Application Infrastructure, Application Storage
Article | July 19, 2023
For the majority of businesses, digital transformation (DX) has emerged as a significant priority. By incorporating digital technologies into all aspects of an organization's operations, digital transformation is a continuous process that alters how organizations operate as well as how they supply goods and services to customers and connect with them.
Employing hybrid network infrastructures can aid businesses in putting DX strategies into action. An IT architecture and environment is a hybrid infrastructure that combines on-premises data centers with private or public clouds. Operating systems and applications can be deployed anywhere in this environment, depending on the needs and specifications of the firm.
Managing and keeping an eye on an organization's whole IT infrastructure requires the use of hybrid IT infrastructure services, sometimes referred to as cloud services. Given the complexity of IT environments and needs, this is essential for digital transformation.
What Does Hybrid Network Infrastructure Have To Offer?
Flexibility
Companies can employ the appropriate tools for the job, thanks to flexibility. For instance, a business needs access to a lot of data if it wants to use machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI). Utilizing public cloud services like AWS or Azure can help with this. However, these services might be pricey and not provide the performance required for some applications.
Durability
Hybrid networks are more tolerant of interruptions. For instance, a business can continue to function if there is a problem with its public cloud by using its private data center. This is due to the fact that the outage in the public cloud has no impact on the private data center.
Security
Businesses can utilize a hybrid cloud strategy to protect sensitive data while utilizing the resources and services of a public cloud, potentially lowering the chance of crucial information being compromised. While analytics and applications that use data kept in a private environment will probably still need to function in a public cloud, you can use encryption techniques to reduce security breaches.
Scalability and Efficiency
Traditional networks can't match the performance and scalability of hybrid networks. This is due to the fact that public clouds offer enormous bandwidth and storage that may be used as needed. By using a hybrid architecture, a company can benefit from the public cloud's flexibility and capacity while still keeping its business-critical data and operations in the private cloud or on-premises data center.
Conclusion
A cultural shift toward more flexible and intelligent ways of conducting business, supported by cutting-edge technology, involves integrating digital technologies throughout all company activities, improving current processes, developing new operational procedures, and offering higher value to clients. Infrastructures for hybrid networks are necessary for the success of digital transformation.
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Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | September 14, 2023
Streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency: Choose the right tools for managing and orchestrating hyper-converged infrastructure to unlock its full potential with Hyperconverged solutions.
Managing and orchestrating hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) is critical to modern IT operations. With the growing adoption of HCI solutions, choosing the right tools for management and orchestration is essential for organizations to optimize their infrastructure and ensure seamless operations. In this article, we will delve into the factors to consider when selecting Hyper-Converged tools for management and orchestration and explore some of the top options available in the market.
1. Symcloud Orchestrator
The Symcloud platform is a webscale solution designed for metal-service automation and orchestration in telecommunications. It enables the automation and management of various network components, including RAN (Radio Access Network), packet core, and MEC (Multi-Access Edge Computing). With Symcloud, businesses can centrally manage large numbers of CNF (Cloud-Native Function) and VNF (Virtual Network function) capable Kubernetes clusters on a single Kubernetes platform. The platform allows for rapid deployment of the entire solution stack in minutes, supporting edge, far edge, and core data centers. Symcloud provides advanced monitoring, planning, and healing capabilities, enabling users to view hardware, software, services, and connectivity dependencies. The architecture of Symcloud Orchestrator combines app-aware storage, virtual networking, and application workflow automation on Kubernetes. Symcloud Storage provides advanced storage and data management capabilities for Kubernetes distributions, seamlessly integrating with native administrative tooling. Symcloud Platform is a Kubernetes infrastructure that supports containers and virtual machines, offering superior performance, features, and flexibility.
2. Morpheus
Morpheus Data is a comprehensive hybrid cloud management platform that empowers enterprises to manage and modernize their applications while reducing costs and improving efficiency. With Morpheus, businesses can quickly enable on-premises private clouds, centralize access to public clouds, and orchestrate changes with advanced features like cost analytics, governance policies, and automation. It provides a unified view of virtual machines, clouds, containers, and applications in a single location, regardless of the private or public cloud environment. Morpheus offers responsive support from an expert team and features an extensible design. It helps centralize platforms, create private clouds, manage public clouds, and streamline Kubernetes deployments. This tool also enables compliance assurance through simplified authentication, access controls, policies, and security management. By automating application lifecycles, running workflows, and simplifying day-to-day operations, Morpheus helps modernize applications. The platform optimizes cloud costs by inventorying existing resources, right-sizing them, tracking cloud spending, and providing centralized visibility.
3. The Kubernetes Database-as-a-Service Platform
Portworx Data Services is a Kubernetes Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) platform that offers a single solution for deploying, operating, and managing various data services without being locked into a specific vendor. It simplifies heterogeneous databases' deployment and day-to-day operations, eliminating the need for specialized expertise. With one click, organizations can deploy enterprise-grade data services with built-in capabilities like backup, restore, high availability, data recovery, security, capacity management, and migration. The platform supports a broad catalog of data services, including SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, Cassandra, Couchbase, Kafka, Consul, RabbitMQ, and ZooKeeper. Portworx Data Services provides a consistent DBaaS experience on any infrastructure, whether on-premises or in the cloud, enabling seamless migration based on evolving business requirements.
4. DCImanager
DCImanager- a platform for managing multivendor IT infrastructure is a comprehensive platform for providing a unified interface to oversee and control all equipment types, including racks, servers, network devices, PDUs, and virtual networks. It is suitable for servers and data centers of any size, including distributed environments. DCImanager eliminates the need for additional tools and associated maintenance costs, allowing users to work seamlessly with equipment from popular vendors. With DCImanager, users can efficiently manage servers remotely, automate maintenance tasks, monitor power consumption, configure network settings, track inventory, visualize racks, and receive timely notifications. With over 16 years of experience, DCImanager is a reliable solution trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, backed by professional support.
5. EasyDCIM
EasyDCIM, a cloud-like bare metal server provisioning is a comprehensive and hassle-free data center administration solution that offers an all-in-one platform for managing daily tasks without requiring multiple software tools. It provides mobility, allowing remote management of data centers from any location and device. The system is highly expandable and customizable, allowing users to tailor the functionality to their needs. EasyDCIM excels in automated bare metal and dedicated server provisioning, streamlining the process from ordering to service delivery. It features a standalone system with a fully customizable admin control panel and user portal. The platform includes advanced data center asset lifecycle tracking, automated OS installation, network auto-discovering, and integration with billing solutions. EasyDCIM's modular architecture enables the easy extension and modification of system components.
6. Puppet
Puppet-Infrastructure automation and compliance at enterprise scale offers an automation solution that allows businesses to manage and automate complex workflows using reusable blocks of self-healing infrastructure as code. With model-driven and task-based configuration management, organizations can quickly deploy infrastructure to meet their evolving needs at any scale. By automating the entire infrastructure lifecycle, Puppet increases operational efficiency, eliminates silos, reduces response time, and streamlines change management. Puppet's automated policy enforcement ensures continuous compliance and a secure posture, enabling the identification, reporting, and resolution of errors while enforcing the desired state across the infrastructure. Leveraging the vibrant Puppet community, users can benefit from pre-built content and workflows, accelerating their deployment. With deep DevOps and enterprise experience, Puppet is a trusted advisor, assisting the largest enterprise customers in rethinking and redefining their IT management practices.
7. Foreman
Foreman is a robust lifecycle management tool designed for system administrators to manage physical and virtual servers efficiently. With Foreman, tasks can be automated, applications can be deployed quickly, and server management becomes proactive. It supports a wide range of providers, enabling hybrid cloud management. The tool includes features such as external node classification, Puppet and Salt configuration monitoring, and comprehensive host monitoring. Its CLI, Hammer, offers easy access to API calls for streamlined data center management. With RBAC and LDAP integration, audits, and a pluggable architecture, Foreman provides a powerful solution for server provisioning, configuration management, and monitoring.
Conclusion
HCI choosing the right tools for management and orchestration is paramount for organizations seeking to optimize their operations and achieve greater efficiency. Businesses can make informed decisions and select tools that align with their specific needs by considering factors such as scalability, automation capabilities, integration, and vendor support. Whether leveraging vendor-provided solutions or opting for third-party tools, the key is ensuring that the chosen tools enable effective management and orchestration of the HCI environment, allowing organizations to unlock the full potential of their infrastructure and drive business success.
As HCI continues to gain prominence, selecting the appropriate Hyper-Converged tools for management and orchestration becomes crucial for organizations aiming to streamline operations and maximize the benefits of their infrastructure investment. By carefully evaluating the available options, considering key factors, and aligning with business requirements, organizations can make informed decisions that optimize their HCI environment and enable them to adapt to the evolving needs of their digital infrastructure.
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Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, IT Systems Management
Article | September 14, 2023
IT infrastructure scaling is when the size and power of an IT system are scaled to accommodate changes in storage and workflow demands. Infrastructure scaling can be horizontal or vertical. Vertical scaling, or scaling up, adds more processing power and memory to a system, giving it an immediate boost. Horizontal scaling, or scaling out, adds more servers to the cloud, easing the bottleneck in the long run, but also adding more complexity to the system.
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Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, Application Storage
Article | May 4, 2023
Simplify server maintenance with managed services! Hybrid and multi-cloud systems work together in harmony, gaining advantage of both storage systems. Explore IaaS providers for your business needs.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Multi-Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud
2.1. Multi-Cloud Storage Systems
2.2. Hybrid Cloud Storage Systems
2.3. Choosing between Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud
3. Managed and Unmanaged Services
4. 5 top companies providing IaaS platforms
4.1. ScaleMatrix
4.2. Faction
4.3. Expedient
4.4. PhoenixNAP
4.5. Rackspace Technology
5. Conclusion
1. Introduction
Several leading companies are providing IaaS platforms, offering managed and unmanaged services, and multi-cloud and hybrid cloud solutions to meet the growing demands of businesses in today's digital landscape. In addition, these companies offer various services to help organizations manage their IT infrastructure, including computing power, virtual machines, storage, and networking, while also providing additional value-added services such as security, disaster recovery, and automation.
2. Multi-Cloudvs. Hybrid Cloud
Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud are cloud deployment infrastructure models
2.1. Multi-Cloud Storage Systems:
Multicloud refers to an organization utilizing cloud computing services from at least two cloud providers to run their applications. Instead of relying on a single-cloud stack, multi-cloud environments usually consist of two or more public clouds, two or more private clouds, or a mix of both.
2.2. Hybrid Cloud Storage Systems:
A hybrid cloud refers to a heterogeneous computing environment where applications are executed using a blend of computing, storage, and services across distinct environments, such as public clouds, private clouds, on-premises data centers, or edge locations.
2.3. Choosing Between Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud
2.3.1. Opting for a Hybrid Cloud:
For businesses that require control over certain data or workloads, a hybrid cloud strategy may be necessary. This involves hosting some applications in the public cloud while running critical workloads locally to balance the benefits of cloud technology with the need for local data control. - To avoid vendor lock-in, carefully select the best cloud services for each application or task. - Choose cost-effective services to engage in more effective business planning. - Ensure flexibility and adaptability for the cloud team. - Enable a company to use best-in-class services for each app/task
2.3.2. Selecting a Multi-Cloud:
Businesses often rely on multiple cloud providers for different services, such as public clouds for virtual machines and SaaS for business applications. They may also access AI, ML, or language cloud services from other providers. - To test and validate a cloud computing platform before migrating its resources and workloads. - To enable a centralized identity infrastructure across disparate systems. - To ensure a blend of self-service resources (private cloud) and a platform to run test workloads (public cloud), for DevOps based firms However, hybrids and multi-clouds can operate together. For example, a company can establish a private cloud for internal operations and then merge it with a public cloud to form a hybrid cloud. Additional clouds, whether IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS, can be added or integrated to provide specific resources or services to the business. Alternatively, a company can create a hybrid cloud with one public cloud provider and still use resources and services from other public clouds outside the hybrid cloud environment.
3. Managed and Unmanaged Services
IaaS comes in two main forms: managed and unmanaged. Managed services can simplify server maintenance by providing support and expertise. With managed dedicated servers, clients can focus on other aspects of their business while the host takes care of day-to-day maintenance, including software upgrades. This option is also safer, as self-managing a server without the necessary expertise can create security vulnerabilities. Unmanaged services are cheaper but don't include extras or support. Standard or custom control panels are used for task management. However, managing servers can only be done with experience. In addition, unmanaged hosting services are limited to providing a default solution configuration, and the applications must be installed on the cloud server by the user.
4. 5 Top Companies Providing IaaS Platforms
4.1. ScaleMatrix
ScaleMatrix offers IaaS solutions that empower businesses to manage their IT infrastructure while minimizing expensive capital expenditures (CAPEX) and reducing operational costs (OPEX). With ScaleMatrix's IaaS solutions, companies can have complete control over their infrastructure, utilizing the Ping, Power, Pipe, and server hardware. This allows businesses to tailor their infrastructure to fit their specific needs, with the option to make changes as required. Additionally, businesses can deploy hardware without significant capital investment, avoiding a CAPEX spike. Instead, they can pay for their infrastructure on an OPEX basis, allowing them to manage their expenses more efficiently.
4.2. Faction
Faction is a top-tier IaaS provider that offers a wide range of customizable solutions to meet the unique needs of its clients. Their IaaS offerings provide flexibility and agility to grow businesses while controlling costs. Clients can choose from various infrastructure options, including dedicated servers, private clouds, and hybrid cloud solutions. Faction's managed services portfolio differentiates it from other IaaS providers. The company's managed services are designed to provide clients with a more integrated ecosystem of managed services that can handle complex business needs across client on-premises and cloud environments. This includes services like monitoring and management, security and compliance, cloud backup, and disaster recovery, providing clients with a complete end-to-end solution for their IT infrastructure needs.
4.3. Expedient
Expedient provides infrastructure as a service solutions, including their flagship Expedient Enterprise Cloud, enabling clients to purchase resource pools and dedicated nodes. This cloud offering allows businesses to quickly scale resources without needing to refractor applications or learn a new platform. The platform offers a single management interface with self-service network provisioning, monitoring, and analytics. Expedient also provides a dedicated private cloud solution for applications like Citrix, reducing the infrastructure maintenance burden while maintaining scalability and flexibility. Expedient's Private Cloud Anywhere service allows businesses to have a cloud node within their own data center, providing a cloud-like experience within the proximity of mission-critical functions like manufacturing lines or retail stores.
4.4. PhoenixNAP
PhoenixNAP is a leading provider of bare metal cloud infrastructure solutions that empower businesses to innovate and achieve agility by deploying a flexible, cloud-native-ready infrastructure. Another significant advantage of PhoenixNAP's Bare Metal Cloud is the flexible billing models, which allow for fast scalability and cost optimization. The solutions offer the performance of dedicated hardware with cloud-like flexibility, allowing for automated provisioning of physical servers in minutes. Reserved instances are available for up to three years, providing cost-effective options. As a cloud-native-ready IaaS platform, PhoenixNAP's Bare Metal Cloud delivers high-performance, non-virtualized servers for even the most demanding workloads.
4.5. Rackspace Technology
Rackspace Technology is a leading provider of IT-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions that enable businesses to leverage the latest technologies and gain a competitive advantage. Their IaaS solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of the FinTech industry, which demands highly secure, scalable, and reliable infrastructure to support mission-critical applications. Its IaaS offerings are designed to provide flexible and scalable infrastructure that can be customized to meet the specific needs of businesses. They offer a range of infrastructure services, including public and private clouds, dedicated servers, and managed hosting, as well as hybrid cloud solutions that combine the benefits of both public and private cloud environments.
5. Conclusion
The future of the top leading companies providing IaaS platforms looks promising as the demand for cloud computing services continues to grow. With the ever-increasing need for businesses to store, manage, and analyze large amounts of data, the demand for IaaS platforms is expected to increase in the coming years. This includes enhancing their security measures, network capabilities, and data center footprints. Furthermore, as the industry moves towards hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments, these companies will need to adapt and provide solutions that can seamlessly integrate with various cloud platforms. This will require collaboration with other cloud service providers and investment in interoperability technologies. As businesses increasingly rely on data-driven decision-making, cloud providers will need to offer services that enable customers to process and analyze large amounts of data quickly and efficiently using AI and ML. The future of the top leading companies will require continuous innovation, collaboration, and investment in new technologies to meet the changing needs of their customers. As cloud computing continues to transform the business landscape, these companies will enable businesses to scale and grow in the digital age.
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