Challenges for Enterprises in the Cloud

Cheaper, better and faster are the new trends in any computer or business IT solutions, which makes the hybrid cloud the perfect fit. Hybrid clouds perform by allowing IT to manage workload assignment from and between the private and the commercial public cloud. For startup businesses that are rapidly growing, cloud computing is the best option because of its cost effectiveness, flexibility and marketing strategy benefits.

However, no matter how impressive cloud computing is, it still poses some obstacles for the IT infrastructure and for IT managers. IT managers believe that cloud computing violates traditional technology practices and departmental domains. The cloud platform also poses a high demand on the current IT infrastructure, which can cause relationship strains from the IT staff. Licensing and pricing continues to pose uncertainties because of the unpredictable behavior from cloud vendors and manufacturers.

To seriously consider these obstacles, the next step to follow is to review the factors that can affect the current IT infrastructure as cloud implementations take place. A close look at cloud blockers, silos and security issues is imperative.

Networking Obstacles – While cloud computing offers speed and flexibility in terms of shifting workload demands that are based on user behavior, it also poses difficult networking challenges. Speed requires excellent connectivity between the public and private cloud, which the current IT infrastructure is not prepared for since the current system was only designed to handle connections that support email communications and some general web browsing.

This networking issue requires serious planning to protect both the users and the applications that are currently running. IT monitoring from an off-site cloud provider will also be limited if the old infrastructure will be used, which means longer and delayed route access because of smaller network links. This obstacle may pose a major IT infrastructure upgrade that means additional cost and longer manpower hours.

Cloud Security Issues – Although traditional IT infrastructure have security issues that need a serious implementation layout. Cloud computing, however poses a different obstacle because it is not just the internal environment that needs to be considered, but the hybrid and public platform as well.

Traditional security measures using segmentation technique, firewall, intrusion prevention and detection methods should be upgraded to newer cloud-based technologies like the VMWare vCloud Director.

In connection to the security issues, cloud networking also poses data access challenges because of the paranoid mindset that data deployment from the public to the private cloud and vice versa should not be trusted. Data transfer between virtual machines or even through cloud data storage network also becomes questionable.

VMWare also has the answers to this obstacle through their vShield that provides private browsing and networking features. They also have the VMsafe or VMWare Altor that can provide the virtual firewall. These new features, however, mean additional cost for upgrade and training for IT people, so before moving to the cloud be sure to check whether the current IT infrastructure is ready for the cloud platform to have an efficient virtual migration system.

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