Editor’s notE Your nEw nEtwork ArchitEcturE: timE to mAkE cloud-computing plAns

top 10 chAllEngEs in nEtwork cloud intEgrAtion

how to choosE A cloud providEr

A new network Architecture: send in the cloudsWhat you must do now to create the cloud-ready network the future demands.

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got cloud?

Of course you do. Software as a service, platform as a service and their associated brethren have made cloud adoption a necessity for today’s enterprises. But even if the pool is wide, it isn’t necessarily deep. The vast major-ity of enterprises may be using some type of cloud service, but most have yet to migrate their most mission-critical applications and operations to third-party data centers.

Yet IT managers also know that it’s just a matter of time before they must forge a much deeper integration between their networks and cloud providers. That means a fundamental shift in how they construct their own networks to leverage the advantages of cloud computing.

In this technical guide, you’ll learn what steps IT managers should take to reimagine and restructure their networks to exploit the cloud. Not only must networks be more flexible, they must also employ more layers of abstraction to harness logical groupings of resources.

Cloud integration also forces enterprises to retool their existing relationships with cloud providers. Application performance is only as good as the network, and IT managers need to ask important questions of their providers to make sure they get the performance they need.

What should you be evaluating? This guides provides the answers. One key piece of advice: Make sure your provider can shuttle your traf-fic among multiple cloud operators. Moving to the cloud won’t do you any good if your data can’t be accessed by your users regardless of their location.

We hope this guide helps you plot your course as you navigate your network to the cloud. In a world that is growing even more interconnected every day, the cloud is the next frontier. n

Chuck MoozakisExecutive Editor, Networking Media Group

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Your new network Architecture: time to make cloud-computing plans

As modern enterprise networks move into the world of public cloud computing, certain facts come to light. One is that enter-prise network managers are forced to work with public cloud providers to ensure that the network continues to support the needs of the business. This means that some IT fundamentals are undergoing change.

First, cloud network architectures need to be more flexible: Static networks drastically limit the use of cloud. Second, network ser-vices need to be decoupled from a single physical location, since the delivery of data, compute and user interfaces are now ubiqui-tous. Finally, many network resources need to be abstracted so provisioning can be auto-mated and orchestrated.

thE nEw cloud nEtwork ArchitEcturE

The reality is that many enterprises are not

ready to leverage public or hybrid clouds. Over the years, enterprise IT departments haven’t received the funding needed to upgrade the infrastructure to support the necessary speed and management layers.

More often, the static nature of traditional networks limits the ability of network manag-ers to adapt their networks to the cloud.

Network requirements for the successful use of cloud include the following:

■n The ability to secure specific network seg-ments in different ways to meet the require-ments of the data flowing across the network. In many instances, this requires network-based encryption. The networks need to be configured to meet a variety of performance and security requirements.

■n The ability to provide network prioritization (packet shaping) for specific applications and

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data flowing across the network. If public clouds contain business-critical data, those systems should have priority access to net-work resources, including fault tolerant and resilient subsystems.

■n The ability to have application-aware net-working. Private clouds, public clouds and traditional systems use the network in differ-ent ways, depending on the application, data and user interface and how they communi-cate with each other and cloud-based servers. A network that can adjust to those use pat-terns is certainly more effective when cloud computing comes into play.

conFiguring nEtwork rEsourcEs

When working with cloud resources, networks are more effective when they can be decoupled from physical resources or geographies. This supports the concept of ubiquitous computing, one of the tenets of cloud computing. The loca-tions of the services instances are hidden from the machines or users that access them, mak-ing the physical location unimportant.

Ubiquitous computing and the networks that support it focus on removing the complexity of computing and increasing the efficiency. As a result, access to server instances could go to any number of different physical locations (if allowed) in search of available resources.

Applications, for example, could have 100-plus compute server instances running in 12 different data centers, connected to four data servers that run in two different data cen-ters. All of these servers are either connected using the network infrastructure offered by the cloud service provider, or they need to architect the enterprise infrastructure in the same manner. Enterprises must be able to configure network services to provide the flex-ibility needed to support ubiquitous cloud computing.

cloud computing is challenging, but with planning and greater budgets, cloud-based network resources are an upgrade that can reduce costs and increase agility.

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ABstrAction oF rEsourcEs

Most of the needed changes come down to the ability to manage networks through a layer of abstraction. This means that physical resources don’t need to be managed as they were in the past. Instead, network professionals can use management and automation tools to bundle objects that represent logical groupings of re-sources, not widely distributed physical devices.

The idea is to hide the complexity that cloud computing brings to network managers. Instead of having to deal with thousands of servers scattered across the enterprise infrastructure and that of several public cloud providers, the

concept is to manage applications, data, and the like as single logical representations. Using this approach, enterprises can better manage resources whether they are on-premises, in the cloud or both.

Network managers will find that cloud com-puting adds additional challenges. With a bit of planning and greater budgets, however, the addition of cloud-based resources on the net-work should be an efficient upgrade that greatly reduces costs and increases agility for the busi-ness. If your organization hasn’t put a cloud-computing plan together yet, now is the time. —David Linthicum

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top 10 challenges in network cloud integration

Your application performance is only as good as your network. New applications are placing increasing demand on corporate net-works. Mobile devices, big data and custom-ers’ transactions are increasing network-cloud integration challenges and driving the need for purpose-built networks that can scale as busi-ness demands require. Here’s what to look for in a service provider to ensure your network capacity meets your needs:

1. Ethernet everywhere: The ability of a network operator to maintain a consistent level of service around the globe is key for enterprises. Ideally, your network service provider should be able to deliver the same “Ethernet everywhere” expe-rience from all regions. Some operators have a strong presence in Asia, but not in Europe; oth-ers are strong in the United States but not in Latin America. The globalization of business requires service providers to standardize their

service delivery across all markets to meet the needs of multinational corporations.

2. real-time network analytics: It is also impor-tant for IT professionals to understand and analyze application performance issues as they relate to the underlying network. Many of the most innovative network services provide a dashboard of network statistics and the abil-ity to perform real-time analytics of network performance. Having visibility into application bandwidth performance requirements enables IT departments to buy just the bandwidth they require for particular applications and specific periods of time. Many businesses have sea-sonal peaks and require the flexibility to adjust their IT resources to meet changing business demands.

3. Bandwidth-on-demand capabilities: Many large network operators are unable to deliver

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bandwidth on demand to customers. When implementing a service-level agreement (SLA), it’s essential for businesses to require the net-work service provider to enable both planned bandwidth increases, such as when testing a new application, or unplanned events such as natural disasters.

4. last-mile diversity: The so-called last mile remains a complex issue for large service pro-viders and carriers. The last mile to the cus-tomer’s premise can pose a serious bottleneck if not managed properly. Look for suppliers that have control over this portion of the network so they are able to deliver consistently high quality-of-service (QoS) levels from LAN to LAN. Large telecommunication service provid-ers make their profits based on the volume of service they sell. It is always in their best inter-est to sell customers as much bandwidth as possible, even if the customer doesn’t require a high level of bandwidth at all times.

5. cloud marketplace bridging: With the growing adoption of cloud infrastructure services such as Amazon Web Services and IBM SoftLayer,

the need to integrate the network with cloud compute services is essential. A company should base its cloud strategy on business objectives. But we often observe that compa-nies lose the economic benefits of the cloud if the corporate network lacks flexibility. The network must be able to meet the bandwidth and configuration demands of new cloud ser-vices and applications. As the saying goes, your cloud is only as good as your network.

6. mobility and security: Bring your own device (BYOD) is generating a lot of networking chal-lenges and security issues for IT departments. BYOD has become a widespread practice by employees. It’s a good idea to sandbox traffic coming from smartphones, tablets and laptops to prevent these roaming devices from bringing malware and other harmful software into the corporate computing environment. Using net-work packet inspection and network behavioral analysis also helps IT departments spot poten-tial security breaches via mobile devices.

7. global network operations centers: Adminis-trators and engineers appreciate the ability to

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speak to a network expert at the service pro-vider’s network operating center when prob-lems occur. Yet many large operators outsource the first line of customer service to offshore call centers with support personnel who do little more than fill out trouble tickets. Some of the top network service providers offer proac-tive monitoring and operate as an extension of your IT team. These network experts can identify and remedy network issues before they become critical and impede the normal flow of business activity.

8. service-level agreement for in-sequence packet

delivery: SLAs governing in-sequence packet delivery and jitter are major metrics that IT departments should consider when moving to a new operator. A company’s SLA with a network operator should stipulate 100% in-sequence packet delivery and less than 1 millisecond jit-ter rates to ensure a high level of network per-formance to meet all application processing requirements.

9. customizable solutions: Many large opera-tors offer so-called catalog solutions that do not necessarily match the application and performance requirements of customers. One size clearly does not fit all. Look for an inno-vative operator that will craft a network for a customer that meets the unique needs and its changing business requirements. Make sure the provider does not need to take down the net-work or sell new services to enable it to adapt to the company’s evolving needs.

10. single- or multi-strategy provider: Opting for a multi-provider strategy or single provider is a question IT professionals face when deciding to renew a contract or to switch to a multipro-tocol label switching network. There is no right or wrong answer, but the approach should be as transparent as possible to avoid technical prob-lems and procedural issues. The IT department should opt for the most transparent option that lets network managers identify and trou-bleshoot problems quickly. —Ray Watson

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how to choose a cloud provider

Let’s face it: Choosing a cloud provider is no easy feat.

In addition to the vast array of vendors to choose from—ranging from startups to 800-pound gorillas like AWS—many businesses target multiple sectors of the cloud comput-ing market, such as infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service.

There are, however, steps you can take to simplify the cloud provider decision-making process. But be sure to involve both the busi-ness and IT leaders in your organization before making the final call.

communicAtE BusinEss goAls

Before signing with a cloud provider, make sure that provider is fully committed to understand-ing your business and the specific objectives you hope to achieve with cloud, said Puneet Shivam, head of U.S. and global co-head of the

outsourcing vertical at Avendus Capital Inc., a financial services firm based in New York.

To do this, listen to what providers promise you, Shivam said. If they only boast technical gains—such as 99.9% uptime—it could be a red flag. Instead, opt for a provider that can speak to the business advantages you would gain through their service, such as higher customer retention or streamlined product delivery.

“If they are too focused on only technol-ogy outcomes, then they may deliver excellent technology, but may not be relevant to your business,” Shivam said.

Organizations within a specific vertical mar-ket—such as financial services, healthcare or retail—should ensure providers have knowl-edge of their specific market. This might mean, in some cases, your organization opts for a smaller, niche provider—even if they’re used alongside services from a larger player like

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Amazon Web Services (AWS), Shivam said.SumAll, a New York-based marketing ana-

lytics firm, did just that. After using AWS’ infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform for roughly a year, SumAll switched to Rackspace. It was Rackspace’s 2013 acquisition of Object-Rocket—a MongoDB database-as-a-service provider—that convinced SumAll to make the switch, said Dane Atkinson, CEO and co-founder of SumAll.

SumAll creates reporting dashboards that allow organizations to track and analyze the effectiveness of their social media marketing campaigns. The company grew quickly, with more than 350,000 businesses having deployed SumAll since its launch in 2011. As a result, it required an IaaS platform that could scale quickly to keep pace, while meeting its unique, big data analysis needs.

Rackspace—especially after the Object-Rocket buy—became a “specialty” vendor for SumAll, Atkinson said. AWS, which still hosts a small portion of SumAll’s workloads, is more of a commodity provider.

“We needed something that was more responsive to what we were building—and

[Rackspace and ObjectRocket] were the ones,” Atkinson said.

Another important factor when choosing a cloud provider is to give business leaders—not just IT—a seat at the table, according to Shi-vam. This ensures your business objectives are communicated clearly, and ultimately under-stood, by the provider.

“Technology is getting closer to the busi-ness,” Shivam said. “So what’s happening is that some of the decision-making and selection and management will necessarily pass into the business units.”

SumAll involved both IT and business lead-ers in its decision to switch from AWS to Rack-space, Atkinson said.

“Because of the dollar amounts—we spend millions of dollars a year on our infrastruc-ture—it’s a significant portion of our costs and is probably our second biggest line item, so it becomes a business decision,” he said.

sEcuritY And cost

The location of a cloud provider’s data centers should also be considered, said Catherine

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Spence, principal engineer and cloud architect at Intel and chair of the Technical Coordination Committee for the Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA).

“When we talk about the location of the data centers, if [your] application is very sensitive, you want it to be close to where your users are,” Spence said. “So, look at where your users are. You want to get the best user experience for them, which might lead to where you want to host that application geographically.”

Global enterprises should be especially cog-nizant of where a provider hosts data. This is because security and compliance regulations can vary drastically country to country, par-ticularly in Europe, said Ed Simmons, executive director of platform engineering at financial services firm UBS.

“If you are a worldwide organization, your rules around data are somewhat location-specific. So the key things are data, latency and the availability of the network and the price to move data around,” said Simmons, who also co-chairs the ODCA’s Infrastructure Workgroup. “Obviously, from a resiliency standpoint, you probably want providers that have data centers

in multiple locations or at least far enough away from each other that they aren’t on the same electrical grid.”

Security and cost are also significant fac-tors. Unfortunately, comparing vendors’ costs and security prowess isn’t always easy. In many cases, it’s simply not an apples-to-apples com-parison. What’s more, tracking down informa-tion related to a provider’s costs and security strategy can be tough.

But there are some options.“From a security perspective, obviously how

[a provider] secures their network, their data and your data is very important,” Simmons said. “One of the interesting questions that has come up a lot is transparency in how they do that stuff. That’s a new area that people are really starting to talk about.”

In an effort to standardize how the market evaluates a cloud provider’s security, the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and British Standards Institution (BSI) launched in 2013 the Security Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR) certifi-cation program. Through the program, service providers undergo a third-party assessment of their security environments. Providers who

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achieve the certification are then listed as such in the CSA STAR Registry, giving existing and potential customers better insight into how robust their security is.

Steps are also being taken to simplify how a business evaluates the cost of working with one cloud provider versus another. The ODCA, for instance, has published a Proof of Con-cept document, highlighting ways to compare performance and ROI metrics between two providers. However, the industry still lacks a definitive, standardized way for performing

vendor cost comparisons, said Simmons.“It’s incredibly complicated and incredibly

non-linear,” he said.As a result, the ODCA is now pushing for an

industry-wide “Cloud Facts” label. Similar to the Nutrition Facts label on food, this would give IT pros a snapshot into a provider’s per-formance, cost and other key metrics, making it easier to compare them to the competition.

SumAll’s Atkinson, for his part, urged other organizations to perform “reference checks”—especially when it comes to support—before taking the leap.

“I would certainly, in the future, call a couple customers through my own network that are using [that provider] to see how it’s worked out,” Atkinson said. “I mean, we have been here at 3 o’clock at night, and [Rackspace] has gone into the office to help. You don’t realize how important that is until you actually need it.”

—Kristin Knapp

“ the industry still lacks a definitive, standardized way for performing vendor cost comparisons.”

—Ed simmons, executive director of

platform engineering, uBs

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ABout tHe

AutHors

kristin knApp is the site editor for SearchCloudComput-ing. Contact her at kknapp@techtarget.com or follow @kknapp86 on Twitter.

dAvid s. linthicum is with Cloud Technology Partners and an internationally recognized cloud industry expert and thought leader. He is the author or co-author of 13 books on computing and speaks at many leading tech-nology conferences on cloud computing, SOA, enterprise application integration and enterprise architecture.

rAY wAtson is vice president of global technology at Masergy Communications Inc., a privately held technol-ogy firm that focuses on cloud enablement, real-time metrics, unified communications as a service, and security as a service.

A New Network Architecture: Send in the Clouds is a SearchNetworking.com e-publication.

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