components are entirely different and non-inter changeable. Therefore, one cannot simply replace the other in any circumstance. Edge Computing Edge computing is ideally known as a distributed computing framework that brings the enterprise closer to data sources such as the IoT and local edge servers. Edge computing is used to process time-sensitive data. By placing the computing services closer to the location, users can effectively benefit from faster, more reliable services. Edge computing is also a constructive way for a company to use and share resources across a lot of different places. Cloud Computing Cloud computing can ideally be termed as a platform where resources like compute, storage, and networks can be flexibly used depending upon specific workloads in a highly virtualized manner to fulfill the requirements of modern-day workloads. As a result, organizations can now leverage cloud computing rather than having to invest in hardware themselves and function on-demand effectively. What Is the C-suite Preference? Cloud computing’s central idea of offering centralized data sources that can be accessed from anywhere in the world is typically the complete opposite of edge computing’s local data handling concept. Even though cloud computing plays an essential role, the possibilities offered by edge computing to leverage the IoT.Edge computing efficiently process data they gather closer to the source and arenow asking organizations to reconsider their view ofIT infrastructure. Advantages of Edge Computing The exponential rise of IoT devices emphasizes a shift in how businessescollect and analyze data. While organizations use content delivery networks to decentralize data and service requirements by copying data closer to the user, edge computing uses smart devices, phones, or even network gateways to conduct tasks on behalf of the cloud, ensuring computing power is brought closer to the users. Some of the most renowned advantages of edge computing: Speed Security Scalability Versatility Reliability In 2015, Google Scholar had just 720 new publications relating to edge computing; by 2020, that number had increased to almost 25,000. The number of edge patent filings follows a similar pattern: there were 6,418 edge computing patent filings in 2020, more than a hundred times the number in 2015. Advantages of Cloud Computing The back and forth movement of data from the point where it is created to central servers for processing and then to the end-user requires a lot of bandwidth. The benefits of cloud computing are: Flexibility Consistency Low cost Mobile accessibility Maintenance Cloud computing is a great euphemism for centralization of computer services under one server.” EvgenyMorozov, American writer and researcher Detailed Analysis of the Cons Edge Computing Even though edge computing facilitates more opportunities for data processing and storage at a localized level, some regions are prone to disadvantages when it comes to implementation. Numerous areas will also face a lack of skilled IT professionals who are crucial in launching and managing the local edge network’s devices. With the vicious circle of limited network capacity, building sophisticated network models with diminished network infrastructure would be the ideal way to begin. Some of the cons have been highlighted below: Geographic inequalities Trouble preventing and monitoring security breaches Loss of data with potential energy Cost and storage implementation requirements Cloud Computing Despite the hype around flexibility in cloud computing in the IT world, there are still some disadvantages to cloud computing that users might come across, especially during smaller operations. Some of the cons have been listed below: Cloud security and data theft Cloud downtime Limited control Vendor lock-in Who Wins the Race? Traditionally, cloud computing has emphasized centralized cloud services divided into a handful of large data centers. This centralization allowed the resources to be highly scalable and sharable while maintaining control and security. Edge computing looks to address those use cases that cannot be adequately addressed by the centralization process, often because of networking requirements and other constraints. Several observers believe that in the debate between edge computing vs cloud computing, edge computing will eventually supersede cloud computing as computing, in general, will become decentralized, and the need for centralization will diminish. But because their duties are very different from one another, this scenario is implausible. Conclusion Edge cloud computing devices are built to accurately capture and process data on-site and analyzeitin real-time. This is not predominantly concerned with data storage. Whereas cloud computing is built on infrastructure and can be quickly expanded to meet the requirements of your workloads. So, ideally speaking, edge computing is appropriate for applications where each millisecond matters, and cloud computing is best for non-time-sensitive applications. FAQ What Is the Primary Difference Between Cloud Computing and Edge Computing? The primary difference between cloud computing and edge computing is that edge containers are situated at the edge of a network, near the data source. In contrast, cloud containers operate from a data center. Will Edge Computing Completely Replace Cloud Computing? This is a highly unlikely scenario where edge computing would replace cloud computing. There is always going to be aneed for centralized processing and storage. Edge computing would cover some of the shortcomings of cloud computing, instead of replacing it. Is Edge Computing the Future? A recent report by Market sand Markets predicted that the edge computing market will grow from $36.5 billion to $87.3 billion from 2021 to 2026.

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CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

Impact of Cloud Computing in Changing Management

Article | March 15, 2022

Constantly evolving with growing technology and the market's needs makes an organization dynamic. Several companies have made significanttech changes to accommodate the ever-changing working environment. Resourceful computing has been a blessing to organizations as it helps them better manage themselves. Impact of Cloud Computing Cloud-based technology is an aspect that has constantly come up with innovative ways for organizations to perform better and more efficiently. It also accommodates the remote working requirements of employees. All operations, including management processes, are now shifting to the cloud. Cloud computing has been offering a wide range of options, even for managerial purposes. At present, around 94% of enterprises are already using a cloud service. In a way, it is also changing the landscape of management. Understanding How Cloud Computing Is Changing Management Cloud computing for businesses has allowed them to move massive amounts of data in a short period of time. It is fair to say that cloud computing management has fundamentally changed how we communicate and work. This has paved the way for an entirely new level of expectations, where organizations make the most of the benefits of the services provided by the cloud. Facilitates Faster Change Processes Cloud computing business models are specifically designed and built to facilitate speed when change is required. Cloud-based technology ensures that components and licenses are available on demand. As a result, by using only a few clicks and operations, inculcating change has become fast and straightforward. It also has a feature called auto-scaling, which means that capacity can be increased automatically and on demand. Shift from Control to Enablement Agile and DevOps have become the mainstay of solution development in the cloud; change management needs to move from control to enablement. New approaches like these are entirely self-managed and repel any attempt to impose bureaucratic power, which is a hallmark of change management. Cloud-based technology works towards de-risking numerous changes. Adopting the cloud computing business model means that change management should focus on leveraging capabilities and emphasizing change models. Historically, it has been seen that in the world of information technology, the main changes in management are influenced by the changes in the ways of gathering information. In the age of cloud computing, information is traveling in both directions at a great speed across computing systems, and possibilities like virtualization, scaling up or down for handling bigger workloads, or automated security patching across thousands of computers are far more flexible in nature. This demands a more flexible organizational structure that can respond to customer needs by adjusting itself. This flexible system depends on rapid data collection, analysis, and over-the-air changes to product software if required. Change Authority's Need to Adjust Traditionally speaking, several change authorities are dependent on the type of change that would be implemented. For example, a crucial difference like cost and risk would go to the board for approval, whereas a low-level change might require the data center manager's approval. To speed things up in the cloud environment, product and infrastructure teams need to prioritize and decide on changes first. With the cloud, individuals and small businesses can snap their fingers and instantly set up enterprise-class services.” Roy Stephan, Founder, and CEO, PierceMatrix. How Does Cloud Computing Management Redefine Business Functioning? The cloud computing business model helps organizations understand future processes. It presents an excellent opportunity to identify the impact of change that deployment will have on the organization at a very early stage of the project. Organizations can compare the impact of changes across various application platforms and factor this input into their software selection process. Early understanding of change impacts and delay elements also allows businesses to define project scope better and address their present challenges. The steps mentioned below will help your organization effectively start to manage change. Capture and analyze the effects of change Determine the degree of difficulty of the change Create the OCM roadmap, resources, and budget Conclusion Actionable insights are critical for pivoting the company in new directions as it responds to market changes. As a result, organizations that want to shift their business to the cloud must think carefully about their options and implementation strategies. FAQ How Can Cloud Computing for Business Change Management? Cloud environments also facilitate a wide range of automation, integration, and deployment tools. These tools allow organizations to make small, frequent changes that can reduce business risk and introduce business value at an increased rate. What Are the Considerations for Change Management in the Cloud? There are three considerations for change management in the cloud: Cloud environments facilitate faster change processes New solution development approaches require a shift from control to enablement Change authorities’ perspectives need adjusting What Are the Benefits of Cloud Computing for Management? The benefits of cloud computing for management are: Organizing and planning Product development and customer experience Controllability

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CLOUD SECURITY

Importance of an Effective Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy

Article | March 11, 2022

What Is Cloud Disaster Recovery? To understand cloud disaster recovery, one must know what disaster recovery is. As the name suggests, it has everything to do with the aftermath of a disaster. Ideally, disaster recovery is the process where organizations prepare for disasters and are fully equipped to recover from them. Therefore, it is undoubtedly an integral part of any business and helps maintain business continuity for any organization. In addition, disaster recovery is focused on securing an organization’s assets. Hence, cloud disaster recovery plans are a group of procedures and measures that ensure an organization is functioning smoothly with the help of dedicated cloud service providers. Understanding Why Cloud Disaster Recovery Is Important Business continuity is an essential component for every functioning organization. A business that has a break in functioning due to a disaster can hamper almost everything. This is precisely where a cloud disaster recovery plan comes into action. Using the amount of flexibility available, cloud technologies vastly aid in efficient disaster recovery, irrespective of the intensity of the workloads. With data being stored in a secured cloud environment that is curated to provide high availability, managing and setting it up isn’t a humongous task. The possibility of your business being affected by a disaster is never too small, and with the current rise in cyber-crime, is it worth the chance? Disaster recovery in cloud computing can help your business deal with ransomware, cyber-attacks, and other such disasters. These are threats that have the potential to completely destroy your files and present your business with a painful downtime. Most organizations know the value and importance of having an effective disaster recovery plan, and if you don’t have one in place yet, you already have a late start. But it’s never too late to implement effective disaster recovery strategies and benefit from cloud-based solutions. Understanding cloud disaster recovery benefits: Offers great flexibility Drastically reduces downtime Provides reliability Ensures simplification and efficiency Easy to deploy Highly cost-effective How to Formulate an Effective Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy? With the help of cloud computing, disaster recovery has ideally become just another task that can be taken care of using some simple steps. Before formulating a cloud disaster recovery plan, it is suggested that you look into all the possible threats that might affect your organization. In the event of a disaster, you can figure out how much money will be needed and where your infrastructure is at risk by taking into account all the risk factors. To effectively formulate a cloud disaster recovery strategy, it is best to follow the steps below: Outline your possible risks and understand your infrastructure Conduct a business impact analysis Parameters of assessment: Recovery Time Objective (RTO) Recovery Point Objective (RPO) Establish a disaster recovery plan based on your RTO and RPO Choose the right cloud partner Focus on building your cloud disaster recovery infrastructure Standardize your disaster recovery plan on paper Constantly test your disaster recovery plan As data security becomes more important, the global disaster recovery cloud services market has increased dramatically. It is predicted to grow from $4.35 billion in 2019 to $23.3 billion in 2027.88% of enterprises say the public cloud will play a role in their backup plans in the future. Factors to Weigh While Assessing the Ideal Cloud Partner Strategic cloud disaster recovery assessment and planning is something that not everyone can take up.Also, why stress on this when you can engagewith a provider with great experience. The right cloud partner should ideally help you conduct a thorough business impact analysis to aid in the familiarization of the potential operational limitations you would encounter during a disaster. Hence, choosing a cloud partner who is intelligent, pragmatic, and solution-oriented should be of the utmost priority. Such a cloud partner will have all the necessary tools and help you carry out a better assessment of the potential danger to your data. While formulating the cloud disaster recovery plan, keep in mind: Design your strategy according to your recovery goals Implement control measures Prepare your software Implement your security and compliance controls Use cloud storage as your daily backup routine Conclusion In today’s age and time, disaster recovery should be a priority for every organization. While some calamities are unforeseen and highly impactful, successful organizations are always the ones that are capable of getting back up, and this is exactly where a cloud disaster recovery plan comes into action. Once you have assessed every aspect of your recovery strategy, you’d only have to pick the service provider who’s capable of implementing your requirements seamlessly. Once you have all these points in place, your business will be well equipped for almost any possible disaster. Make ‘business continuity’ ‘business as usual’ and imbed it into your management routines as decisions are made, instead of an afterthought check off the box exercise later.” Bobbie Garrett FAQ What Is a Cloud Disaster Recovery Plan? Cloud-based recovery plans help the organization recover its critical systems after a disaster and also provideremote access to your system using a secure virtual environment. Why Is a Cloud Disaster Recovery Plan Essential? When an organization does not have an effective disaster recovery plan, it puts the organization at risk of high financial costs, reputation loss, and an even greater risk of losing clients and customers. What Are the Benefits of Having an Effective Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy? Using a cloud disaster recovery strategy, organizations can benefit from: Cost efficiency ncrease employee productivity Greater customer retention

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CA Technologies helps customers succeed in a future where every business— from apparel to energy— is being rewritten by software. With CA software at the center of their IT strategy, organizations can leverage the technology that changes the way we live— from the data center to the mobile device. Our business management software and solutions help our customers thrive in the new application economy by delivering the means to deploy, monitor and secure their applications and infrastructure. Our goal is to help organizations develop applications and experiences that excite and engage and, in turn, open up money-making opportunities for their businesses. CA software and solutions help our customers drive enterprise-wide productivity, offer differentiated user experiences and open new growth opportunities. And we are able to deliver this value across multiple environments—mobile, private and public cloud, distributed and mainframe.

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