Cloud Computing and the Most Useful Cloud Management Tools

Cloud computing is a popular war of cutting costs, expanding resources, and scaling operations. It uses the Internet to provide essential services while sharing computer processing, data sources, and other devices. This way, a company can have access to networks, servers, applications, and other IT services on demand. Cloud computing and cloud storage have three main options. Companies can:

•    Store their data in third-party data centers
•    Store their information in privately owned operations
•    Use a hybrid – a mix of private and third-party operations

The third-party data center can be geographically close, or located across the world. The advantages of cloud computing are:

•    Less cost because companies don’t need to spend a lot on expensive hardware, such as servers.
•    Less time because in-company IT staff can use the expertise and resources of the data center.
•    Ease in adding or reducing resources as the company evolves.
•    Speed in getting operations ready to be used by the company and the public.

What is cloud management?

Cloud management is how the control of these public, private, or hybrid clouds is handled. Companies and organizations generally choose one of the following types of management:

•       Pay-per-transaction. This is the a-la-carte version of cloud services. Customers pay through the web or some other interface as they use the cloud services.
•       A flat or monthly fee. Companies buy a certain amount of cloud services in advance and can use that amount during the term.
•       Pay-per use basis. Also called dynamic provisioning, customers in this arrangement can allocate cloud resources when they need them and un-allocate the resources when they don’t.

Cloud management requires the use of software tools to handle resource allocation, billing, security, and other administrative aspects. In private environments and public environments, there is only one manager – either the company itself or the data center. Hybrid clouds are more complicated. Cloud management must be handled across both the private and public domains.

A good cloud management system should:

•       Give end-users access
•       Allow for resource management
•       Provide for security monitoring
•       Be able to manage different computer resources
•       Managing tracking

Cloud management solutions should also be able to handle system failures, multiple platforms, and notice requirements. Workflow should be automated as much as possible. Good cloud management systems also allow for analysis and metrics of what is working and where improvements could be made.

Cloud management tools

Different software tools are used for private and public clouds to enable and monitor performance:

•       Private clouds. Some of the cloud tools private companies are using include:

o   Embotics vCommander

o   RightScale software tools

o   VMTurbo Operations Manager

•       Hybrid clouds and more sophisticated private clouds:

o   Citrix Cloud Platform

o   Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager

o   RedHat CloudForms

•       Public clouds

o   Amazon Web Services (AWS). This cloud tools allows users the ability to manage the cloud through a command line interface (CLI) that runs individual commands and scripts (macros of a series of commands)

In public clouds, most of the management of the cloud is handed off to the data center that manages the cloud. It’s one of the ways data centers earn their fee.

Better manage cloud services with support from experienced data center professionals

Cloud computing success depends on full communication and coordination between a company’s IT department and the vendors who are providing cloud services. Efficient cloud management enables companies to focus on their day to day business operations, their customers, and their plans for the future instead of spending a lot of money and time on additional IT support and products.