Information Systems 302 Study Guide

Information Systems 302
DIPLOMA IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (YEAR
3)
SAQA ID CREDITS
24419 10
INFORMATION SYSTEMS 302

(SEMESTER 2)
Study Guide
In terms of the Copyright Act, no 98 of 1978, no part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any other
information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the proprietor.
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Berea College of Technology
Sections
1. Cloud Computing
2. Hybrid Cloud
3. Virtualization
4. Data Science
5. Mobile Technology
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OUTCOMES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Describe the concepts that underpin cloud computing
• Discuss the benefits and risks of cloud computing
• Explain the various cloud delivery models
• Explain the various cloud deployment models
• Describe the principles of mobile communication
• Discuss the issues and opportunities of mobile technologies
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Table of Contents
Sections................................................................................................................................................................... 2
OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
TABLE OF CONTENT ................................................................................................................................................ 4
CHAPTER ONE: ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
CLOUD COMPUTING ............................................................................................................................................... 7
What is cloud computing, in simple terms? ...................................................................................................... 7
How does cloud computing work?..................................................................................................................... 7
What cloud computing services are available? ............................................................................................... 7
Why is it called cloud computing? ..................................................................................................................... 8
What is the history of cloud computing? ........................................................................................................... 8
How important is the cloud? ............................................................................................................................... 8
What is Infrastructure-as-a-Service? ................................................................................................................ 9
What is Platform-as-a-Service? ......................................................................................................................... 9
What is Software-as-a-Service? ........................................................................................................................ 9
Cloud computing benefits ................................................................................................................................... 9
Cloud computing advantages and disadvantages ........................................................................................ 10
What is cloud computing adoption doing to IT budgets? ............................................................................. 10
How do you build a business case for cloud computing? ............................................................................ 11
Cloud computing adoption ................................................................................................................................ 11
What about cloud computing security? ........................................................................................................... 11
What is public cloud? ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Public cloud: Advantages and disadvantages ............................................................................................... 12
What is private cloud? ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Advantages of Private Cloud ........................................................................................................................ 13
Disadvantages of Private Cloud .................................................................................................................. 14
What is hybrid cloud? ........................................................................................................................................ 15
What is cloud migration? An introduction to moving to the cloud ..................................................................... 15
Benefits of cloud migration ....................................................................................................................... 15
Cloud migration strategies ........................................................................................................................ 15
Cloud migration process ........................................................................................................................... 18
Cloud migration challenges ...................................................................................................................... 21
Types of cloud migration tools and services .......................................................................................... 22
Why migrate to the cloud? ........................................................................................................................ 25
Is geography irrelevant when it comes to cloud computing?....................................................................... 25
What is a cloud computing region? What is a cloud computing availability zone? .................................. 26
Cloud computing and power usage ................................................................................................................. 26
Which are the big cloud computing companies? ........................................................................................... 27
AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure -- what is the difference? .......................................... 27
Cloud computing price wars ............................................................................................................................. 28
What is the future of cloud computing? .......................................................................................................... 28
What is hybrid cloud? ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Hybrid cloud architecture .................................................................................................................................. 30
Hybrid Cloud Benefits .................................................................................................................................... 31
Hybrid Cloud Storage Diversification ...................................................................................................... 31
Hybrid Cloud Solutions Flexibility ............................................................................................................ 31
Hybrid Cloud Cost Savings ....................................................................................................................... 31
How Do Hybrid Cloud Security Services Work?........................................................................................ 32
11 Challenges of Hybrid Cloud Adoption (And How to Overcome Them)............................................. 33
Compliance Issues .................................................................................................................................... 33
Lack of Readiness for Data Migration ..................................................................................................... 33
Poorly Defined SLAs (Service-Level Agreements) ............................................................................... 34
Skill and Expertise Gaps ........................................................................................................................... 34
Governance Problems............................................................................................................................... 35
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Compatibility Issues ................................................................................................................................... 35

Lack of Visibility and Control .................................................................................................................... 35
Hybrid Cloud Networking .......................................................................................................................... 36
Lack of Redundancy .................................................................................................................................. 36
Data Security .............................................................................................................................................. 37
Over and Under Provisioning ................................................................................................................... 37
Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud ......................................................................................................... 37
Who uses hybrid cloud? .................................................................................................................................... 38
Hybrid cloud use cases ..................................................................................................................................... 38
New applications ................................................................................................................................................ 38
Regulatory compliance .............................................................................................................................. 38
Workload anomalies .................................................................................................................................. 39
How is hybrid cloud managed? ........................................................................................................................ 39
Infrastructure as a service providers ............................................................................................................... 39
Amazon Web Services ...................................................................................................................................... 39
Google Cloud Platform ...................................................................................................................................... 39
Microsoft Azure .......................................................................................................................................... 39
Is hybrid cloud right for your organization? .................................................................................................... 40
Is hybrid cloud right for you? ........................................................................................................................ 40
Hybrid cloud scenarios .................................................................................................................................. 41
What is virtualization? .......................................................................................................................................... 43
Benefits of Virtualization ...................................................................................................................................... 44
1. Slash your IT expenses .................................................................................................................................. 44
2. Reduce downtime and enhance resiliency in disaster recovery situations .................................................. 44
3. Increase efficiency and productivity ............................................................................................................. 44
4. Control independence and DevOps .............................................................................................................. 44
5. Move to be more green-friendly (organizational and environmental) ........................................................ 45
The Disadvantages of Virtualization ........................................................................................................ 45
What is desktop virtualization? ............................................................................................................................ 46
Deployment models ......................................................................................................................................... 46
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) ............................................................................................................. 46
Remote desktop services (RDS) .................................................................................................................... 46
Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) ......................................................................................................................... 47
Benefits ............................................................................................................................................................. 47
Software ........................................................................................................................................................... 47
How to choose: VDI vs. RDS vs. DaaS ............................................................................................................... 48
Desktop virtualization and IBM Cloud .............................................................................................................. 48
Virtual Machines ................................................................................................................................................. 49
What is a virtual machine (VM)? .................................................................................................................. 49
What is a hypervisor? .................................................................................................................................... 49
How virtualization works .................................................................................................................................. 49
Advantages and benefits of VMs ................................................................................................................. 50
Use cases for VMs ......................................................................................................................................... 50
Types of VMs .................................................................................................................................................. 51
Windows virtual machines ........................................................................................................................ 51
Android virtual machines........................................................................................................................... 51
Mac virtual machines ................................................................................................................................. 52
iOS virtual machines .................................................................................................................................. 52
Java virtual machines ................................................................................................................................ 52
What is VMware? ........................................................................................................................................... 53
Multi-tenant vs. single-tenant .......................................................................................................................... 53
Pricing models for virtual machines ............................................................................................................ 54
Virtual machines vs. bare metal servers..................................................................................................... 54
Virtual machines vs. containers ................................................................................................................... 55
How to choose a virtual machine provider ................................................................................................. 55
Virtual machines and IBM Cloud ................................................................................................................. 56
Types of virtualization .................................................................................................................................... 56
Desktop virtualization ................................................................................................................................ 57
Network virtualization .................................................................................................................................. 57
Storage virtualization .................................................................................................................................... 57
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Data virtualization ...................................................................................................................................... 57

Application virtualization ........................................................................................................................... 58
Data center virtualization .......................................................................................................................... 58
CPU virtualization ...................................................................................................................................... 58
GPU virtualization ...................................................................................................................................... 58
Linux virtualization ..................................................................................................................................... 59
Cloud virtualization .................................................................................................................................... 59
Virtualization vs. containerization ................................................................................................................ 59
Security ............................................................................................................................................................ 59
Data science: An untapped resource for machine learning ............................................................................... 61
What’s the difference between data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning? ............................ 61
How data science is transforming business ...................................................................................................... 62
How data science is conducted ......................................................................................................................... 62
Tools for data science ....................................................................................................................................... 62
Who oversees the data science process? ........................................................................................................... 63
What is a data scientist? .................................................................................................................................... 63
Challenges of implementing data science projects ........................................................................................... 63
The data science platform delivers new capabilities ......................................................................................... 64
The benefits of a data science platform ............................................................................................................ 64
What is mobile technology? ..................................................................................................................... 66
Advantages of mobile technology............................................................................................................ 66
Disadvantages of mobile technology ...................................................................................................... 67
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CHAPTER ONE:
CLOUD COMPUTING
What is cloud computing, in simple terms?

Cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing services -- from
applications to storage and processing power -- typically over the internet and on a
pay-as-you-go basis.
Top cloud providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, hybrid, SaaS
players
Here's a look at how the cloud leaders stack up, the hybrid market, and the SaaS
players that run your company as well as their latest strategic moves.
How does cloud computing work?

Rather than owning their own computing infrastructure or data centers, companies
can rent access to anything from applications to storage from a cloud service
provider.
One benefit of using cloud computing services is that firms can avoid the upfront cost
and complexity of owning and maintaining their own IT infrastructure, and instead
simply pay for what they use, when they use it.
In turn, providers of cloud computing services can benefit from significant economies
of scale by delivering the same services to a wide range of customers.
What cloud computing services are available?

Cloud computing services cover a vast range of options now, from the basics of
storage, networking, and processing power through to natural language processing
and artificial intelligence as well as standard office applications. Pretty much any
service that doesn't require you to be physically close to the computer hardware that
you are using can now be delivered via the cloud.
What are examples of cloud computing?
Cloud computing underpins a vast number of services. That includes consumer

services like Gmail or the cloud back-up of the photos on your smartphone, though
to the services which allow large enterprises to host all their data and run all of their
applications in the cloud. Netflix relies on cloud computing services to run its its
video streaming service and its other business systems too, and have a number of
other organisations.
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Cloud computing is becoming the default option for many apps: software vendors are
increasingly offering their applications as services over the internet rather than
standalone products as they try to switch to a subscription model. However, there is
a potential downside to cloud computing, in that it can also introduce new costs and
new risks for companies using it.
Why is it called cloud computing?

A fundamental concept behind cloud computing is that the location of the service,
and many of the details such as the hardware or operating system on which it is
running, are largely irrelevant to the user. It's with this in mind that the metaphor of
the cloud was borrowed from old telecoms network schematics, in which the public
telephone network (and later the internet) was often represented as a cloud to
denote that the just didn't matter -- it was just a cloud of stuff. This is an over-
simplification of course; for many customers location of their services and data
remains a key issue.
What is the history of cloud computing?

Cloud computing as a term has been around since the early 2000s, but the concept
of computing-as-a-service has been around for much, much longer -- as far back as
the 1960s, when computer bureaus would allow companies to rent time on a
mainframe, rather than have to buy one themselves.
These 'time-sharing' services were largely overtaken by the rise of the PC which
made owning a computer much more affordable, and then in turn by the rise of
corporate data centers where companies would store vast amounts of data.
But the concept of renting access to computing power has resurfaced again and
again -- in the application service providers, utility computing, and grid computing of
the late 1990s and early 2000s. This was followed by cloud computing, which really
took hold with the emergence of software as a service and hyperscale cloud
computing providers such as Amazon Web Services.
How important is the cloud?

Building the infrastructure to support cloud computing now accounts for more than a
third of all IT spending worldwide, according to research from IDC. Meanwhile
spending on traditional, in-house IT continues to slide as computing workloads
continue to move to the cloud, whether that is public cloud services offered by
vendors or private clouds built by enterprises themselves.
451 Research predicts that around one-third of enterprise IT spending will be on

hosting and cloud services this year "indicating a growing reliance on external
sources of infrastructure, application, management and security services". Analyst
Gartner predicts that half of global enterprises using the cloud now will have gone
all-in on it by 2021.
According to Gartner, global spending on cloud services will reach $260bn this year
up from $219.6bn. It's also growing at a faster rate than the analysts expected. But
it's not entirely clear how much of that demand is coming from businesses that
actually want to move to the cloud and how much is being created by vendors who
now only offer cloud versions of their products (often because they are keen to move
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to away from selling one-off licences to selling potentially more lucrative and
predictable cloud subscriptions).
What is Infrastructure-as-a-Service?
Cloud computing can be broken down into three cloud computing models.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) refers to the fundamental building blocks of
computing that can be rented: physical or virtual servers, storage and networking.
This is attractive to companies that want to build applications from the very ground
up and want to control nearly all the elements themselves, but it does require firms to
have the technical skills to be able to orchestrate services at that level. Research by
Oracle found that two thirds of IaaS users said using online infrastructure makes it
easier to innovate, had cut their time to deploy new applications and services and
had significantly cut on-going maintenance costs. However, half said IaaS isn't
secure enough for most critical data.
What is Platform-as-a-Service?
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is the next layer up -- as well as the underlying
storage, networking, and virtual servers this will also include the tools and software
that developers need to build applications on top of: that could include middleware,
database management, operating systems, and development tools.
What is Software-as-a-Service?
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is the delivery of applications-as-a-service, probably
the version of cloud computing that most people are used to on a day-to-day basis.
The underlying hardware and operating system is irrelevant to the end user, who will
access the service via a web browser or app; it is often bought on a per-seat or per-
user basis.
According to researchers IDC SaaS is -- and will remain -- the dominant cloud
computing model in the medium term, accounting for two-thirds of all public cloud
spending in 2017, which will only drop slightly to just under 60% in 2021. SaaS
spending is made up of applications and system infrastructure software, and IDC
said that spending will be dominated by applications purchases, which will make up
more than half of all public cloud spending through 2019. Customer relationship
management (CRM) applications and enterprise resource management (ERM)
applications will account for more than 60% of all cloud applications spending
through to 2021. The variety of applications delivered via SaaS is huge, from CRM
such as Salesforce through to Microsoft's Office 365.
Cloud computing benefits

The exact benefits will vary according to the type of cloud service being used but,
fundamentally, using cloud services means companies not having to buy or maintain
their own computing infrastructure.
No more buying servers, updating applications or operating systems, or

decommissioning and disposing of hardware or software when it is out of date, as it
is all taken care of by the supplier. For commodity applications, such as email, it can
make sense to switch to a cloud provider, rather than rely on in-house skills. A
company that specializes in running and securing these services is likely to have
better skills and more experienced staff than a small business could afford to hire, so
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cloud services may be able to deliver a more secure and efficient service to end
users.
Using cloud services means companies can move faster on projects and test out
concepts without lengthy procurement and big upfront costs, because firms only pay
for the resources they consume. This concept of business agility is often mentioned
by cloud advocates as a key benefit. The ability to spin up new services without the
time and effort associated with traditional IT procurement should mean that is easier
to get going with new applications faster. And if a new application turns out to be a
wildly popular the elastic nature of the cloud means it is easier to scale it up fast.
For a company with an application that has big peaks in usage, for example that is
only used at a particular time of the week or year, it may make financial sense to
have it hosted in the cloud, rather than have dedicated hardware and software laying
idle for much of the time. Moving to a cloud hosted application for services like email
or CRM could remove a burden on internal IT staff, and if such applications don't
generate much competitive advantage, there will be little other impact. Moving to a
services model also moves spending from capex to opex, which may be useful for
some companies.
Cloud computing advantages and disadvantages

Cloud computing is not necessarily cheaper than other forms of computing, just as
renting is not always cheaper than buying in the long term. If an application has a
regular and predictable requirement for computing services it may be more
economical to provide that service in-house.
Some companies may be reluctant to host sensitive data in a service that is also
used by rivals. Moving to a SaaS application may also mean you are using the same
applications as a rival, which may make it hard to create any competitive advantage
if that application is core to your business.
While it may be easy to start using a new cloud application, migrating existing data
or apps to the cloud may be much more complicated and expensive. And it seems
there is now something of a shortage in cloud skills with staff with DevOps and multi-
cloud monitoring and management knowledge in particularly short supply.
In one recent report a significant proportion of experienced cloud users said that they
thought upfront migration costs ultimately outweigh the long-term savings created by
IaaS.
And of course, you can only access your applications if you have an internet
connection.
What is cloud computing adoption doing to IT budgets?

Cloud computing tends to shift spending from capital expenditure (CapEx) to
operating expenditure (OpEx) as companies buy computing as a service rather than
in the form of physical servers. This may allow companies to avoid large increases in
IT spending which would traditionally be seen with new projects; using the cloud to
make room in the budget may be easier than going to the CFO and looking for more
money.
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"CIOs are increasingly turning to cloud infrastructure and services in order to

increase flexibility and relieve pressure on capital budgets," notes ZDNet's survey
of IT budget predictions. Of course, this doesn't mean that cloud computing is always
or necessarily cheaper that keeping applications in house; for applications with a
predictable and stable demand for computing power may be cheaper (from a
processing power point of view at least) to keep in-house.
How do you build a business case for cloud computing?

To build a business case for moving systems to the cloud you first need to
understand what your existing infrastructure actually costs. There's a lot to factor in:
obvious things like the cost of running a data centers, and extras such as leased
lines. The cost of physical hardware -- servers and details of specifications like
CPUs, cores and RAM, plus the cost of storage. You'll also need to calculate the
cost of applications -- whether you plan to dump them, re-hosting them in the cloud
unchanged, completely rebuilding them for the cloud or buying an entirely new SaaS
package each option will have different cost implications. The cloud business case
also needs to include people costs (often second only to the infrastructure costs) and
more nebulous concepts like the benefit of being able to provide new services faster.
Any cloud business case should also factor in the potential downsides, including the
risk of being locked into one vendor for your tech infrastructure.
Cloud computing adoption

It's hard to get figures on how companies are adopting cloud services although the
market is clearly growing rapidly. One set of research suggests that around 12% of
businesses consider themselves to be 'cloud-first' organisations, and about a third
run some kind of workloads in the cloud -- while a quarter of firms insist they
will never move on-demand.
However, it may be that figures on adoption of cloud depend on who you talk to
inside an organisation. Not all cloud spending will be driven centrally by the CIO:
cloud services are relatively easy to sign up for, so business managers can start
using them, and pay out of their own budget, without needing to inform the IT
department. This can enable businesses to move faster but also can create security
risks if the use of apps is not managed.
Adoption will also vary by application: cloud-based email -- is much easier to adopt
than a new finance system for example. Research by Spiceworks suggests that
companies are planning to invest in cloud-based communications and collaboration
tools and back-up and disaster recovery, but are less likely to be investing in supply
chain management.
What about cloud computing security?

Certainly many companies remain concerned about the security of cloud services,
although breaches of security are rare. How secure you consider cloud computing to
be will largely depend on how secure your existing systems are. In-house systems
managed by a team with many other things to worry about are likely to be more
leaky than systems monitored by a cloud provider's engineers dedicated to
protecting that infrastructure.
However, concerns do remain about security, especially for companies moving their
data between many cloud services, which has leading to growth in cloud security
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tools, which monitor data moving to and from the cloud and between cloud platforms.
These tools can identify fraudulent use of data in the cloud, unauthorised downloads,
and malware. There is a financial and performance impact however: these tools can
reduce the return on investment of the cloud by five to 10% , and impact
performance by five to 15% . The country of origin of cloud services is also worrying
some organisations (see Is geography irrelevant when it comes to cloud
computing? below)
What is public cloud?

Public cloud is the classic cloud computing model, where users can access a large
pool of computing power over the internet (whether that is IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS).
One of the significant benefits here is the ability to rapidly scale a service. The cloud
computing suppliers have vast amounts of computing power, which they share out
between a large number of customers -- the 'multi-tenant' architecture. Their huge
scale means they have enough spare capacity that they can easily cope if any
particular customer needs more resources, which is why it is often used for less-
sensitive applications that demand a varying amount of resources.
Public cloud: Advantages and disadvantages

If you contract with a service provider such as AWS or Azure, you’re using a public
cloud and essentially renting a slice of their distributed data center infrastructure.
Public clouds deliver cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS). They offer massive
economies of scale, scale elastically, and run fully automated, so it’s nearly
impossible for an on-premises data center to compete on price or efficiency.
Advantages:
 Scalability (both up and down). Almost unlimited due to on-demand cloud
resources.
 Lower capital expenditure (capex). You don’t need to purchase all your own
data center equipment.
 Reliability. Due to services distributed across multiple data centers.
Disadvantages:
 Less control over data security. You never know where—and under what
geographic or other restrictions—your data is operating.
 Higher operational expenditure (opex). As you scale performance, your
cost-per-hour fees rise.
What is private cloud?

Private cloud allows organizations to benefit from the some of the advantages of
public cloud -- but without the concerns about relinquishing control over data and
services, because it is tucked away behind the corporate firewall. Companies can
control exactly where their data is being held and can build the infrastructure in a
way they want -- largely for IaaS or PaaS projects -- to give developers access to a
pool of computing power that scales on-demand without putting security at risk.
However, that additional security comes at a cost, as few companies will have the
scale of AWS, Microsoft or Google, which means they will not be able to create the
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same economies of scale. Still, for companies that require additional security, private
cloud may be a useful stepping stone, helping them to understand cloud services or
rebuild internal applications for the cloud, before shifting them into the public cloud
Advantages of Private Cloud
1. Performance
Due to the fact that there is no need to share between other users, there is always a
significant rate of transfer. Therefore, Private cloud provides greater level of
performance. And also Private cloud is located behind a firewall, which means that
there are less chances of internet security risks.
2. Security
Using Cloud computing means that you are outsourcing your data. Due to this the
security of the data completely relies upon the service provider. Private cloud
ensures extra level of security making it ideal for large organizations with sensitive
and confidential informations. The data is present inside a protected environment
that is solely allocated for your business.
3. Availability
All of the Cloud computing models allows users to access their service anytime and
anywhere. In terms of Private cloud this is even higher. Private cloud is known for
their unique infrastructure which helps the user to control delivery and ensure their
maximum availability.
4. Resources
Most of the Private cloud service providers make use of their virtualization
technology. Instead of real resources, virtual servers and securities are being used.
Therefore, overall cost of IT spending is significantly reduced which redirects you to
invest more in business.
5. Control
Control is known to be one of the positive features of the Private cloud. Due to the
presence of hardware on-site, the company will be able to control their data to a
much high extent. This means that complete oversight of the data can be done
through the process of monitoring.
6. Flexibility
Flexibility is one the main reasons why many of the companies are shifting toward
cloud. Whether that can be Public, Private or Hybrid cloud, the users are always
benefited. But in the case of Private cloud, the flexibility is far more better. Using a
Private platform means that there is no actually a compatibility issues for the
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applications. In fact Private cloud has the capability to get molded according to the
way user wants.
Disadvantages of Private Cloud
1. Cost
In terms of Price, a Private cloud model is more expensive. This is particularly

because of the hardware expenses such as servers, network infrastructures, data
centers and software licenses. Besides that you need to hire a separate on-site staff
to look after and maintain the cloud. That is the main reason why Private cloud is
most often preferred by large companies.
2. Maintenance
Setup and maintenance cost is generally higher in Private cloud services. A Private
cloud not only needs an investment in hardware, it requires continuous maintenance
which can be time consuming. Therefore, a separate IT administration must be
present for this purpose. The only way to lower this maintenance cost is through the
use of virtual environment.
3. Deployment
Deployment of a Private cloud is considered to be very difficult since it requires many

resources and takes much time. Especially it is harder to deploy on a global scale.
Apart from that deployment needs to be maintained by qualified IT personals.
4. Scalability
Unlike the Public cloud, the Private cloud is not much scalable. Whenever there is a
demand for a particular service, the IT department will be falling short.
5. Options
There are too many options available when a company tries to build a Private cloud.
Some companies may be overwhelmed by the fact that there are arrays of different
types and options for a particular software. They just need one or two out of them.
6. Remote Access
Increased security in Private cloud means that that remote access is limited. This is
especially true in the case of mobile users. Mobile users in the Private cloud will not
be able to connect to the needed business functions whenever they want
The Art Of The Hybrid Cloud

Cloud computing is insatiably gobbling up more of the backend services that power
businesses. But, some companies have apps with privacy, security, and regulatory
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demands that preclude the cloud. Here's how to find the right mix of public cloud and
private cloud.
What is hybrid cloud?

Hybrid cloud is perhaps where everyone is in reality: a bit of this, a bit of that. Some
data in the public cloud, some projects in private cloud, multiple vendors and
different levels of cloud usage. According to research by TechRepublic, the main
reasons for choosing hybrid cloud include disaster recovery planning and the desire
to avoid hardware costs when expanding their existing data center
What is cloud migration? An introduction to moving to the cloud
Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications or other business

elements to a cloud computing environment.
There are various types of cloud migrations an enterprise can perform. One common
model is the transfer of data and applications from a local, on-premises data center
to the public cloud. However, a cloud migration could also entail moving data and
applications from one cloud platform or provider to another -- a model known as
cloud-to-cloud migration. A third type of migration is a reverse cloud migration, cloud
repatriation or cloud exit, where data or applications are moved off of the cloud and
back to a local data center.
Benefits of cloud migration
The general goal or benefit of any cloud migration is to host applications and data in
the most effective IT environment possible, based on factors such as cost,
performance and security.
For example, many organizations perform the migration of on-premises applications

and data from their local data center to public cloud infrastructure to take advantage
of benefits such as greater elasticity, self-service provisioning, redundancy and a
flexible, pay-per-use model.
Cloud migration strategies
Moving workloads to the cloud requires a well-thought-out strategy that includes a

complex combination of management and technology challenges as well as staff and
resource realignment. There are choices in the type of migration to perform as well
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as the type of data that should move. It's important to consider the following cloud
migration steps before taking action.
Applications. First, identify the application. Every company has a different reason to
move a workload to the cloud, and goals for each organization will vary. Next steps
are to figure out how much data needs to be moved, how quickly the work needs to
be done and how to migrate that data. Take inventory of data and applications, look
for dependencies and consider one of the many migration options.
Remember that not every application should leave the enterprise data center.
Among those that should stay are applications that are business-critical, have high
throughput, require low latency or are applications that have strict geographic
stewardship requirements -- such as GDPR -- that may be cause for concern.
Consider your costs. An organization may have a bundle invested in hardware

infrastructure and software licensing. If that investment is steep, it is worth weighing
whether or not it's worth it to migrate the workload.
Cloud migration types. The next step is to identify the right cloud environment.
Enterprises today have more than one cloud scenario from which to choose.
The public cloud lets many users access compute resources through the internet or
dedicated connections. A private cloud keeps data within the data center and uses a
proprietary architecture. The hybrid cloud model mixes public and private cloud
models and transfers data between the two. Finally, in a multi-cloud scenario, a
business uses IaaS options from more than one public cloud provider.
As you consider where the application should live, also consider how well it will
perform once it's migrated. Be sure there is adequate bandwidth for optimal
application performance. And investigate whether an application's dependencies
may complicate a migration.
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Consider your options with this cloud migration checklist.
Now is a good time to review what's in the stack of the application that will make the
move. Local applications may contain a lot of features that go unused, and it
is wasteful to pay to migrate and support those nonessential items. Stale data is
another concern with cloud migration. Without a good reason, it's probably unwise to
move historical data to the cloud.
As you examine the application, it may be prudent to reconsider its strategic

architecture to set it up for what could potentially be a longer life. A handful of
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platforms are now mainstream among hybrid and multi-cloud environments,

including the following:
Microsoft Azure Stack;
 Google Cloud Anthos;
 AWS Outposts;
 VMware Cloud on AWS; and
 a container-based PaaS, such as Cloud Foundry or Red Hat OpenShift.
Staff issues. Applications that live in the cloud require a different set of
management skills, and, as such, IT leaders will need to ensure staffs are ready to
handle a cloud migration. Consider employee skill sets, and make sure everyone is
properly trained on how to control and manage those services. Cloud management
is unlike working with local data centers and routine virtualized resources.
Regardless of the application, current staff must learn to adapt to new roles. In
particular, data security requires a different approach in the cloud than on premises,
so staff training will need to be a priority.
Cloud migration process
The steps or processes an enterprise follows during a cloud migration vary based on
factors such as the type of migration it wants to perform and the specific resources it
wants to move. That said, common elements of a cloud migration strategy include
the following:
 evaluation of performance and security requirements;
 selection of a cloud provider;
 calculation of costs; and
 any reorganization deemed necessary.
At the same time, be prepared to address several common challenges during a

cloud migration:
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 interoperability;
 data and application portability;
 data integrity and security; and
 business continuity.
Without proper planning, a migration could degrade workload performance and lead
to higher IT costs -- thereby negating some of the main benefits of cloud computing.
Don't overspend in cloud.
Depending on the details of the migration, an enterprise may choose to move an

application to its new hosting environment without any modifications -- a model
sometimes referred to as a lift-and-shift migration. In this scenario, a workload
moves directly from local servers to the cloud without any changes. This is
essentially a 1-to-1 move done primarily as a short-term fix to save on infrastructure
costs.
In other cases, it might be more beneficial to change an application's code or

architecture. This process is known as application refactoring or rearchitecting. It
makes sense to refactor an application in advance of a cloud migration, but often it
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happens retroactively. This typically occurs once it is clear that a lift and shift has
reduced an application's performance.
Refactoring an application can be costly, so IT management should consider

whether this makes financial sense. Don't forget to calculate cost, performance and
security when you analyze your ROI. It's likely that an application will require at least
some refactoring, whether the transformation is minimal or comprehensive.
If a migration is done online, you will need to calculate how much bandwidth is
necessary to make the move.
Enterprises have several choices when it comes to transferring data from a local
data center to the public cloud. These include the use of the public internet or a
private/dedicated network connection. Another option is an offline transfer, in which
an organization uploads its local data onto an appliance and then physically ships
that appliance to a public cloud provider, which then uploads the data to the cloud.
The type of data migration an enterprise chooses -- online or offline -- depends on
the amount and type of data it wants to move, as well as how fast it needs to
complete the migration.
It might not be realistic to sideline your internet connection for lengthy periods of
time. In some cases, it will make more sense simply to use a truck to transfer data
instead of an internet connection. There are services for this purpose -- Microsoft,
AWS, Google and IBM have options for offline data shipping. Physical shipment may
not eliminate the need for additional syncing, but it can cut time and expense to
move the data.
Before the workload moves to production, it should be stress tested and optimized to
deliver acceptable performance. It's also important to test failure conditions as well
as redundant systems.
Once the cloud migration is complete, staff will shift its focus to data performance,
usage and stability. Be sure to budget for these tools, as they are often forgotten in
the initial planning.
Here's where IT staff sees the biggest change in their support role. There is some
reduction in overall hardware support. But cloud workloads must be managed, so it
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makes sense to add some cloud management training classes for the team. There
may be some special considerations for the new security realities during a migration.
Ensuring application security in the cloud is always a concern, particularly during a

live migration to the cloud. VM migrations are essential to balance a workload's need
for compute, storage and other application demands.
Live migration through a network makes possible various types of attacks. An

attacker can take a VM snapshot and create a VM in a different context than its
original intent. Those stolen credentials can duplicate and steal the snapshot or
install rootkits or other malware for additional access. Thrashing is a persistent
denial-of-service attack in which hackers force repeated migrations and disrupt
computing processes by consuming system resources.
Cloud migration challenges
Sometimes IT leaders discover that their applications don't work as well in the cloud
as they did on premises. They need to determine the reasons for the cloud migration
failure. It could be poor latency, concerns about security or perhaps compliance
challenges. Often, the reason is that the cloud application has a higher cost than
anticipated, or the application does not work as well as originally anticipated.
The reality is that not all applications are a good fit for the cloud. That's why it is so
important for managers to scrutinize their on-premises applications carefully when
they make their initial choice about which should move to a cloud environment.
Having a solid cloud exit strategy, where the apps and data move out of the cloud, is
just as important as having a good cloud migration strategy. IT managers need to
know where the data will go, how to manage the technical transition and then how to
address any business or legal issues that may arise as a result of the reverse
migration.
Consider the changes you made prior to when you moved the application to the
cloud. Moving the app back to its original platform might be one option. If those older
platforms no longer exist, it will make sense to keep the application in the cloud until
you can come up with an alternate solution.
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The application does not need to return to its original state or to a private cloud. If the
application requires additional infrastructure, a move to data center virtualization
might be the right choice.
The most common alteration to an app that goes to the cloud tends to be horizontal
scaling, the feature that lets applications access additional resources on the cloud
when they need additional capacity or lets users move apps to the cloud when
needed. If you make no provisions to retain that feature, be aware that you will lose
those benefits when you remove the app from the cloud.
Cloud cost calculators and estimation tools help enterprises determine the cost of a
cloud configuration before the team makes the migration.
A thorough cloud exit strategy should include application lifecycle management. Test
the apps in the new environment before the cutover. Last, double-check potential
business and legal processes. Exiting the cloud is usually a last resort, so be sure
your legal department checks your contract with the cloud provider, particularly if you
transition before the contract expires.
Since AWS is in such widespread use, it's worth noting some of the common
mistakes made by AWS cloud administrators.
Setting up the wrong instance type is common, as AWS provides several classes of
instance types. You need to select the right amount of CPU and memory resources,
as well as enough network connectivity for both your Amazon Elastic Block Storage
(EBS) and app data transmission.
Don't underestimate proper staff training. If staff cannot be trained prior to a cloud
migration, it makes sense to hire an experienced AWS partner to manage the
project.
Types of cloud migration tools and services
Workload management undergoes a significant change when the application moves

to the cloud. Cloud costs are often higher than originally anticipated. IT staff needs to
change their management processes to work as well in the cloud as they do locally.
This can be achieved by any number of services and tools.
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Tools like Microsoft Azure Advisor and AWS Trusted Advisor can offer optimization
recommendations in a cloud environment in areas such as cost, performance and
security.
Cloud cost calculators and estimation tools help enterprises determine the cost of a
cloud configuration before the team makes the migration. If you're an AWS shop,
consider using the Simple Monthly Calculator for more detailed pricing estimates.
Services are available to help users tackle the various phases of the cloud migration
process, which can be broken into four steps: migration planning, data migration,
server migration and database migration.
Consider the following services as they apply to the aforementioned categories:
 data transfer services;
 network transfers; and
 cloud migration services and appliances.
The big IaaS providers, AWS, Microsoft and Google, offer free-trial tiers, or low-
cost cloud migration services. Here are a few of the most popular.
Azure Migrate helps users assess how their VMware workloads would perform in an
Azure public cloud -- before an actual migration takes place. Another tool, Azure Site
Recovery, helps IT pros make the move. Customers can use the service to move
VMs to Azure as well as take VMs on Azure and shift them to different cloud regions.
Among AWS cloud migration services is AWS Migration Hub, which helps users
monitor the progress of their app migration. It displays the status of all resources
involved across every AWS migration in the user's portfolio. Another, AWS
Application Discovery Service, maps out the planning stages of an app migration. It
uses the data to provide insights about configuration, data utilization, dependencies,
memory and resource usage.
Google also has a host of cloud migration tools. Google Cloud Storage Transfer
Service is used to move data into Google Cloud Storage. IT teams also use it to
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back up data and move it from one cloud storage entity to another. Google Transfer
Appliance is an offline migration service for large data transfers.
Pick the right cloud migration service that best fits your needs.
There are a few automation options for lift-and-shift migrations, but most important is
to understand app performance and resource requirements prior to the move. The
migration of composite apps that rely on databases can be partially automated, but
users will have to manually fix problems that may arise.
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Why migrate to the cloud?
Cloud computing ultimately frees an enterprise IT team from the burden of managing
uptime. Placing an application in the cloud is often the most logical step for growth. A
positive answer to some or all of these questions may indicate your company's
readiness to move an app to the cloud.
Should your application stay or go? Legacy applications, or workloads that

require low latency or higher security and control, probably should stay on premises
or move to a private cloud.
What's the cost to run an application in the cloud? One of the primary benefits of
a cloud migration is workload flexibility. If a workload suddenly needs more
resources to maintain performance, its cost to run may escalate quickly.
Which cloud model fits best? Public cloud provides scalability through a pay-per-
usage model. Private cloud or on-premises provides extra control and security. A
hybrid cloud model provides the best of both, although performance and connectivity
may suffer.
How do I choose the right cloud provider? The top three cloud providers -- AWS,
Microsoft and Google -- generally offer comparable services to run all kinds of
workloads in the cloud, as well as tools to help you efficiently move apps there.
Gauge your specific needs for availability, support, security and compliance, and
pricing to find the best fit.
Is geography irrelevant when it comes to cloud computing?

Actually it turns out that is where the cloud really does matter; indeed geopolitics is
forcing significant changes on cloud computing user and vendors. Firstly, there is the
issue of latency: if the application is coming from a data center on the other side of
the planet, or on the other side of a congested network, then you may find it sluggish
compared to a local connection. That's the latency problem.
In Germany, Microsoft has gone one step further, offering its Azure cloud services
from two data centers, which have been set up to make it much harder for US
authorities -- and others -- to demand access to the customer data stored there. The
customer data in the data centers is under the control of an independent German
company which acts as a "data trustee", and Microsoft cannot access data at the
sites without the permission of customers or the data trustee. Expect to see cloud
vendors opening more data centers around the world to cater to customers with
requirements to keep data in specific locations.
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Cloud security is another issue; the UK government's cyber security agency has
warned that government agencies need to consider the country of origin when it
comes to adding cloud services into their supply chains. While it was warning about
antivirus software in particular, the issue is the same for other types of services too.
Consultants Accenture have warned that 'digital fragmentation' is the result as

different countries enact legislation to protect privacy and improve cyber security.
While the aims of the laws is laudable, the impact is to raise costs for businesses.
Three quarters of the 400 CIOs and CTOs surveyed expect to exit a geographic
market, delay their market-entry plans or abandon market-entry plans in the next
three years as a result of increased barriers to globalization.
More than half of the business leaders surveyed believe that the increasing barriers
to globalization will compromise their ability to: use or provide cloud-based services
(cited by 54% of respondents, versus 14% that disagree); use or provide data and
analytics services across national markets (54% versus 15% ); and operate
effectively across different national IT standards (58% versus 18%).
Over half said these increasing barriers will force their companies to rethink their:
global IT architectures (cited by 60%) physical IT location strategy (52%);
cybersecurity strategy and capabilities (51%); relationship with local and global IT
suppliers (50%); and geographic strategy for IT talent (50%).
What is a cloud computing region? What is a cloud computing availability

zone?
Cloud computing services are operated from giant datacenters around the world.
AWS divides this up by 'regions' and 'availability zones'. Each AWS region is a
separate geographic area, like EU (London) or US West (Oregon), which AWS then
further subdivides into what it calls availability zones (AZs). An AZ is composed of
one or more datacenters that are far enough apart that in theory a single disaster
won't take both offline, but close enough together for business continuity applications
that require rapid failover. Each AZ has multiple internet connections and power
connections to multiple grids: AWS has over 50 AZs.
Google uses a similar model, dividing its cloud computing resources into regions
which are then subdivided into zones, which include one or more datacenters from
which customers can run their services. It currently has 15 regions made up of 44
zones: Google recommends customers deploy applications across multiple zones
and regions to help protect against unexpected failures.
Microsoft Azure divides its resources slightly differently. It offers regions which it
describes as is a "set of datacentres deployed within a latency-defined perimeter and
connected through a dedicated regional low-latency network". It also offers
'geographies' typically containing two or more regions, that can be used by
customers with specific data-residency and compliance needs "to keep their data
and apps close". It also offers availability zones made up of one or more data
centres equipped with independent power, cooling and networking.
Cloud computing and power usage

Those data centers are also sucking up a huge amount of power: for example
Microsoft recently struck a deal with GE to buy all of the output from its new 37-
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megawatt wind farm in Ireland for the next 15 years in order to power its cloud data
centers. Ireland said it now expects data centers to account for 15% of total energy
demand by 2026, up from less than two percent back in 2015.
Which are the big cloud computing companies?

When it comes to IaaS and PaaS there are really only a few giant cloud providers.
Leading the way is Amazon Web Services, and then the following pack of Microsoft's
Azure, Google, IBM, and Alibaba. While the following pack might be growing fast,
their combined revenues are still less than those of AWS, according to data from the
Synergy Research Group.
Analysts 451 Research said that for many companies the strategy will be to use
AWS and one other cloud provider, a policy they describe as AWS + 1. These big
players will dominate the delivery of cloud services: Gartner said two thirds of the
spending on cloud computing services will go through the top 10 public cloud
providers through to 2021.
It's also worth noting that while all these companies are selling cloud services, they
have different strengths and priorities. AWS is particularly strong in IaaS and PaaS,
but has designs on moving up towards databases. Microsoft in contrast has a
particular emphasis on SaaS thanks to Office 365 and its other software largely
aimed at end user productivity, but is also trying to rapidly grow its IaaS and Paas
offering through Azure.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) (which also offers office productivity tools) is
somewhere between the two. IBM and Oracle's cloud businesses are also made up
of a combination of Saas and more infrastructure based offerings.
There are vast numbers of companies who have are offering applications through
the cloud using a SaaS model. Salesforce is probably the best known of these.
AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure -- what is the difference?
The cloud giants have different strengths. While AWS and Microsoft's commercial
cloud businesses are about the same size, Microsoft includes Office 365 in its
figures. IBM, Oracle, Google and Alibaba all have sizeable cloud businesses too.
What Google Cloud Platform is and why you’d use it

The challenger in any competitive market has greater incentive to produce sharper
and more customer-focused products and services. Google has to make a bigger
splash, and for a company that isn’t known for being flashy, it’s not doing a half-bad
job.
Increasingly the major cloud computing vendors are attempting to differentiate
according to the services that they offer, especially if they can't compete with AWS
and Microsoft in terms of scale. Google for example is promoting its expertise around
artificial intelligence; Alibaba wants to attract customers who are interested in
learning from its retail know-how. In a world where most companies will use at least
one cloud provider and usually many more, IBM wants to position itself as the
company that can manage all these multiple clouds. Meanwhile AWS is pitching
itself as the platform for builders, which is its new take on developers.
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Cloud computing price wars

The cost of some cloud computing services -- particularly virtual machines -- has
been falling steadily thanks to continued competition between these big players.
There is some evidence that the price cuts may spread to other services like storage
and databases, as cloud vendors want to win the big workloads that are moving out
of enterprise datacenters and into the cloud. That's likely to be good news for
customers and prices could still fall further, as there remains a hefty margin in even
the most commodity areas of cloud infrastructure services, like provision of virtual
machines.
What is the future of cloud computing?

Cloud computing is still at a relatively early stage of adoption, despite its long history.
Many companies are still considering which apps to move and when. However,
usage is only likely to climb as organisations get more comfortable with the idea of
their data being somewhere other than a server in the basement. We're still relatively
early into cloud adoption -- some estimates suggest that only 10% of the workloads
that could be move have actually been transferred across. Those are the easy ones
where the economics are hard for CIOs to argue with.
For the rest of the enterprise computing portfolio the economics of moving to the
cloud may be less clear cut. As a result cloud computing vendors are increasingly
pushing cloud computing as an agent of digital transformation instead of focusing
simply on cost. Moving to the cloud can help companies rethink business processes
and accelerate business change, goes the argument, by helping to break down data
and organisational silos. Some companies that need to boost momentum around
their digital transformation programmes may find this argument appealing; others
may find enthusiasm for the cloud waning as the costs of making the switch add up.
1. . ________ describes a distribution model in which applications are hosted
by a service provider and made available to users.
A. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
B. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
C. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
D. Cloud service
2. _________ is the feature of cloud computing that allows the service to change in size or
volume in order to meet a user’s needs.
A. Scalability
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B. Virtualization
C. Security
D. Cost-savings
3. What is a hybrid cloud?
A. A blend of public and private cloud services with orchestration between them.
B. A cloud service deployed across multiple offices or locations.
C. A blend of private cloud and legacy on-premises hardware.
D. None of the above.
4. Which of the following cloud concept is related to pooling and sharing of resources?
A. Polymorphism
B. Abstraction
C. Virtualization
D. None of the above
5. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is primarily considered which type of cloud
computing model?
A. Software as a service (SaaS)
B. Platform a service (PaaS)
C. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
D. None of the above
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CHAPTER TWO:
HYBRID CLOUD
What is hybrid cloud?
Hybrid cloud is a solution that combines a private cloud with one or more public
cloud services, with proprietary software enabling communication between each
distinct service. A hybrid cloud strategy provides businesses with greater flexibility by
moving workloads between cloud solutions as needs and costs fluctuate.
Hybrid cloud services are powerful because they give businesses greater control
over their private data. An organization can store sensitive data on a private cloud or
local data center and simultaneously leverage the robust computational resources of
a managed public cloud. A hybrid cloud relies on a single plane of management,
unlike a multi-cloud strategy wherein admins must manage each cloud environment
separately.
Hybrid cloud architecture

Uniform management of public and private cloud resources is preferable to
individually managing cloud environments because doing so reduces the likelihood
of process redundancies. Separately managed environments increase the risk of
security loopholes if each solution is not fully optimized to work with the others.
Hybrid architecture best practices eliminate many security risks by limiting the
exposure of private data to the public cloud. Hybrid cloud infrastructure generally
includes a public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform, a private cloud or data
center and access to a secure network. Many hybrid models leverage local area
networks (LAN) as well as wide area networks (WAN).
Businesses adopting a hybrid strategy typically start with an IaaS solution and
extend functionalities to the private cloud. To deploy a hybrid strategy effectively, the
public and private clouds must be compatible with each other so they can
communicate. In many cases, the private cloud is constructed to be compatible with
the public solution..
In recent years, IaaS providers such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft have made it
easier for businesses to connect their local resources to a public cloud solution.
Application programming interfaces (API) improve native interoperability between
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services. Additionally, hybrid architects may deploy a hypervisor layer to generate

virtual machines that connect to the public cloud via another software layer
responsible for orchestration among cloud environments.
Hybrid Cloud Benefits
As your clients’ need for consistent, round-the-clock data accessibility grows, the
cost of downtime rises to $250,000 each hour, and data increasingly migrates away
from traditional data centers, the mix of resources that make up a hybrid cloud prove
to be invaluable. These hybrid cloud benefits include data storage diversification for
increased cyber security, increases in both data deployment and IT services
flexibility, and potentially significant cost savings over other cloud architecture
options.
Hybrid Cloud Storage Diversification
Hybrid cloud architecture enables MSPs to incorporate a combination of diverse

platforms including public clouds and private clouds. By providing a wide range of
hybrid cloud storage options, you can attract a wider variety of customers, open
doors into new market segments, and ensure data security and accessibility for all
your customers, regardless of their location and device type.
Hybrid Cloud Solutions Flexibility
One of the most appreciated hybrid cloud benefits is its flexibility. For MSPs, the
hybrid cloud approach enables you to provide resources when and where they’re
needed while minimizing the expenses required for always-on capabilities. Known
as ―cloud bursting‖, hybrid cloud services configure private and public clouds to more
efficiently deal with peaks and valleys in IT demands so that service interruptions are
reduced or eliminated.
Hybrid Cloud Cost Savings
A factor that MSPs can’t afford to overlook when switching to hybrid cloud solutions
is the savings to be had by replacing multiple solutions – and the hardware, training,
and maintenance time that goes into them – for a single hybrid cloud architecture.
While some think the complexity of the hybrid cloud will lead to increased costs,
improved ease of use, and improved scalability ensure that hybrid cloud costs and
the total cost of ownership (TCO) stay low.
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How Do Hybrid Cloud Security Services Work?
Hybrid clouds combine public clouds and private clouds, allowing data to move
seamlessly between the environments. That interconnectivity is made possible first
through data virtualization, then through connective tools and protocols like
application programming interfaces (APIs), virtual private networks (VPNs), and/or
wide area networks (WANs).
Each of the environments that make up your hybrid cloud architecture has its own
benefits and uses. By combining them all into a single hybrid cloud – or a multi-cloud
environment, if you’re dealing with particularly large arrays of data – your
organization gains greater control over data safety, accessibility, privacy,
authenticity, and security both for your IT infrastructure and for your customers’ data,
applications, and systems.
Because of this enhanced control over both MSP and client data and the other
hybrid cloud benefits discussed above, the infrastructure is seeing enormous growth.
In fact, by next year 90% of organizations will adopt hybrid cloud infrastructure
management, causing tremendous growth in the hybrid cloud market size, Gartner
reports.
Still, for MSP organizations that are beginning to explore the world of cloud
computing – or looking to expand their cloud computing offerings – it can be difficult
to tell which cloud configuration best suits their needs and their customers’ demands.
Other benefits include

 Budget-friendly: A hybrid solution keeps costs low by using a public cloud for
most workflows.
 Flexibility: The hybrid model enables companies to create custom solutions
that fit their needs perfectly.
 Security: Segmented storages and workflows protect the data flowing
through the hybrid system.
 Scalability: A hybrid system provides the necessary resources on short
notice due to its use of the public cloud.
 More agility: A hybrid setup helps companies improve their speed to market
by optimizing IT performance.
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11 Challenges of Hybrid Cloud Adoption (And How to Overcome Them)
Compliance Issues
Depending on the industry and location, a company may have to adhere to a specific
law or regulation concerning data usage and storage.
For example, if you operate in the healthcare sector, you must follow HIPAA
compliance. If you store user financial data, your system must comply with the
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Use our PCI checklist to check if your business complies with the strict rules of
storing financial data.
Establishing and maintaining compliance is difficult in a multi-cloud environment.
Here are several tips to help you ensure compliance:

 If the company falls under a specific regulation, ensure the team
includes it in the initial workload and storage planning.
 Inspect each hybrid segment both as a single entity and as a part of a
unified system. Even if a component is compliant in a vacuum, the interaction
between subsystems can lead to risks.
 Consider investing in staff training that explains compliance guidelines.
Additional tools can also help ensure in-house processes stay within the
compliance limits.
 Ensure your cloud provider complies with relevant standards and rules
in your industry.
Typically, a provider proves its compliance with a government certificate.
Lack of Readiness for Data Migration
Moving to a hybrid system from another cloud or a data center is time-consuming

and difficult.
Migrating to a hybrid cloud involves integrating:

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
 Individual cloud brands and providers.
 Native features.
 Different components (databases, machine learning (ML), cloud
monitoring tools and systems, etc.).
Ensure the team performs the following tasks before starting the migration to a
hybrid cloud:

 Analyze operational and performance workload features.
 Make a capacity plan and eliminate unused or underutilized services.
 Plan the provisioning of data, storage, network, security, and
application stacks.
 Make current applications and workloads portable and operable across
an on-premises framework.
Use our cloud migration checklist to plan a successful strategy for moving to the
cloud.
Poorly Defined SLAs (Service-Level Agreements)
Read the fine print before you sign an SLA with the cloud provider. The SLA defines
all the conditions, guarantees, and terms of the service regarding system uptime and
data availability.
The content in the SLA must reflect your performance and security needs entirely.
Both the IT and legal departments should inspect the document for potential issues.
Ensure the provider agrees to the same standards as the ones protecting your on-
premises infrastructure. Failing to align the terms leads to weak points and potential
dangers.
Read our service level agreement best practices to learn what a strong SLA must
cover.
Skill and Expertise Gaps
Teams often rely too much on the provider to manage the hybrid cloud environment.
Overreliance on outsourced help leads to inefficient decision making, potential
dangers, and fewer business opportunities.
A business must train the staff on cloud computing and grow a team capable of
managing a hybrid setup.
Your staff must have expertise concerning:


 Application architecture design.
 Workload processes.
 Application and integration development.
 Cloud monitoring.
Invest in team training, but also consider hiring new talent with experience in hybrid
systems. New team additions offer a fresh perspective and increase the efficiency of
daily operations.
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Governance Problems
The goal of governance in any IT setup is to:


 Foster standardization.
 Provide oversight and direction.
 Improve IT quality.
 Speed up processes.
Companies need robust governance structures when using a hybrid cloud solution. A
governance structure needs to include best practices concerning:

 Frame considerations.
 Cloud network access.
 On-demand services.
 Resource pooling.
 Elasticity.
Consider using a Cloud Management Platform (CMP) to enable single-console

monitoring and management of data, security, and policies in a hybrid environment.
A CMP also simplifies the cross-management of public and private clouds.
The use of CMPs is becoming increasingly popular in DevOps circles. Learn what
else is on the rise by reading our predictions for DevOps trends in 2021.
Compatibility Issues
A hybrid setup uses a public and private cloud while also relying on on-premises
dedicated servers. Multiple infrastructures and tech stacks in a single architecture
can easily lead to incompatibility of tools and processes.
Answer the following questions before adopting a hybrid cloud:


 Can all components rely on the same set of tools?
 Does the team need to learn to use new tools to ensure compatibility?
 Are your tools and processes compatible with those of your cloud
provider?
Knowing the answers to these questions before setting up the system saves both
time and money.
Lack of Visibility and Control
Companies struggle to view and control all the systems in a hybrid infrastructure.
Lack of visibility and control leads to:

 Difficulties implementing self-service systems.
 Low transparency of configuration settings.
 Lack of collaboration.
 Agile development problems.
Maintain a transparent and smooth-running infrastructure with automation and the

right tooling:

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 Automation provides the ability to share, repeat, and verify code. Use
automation to simplify system management and provide better control.
 Consider adding DevOps tools to enable centralized management and
visibility across the entire hybrid infrastructure.
Hybrid Cloud Networking
Correct mapping of network topology is crucial in a hybrid system due to the virtual
and physical separation between components.
A network topology must factor in the security and the potential latency between
internal and external resources. The network design must account for:

 Bandwidth needs.
 Management of private and public clouds.
 The locations of branch networks.
 The requirements for each application.
Most cloud providers recognize the importance of connectivity and have hybrid cloud
network solutions (AWS Direct Connect and ExpressRoute, for example). However,
a company should still ensure network developers understand the scalability needs
of applications and how that impacts the hybrid infrastructure.
Lack of Redundancy
Lack of redundancy is the most common security challenge of hybrid cloud adoption.
If there is a lack of redundancy, the backup copies are not present in the IT
infrastructure.
Use backup and disaster recovery to ensure redundancy across the entire data
center. You will eliminate the possibility of data loss and guarantee data availability
in case of an outage.
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Read about the benefits of cloud recovery and see why every business should have
a backup plan for their cloud systems.
Data Security
Data is at risk both in transit and at rest in a complex hybrid-cloud environment.

Methods of protecting data at rest are:

 Full-disk or partition encryption.
 Hardware encryption and security modules.
 Not making employees type passwords into encrypted drives manually.
 Making TPM a part of the NBDE to add another layer of security to
hybrid-cloud operations.
The main threats to data in motion are interception and alteration. Encrypting the
network session ensures the safety of data in motion. A company should use
Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) to encrypt the communication between hosts that
communicate using the Internet Protocol (IP).
Consider running breach-and-attack (BAS) simulations to test the resilience of the

hybrid cloud.
Remember that data is most vulnerable while moving between different cloud
environments, so test for DDoS protection and other man-in-the-middle attacks.
Over and Under Provisioning
Cloud provisioning is the allocation of a cloud provider’s resources and services. A

hybrid cloud system uses one of two provisioning methods:

 Dynamic provisioning (or cloud bursting): This provisioning type
happens when the deployment scales up or down to match the spikes and
dips in usage. Billing is on a pay-per-use basis.
 Self-provisioning: A form of a managed self-service where the IT
team pays for additional resources on the public cloud to match the usage
level.
Consider automating the provisioning of hybrid cloud architecture by scaling

distributed applications across cloud environments. Use an orchestration tool to
make consumption costs transparent and avoid unnecessary overhead.
Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud
Choosing to invest in cloud solutions and transition customer data to your new cloud
storage can be intimidating, particularly when the abstract idea of ―The Cloud‖
becomes more concrete. Understanding the difference between public, private, and
hybrid clouds is key to making the best choice for your MSP business.
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Ultimately, though, finding the right cloud solution for your organization depends on
what you’re hoping to offer your customers. Each cloud deployment option comes
with its strengths and weaknesses and, despite the advantages of hybrid cloud
services, no single solution will be right for everyone.
Managing Hybrid Cloud Security and Architecture with Acronis

Cyber Protect Cloud
Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud — a platform that enables service providers to deliver
cyber protection in an easy, efficient and secure way. With one solution, users gain
access to cloud backup, cloud disaster recovery, ransomware protection, file sync
and share, and blockchain-based file notarization and e-signature services, all
managed from a single console.
The cyberthreat landscape is vast and constantly evolving. Standalone cyber

security and data protection solutions are helpful in securing workloads, but they
leave gaps in your defenses. A multilayered approach incorporating the latest cyber
security technology alongside data security and authentication is necessary to
provide reliable protection for modern workloads across multiple do
Who uses hybrid cloud?

Businesses across the spectrum of industries have moved toward hybrid solutions to
reduce costs and strain on local resources. From the financial sector to the health
care industry, hybrid cloud environments have proven to be effective at not only
improving computing and storage power, but also optimizing the scarce resource of
physical space. Many organizations simply don't have the room available to deploy
servers on-site.
In the health care space, data privacy is paramount, and privately held computation
resources are lacking. A hybrid cloud model is an ideal solution because it allows
medical groups to retain patient data in a secure, private server while simultaneously
leveraging the advanced computational power of a public IaaS model. Simply put,
any industry that benefits from public cloud applications can also benefit from the
hybrid model.
Hybrid cloud use cases

The ability to scale on demand means hybrid cloud models have many business
uses.
New applications
Launching a new application with an untested workload carries with it a level of
mystery. Cloud-driven businesses have to take on a certain amount of risk any time
they try something new. Hybrid cloud mitigates that risk by reducing the need for a
substantial initial investment. The business can deploy the new app and only pay for
the resources it uses, rather than paying for them up front. If the app fails or gets
shelved for any reason, the business won't be out very much money.
Regulatory compliance
Certain industries are regulated to protect private data. However, not every piece of
data may need to live in a private environment. Hybrid cloud allows businesses to
comply with regulations while still benefiting from expanded computing power.
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Since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the
European Union, many organizations have divided their data among several
solutions in order to comply with EU regulations while operating under a different set
of regulations in the U.S. and other countries. Any business that handles user data
on a global scale must comply with these regulations or risk severe financial
penalties.
Workload anomalies
The future is unpredictable. An application might run efficiently in its current
environment today but may require additional computational power tomorrow. A
hybrid cloud adapts to workload needs, allowing service to continue smoothly even
when workload requirements spike. This is often referred to as "cloudbursting,"
because the workload pours out of one environment into another. It's a lot like having
overdraft protection on your checking account. You want to have a failsafe in case
the unexpected happens.
How is hybrid cloud managed?

Managing hybrid cloud is a complex task because each cloud solution has its own
API, storage management protocols, networking capabilities, etc. Mastering each
solution's complexities is possible, but perhaps not sustainable. For that reason,
professionals responsible for hybrid cloud management often construct a single
interface to manage all cloud services seamlessly.
Building such an interface requires a team that is familiar with handling cloud
solutions and getting disparate networks to communicate effectively. Fortunately,
enterprise-grade management tools are available to help IT managers get their
system up and running.
Infrastructure as a service providers

With over 40 major IaaS providers in the market, IT leaders have never had more
options when it comes to choosing a public cloud service. Here are three providers
with extensive capabilities:
Amazon Web Services

AWS is the largest public cloud in the world. Controlling over 40 percent of the cloud
market, Amazon's services are popular for a reason. AWS offers robust features,
including content delivery, computational power, networking features and database
management. Read more on how Citrix partners with Amazon Web Services.
Google Cloud Platform

Though relatively new, compared to AWS, GCP has gotten up to speed remarkably
fast thanks to Google's expertise in the space. Google's access to cutting-edge
machine learning and big data technologies also means GCP is ideal for highly
complex computational needs. Read more on how Citrix and Google Cloud power a
better way to work with innovative solutions in a hybrid cloud world.
Microsoft Azure
The second-most popular public cloud, Microsoft's Azure was an early supporter of
the hybrid model. The service offers excellent support for hybrid cloud architects,
which means new projects can get off the ground faster. Microsoft's renewed
investment in open source frameworks has also made Azure adoption easier. Learn
how Citrix and Microsoft are collaborating in the cloud so that you can move at the
speed of business.
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Is hybrid cloud right for your organization?

The hybrid cloud model is an effective way to align IT priorities with business needs.
Many businesses can benefit from utilizing hybrid cloud over other options. If
deciding between hybrid, public and private options, hybrid clearly provides the most
flexibility. Whether or not an organization requires that level of flexibility depends on
the business's goals, the regulatory environment in which it lives and how much
those needs may change in the near future.
Hybrid cloud can be a great option for businesses with a private cloud infrastructure
already in place. Leveraging Platform as a Service (PaaS) options to interface with
the public cloud makes doing so easy. Organizations that want to better secure their
data without losing the power of a public cloud can benefit by moving sensitive data
to a private cloud and interfacing with the public resources.
Hybrid cloud is highly valuable for organizations with dynamic workloads, large
amounts of data to process or a large mix of IT services. The flexibility, scalability
and responsiveness of the hybrid model cannot be understated. Plus, the ability to
only pay for additional resources when absolutely necessary can help organizations
save on costs considerably.
Is hybrid cloud right for you?
Not everything belongs in a public cloud, which is why so many forward-thinking

companies are choosing a hybrid mixture of cloud services. Hybrid clouds offer the
benefits of both public and private clouds and take advantage of existing architecture
in a data center.
The hybrid approach allows applications and components to interoperate across

boundaries (for example, cloud versus on‐premises), between cloud instances, and
even between architectures (for example, traditional versus modern digital). The
same level of distribution and access flexibility is also needed for data. Whether
you’re handling workloads or datasets, in the dynamic digital world, you should plan
for things to move around in response to evolving needs. Where applications or data
live today might not be the best place for them to live over time.
A hybrid cloud architecture includes these characteristics:
 Your on-premises data center, private and public cloud resources, and
workloads are tied together under common data management while staying
distinct.
 You can connect existing systems running on traditional architectures that run
business-critical applications or contain sensitive data that might not be suited
for the public cloud.
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Hybrid cloud infrastructures are enabled by a Data Fabric, which uses a software-
defined approach to provide a common set of data services across any combination
of IT resources.
Hybrid cloud scenarios
 Dynamic or frequently changing workloads. Use an easily scalable public

cloud for your dynamic workloads, while leaving less volatile, or more sensitive,
workloads to a private cloud or on-premises data center.
 Separating critical workloads from less-sensitive workloads. You might
store sensitive financial or customer information on your private cloud, and use
a public cloud to run the rest of your enterprise applications.
 Big data processing. It’s unlikely that you process big data continuously at a
near-constant volume. Instead, you could run some of your big data
analytics using highly scalable public cloud resources, while also using a private
cloud to ensure data security and keep sensitive big data behind your firewall.
 Moving to the cloud incrementally, at your own pace. Put some of your
workloads on a public cloud or on a small-scale private cloud. See what works
for your enterprise, and continue expanding your cloud presence as needed—
on public clouds, private clouds, or a mixture of the two.
 Temporary processing capacity needs. A hybrid cloud lets you allocate
public cloud resources for short-term projects, at a lower cost than if you used
your own data center’s IT infrastructure. That way, you don’t overinvest in
equipment you’ll need only temporarily.
 Flexibility for the future. No matter how well you plan to meet today’s needs,
unless you have a crystal ball, you won’t know how your needs might change
next month or next year. A hybrid cloud approach lets you match your actual
data management requirements to the public cloud, private cloud, or on-
premises resources that are best able to handle them.
 Best of both worlds. Unless you have clear-cut needs fulfilled by only a
public cloud solution or only a private cloud solution, why limit your options?
Choose a hybrid cloud approach, and you can tap the advantages of both
worlds simultaneously.
MCQ:
1. Hybrid cloud is a combination of _______.

Private cloud
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Public cloud
Community cloud
Both a and b
2. Which of the following are the advantages of hybrid cloud?

Agility
It is an automated approach
Provides greater authentication factor
All the above
3. . Community clouds are _______ systems.

Distributed systems
Isolated systems
Non isolated systems
Public systems
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CHAPTER THREE:
Virtualization and Hypervisor
What is virtualization?
Virtualization is the process of running a virtual instance of a computer system in a
layer abstracted from the actual hardware. It is a process that allows for more
efficient utilization of physical computer hardware and is the foundation of cloud
computing. Virtualization uses software to create an abstraction layer over computer
hardware that allows the hardware elements of a single computer—processors,
memory, storage and more—to be divided into multiple virtual computers, commonly
called virtual machines (VMs). Each VM runs its own operating system (OS) and
behaves like an independent computer, even though it is running on just a portion of
the actual underlying computer hardware.
It follows that virtualization enables more efficient utilization of physical computer

hardware and allows a greater return on an organization’s hardware investment.
Today, virtualization is a standard practice in enterprise IT architecture. It is also the

technology that drives cloud computing economics. Virtualization enables cloud
providers to serve users with their existing physical computer hardware; it enables
cloud users to purchase only the computing resources they need when they need it,
and to scale those resources cost-effectively as their workloads grow. Most
commonly, it refers to running multiple operating systems on a computer system
simultaneously. To the applications running on top of the virtualized machine, it can
appear as if they are on their own dedicated machine, where the operating system,
libraries, and other programs are unique to the guest virtualized system and
unconnected to the host operating system which sits below it.
There are many reasons why people utilize virtualization in computing. To desktop
users, the most common use is to be able to run applications meant for a different
operating system without having to switch computers or reboot into a different
system. For administrators of servers, virtualization also offers the ability to run
different operating systems, but perhaps, more importantly, it offers a way to
segment a large system into many smaller parts, allowing the server to be used
more efficiently by a number of different users or applications with different needs. It
also allows for isolation, keeping programs running inside of a virtual machine safe
from the processes taking place in another virtual machine on the same host.
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Benefits of Virtualization
Virtualizing your environment can increase scalability while simultaneously reducing
expenses, and the following details a just a few of the many benefits that
virtualization can bring to your organization:
1. Slash your IT expenses
Utilizing a non-virtualized environment can be inefficient because when you are not
consuming the application on the server, the compute is sitting idle and can't be
used for other applications. When you virtualize an environment, that single physical
server transforms into many virtual machines. These virtual machines can have
different operating systems and run different applications while still all being hosted
on the single physical server.
The consolidation of the applications onto virtualized environments is a more cost-

effective approach because you’ll be able to consume fewer physical customers,
helping you spend significantly less money on servers and bring cost savings to your
organization.
2. Reduce downtime and enhance resiliency in disaster

recovery situations
When a disaster affects a physical server, someone is responsible for replacing or

fixing it—this could take hours or even days. With a virtualized environment, it’s easy
to provision and deploy, allowing you to replicate or clone the virtual machine that’s
been affected. The recovery process would take mere minutes—as opposed to the
hours it would take to provision and set up a new physical server—significantly
enhancing the resiliency of the environment and improving business continuity.
3. Increase efficiency and productivity
With fewer servers, your IT teams will be able to spend less time maintaining
the physical hardware and IT infrastructure. You’ll be able to install, update, and
maintain the environment across all the VMs in the virtual environment on the server
instead of going through the laborious and tedious process of applying the updates
server-by-server. Less time dedicated to maintaining the environment increases your
team’s efficiency and productivity.
4. Control independence and DevOps
Since the virtualized environment is segmented into virtual machines, your

developers can quickly spin up a virtual machine without impacting a production
environment. This is ideal for Dev/Test, as the developer can quickly clone the virtual
machine and run a test on the environment.
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For example, if a new software patch has been released, someone can clone
the virtual machine and apply the latest software update, test the environment, and
then pull it into their production application. This increases the speed and agility of
an application.
5. Move to be more green-friendly (organizational and environmental)
When you are able to cut down on the number of physical servers you’re using, it’ll
lead to a reduction in the amount of power being consumed. This has two green
benefits:
 It reduces expenses for the business, and that money can be reinvested elsewhere.
 It reduces the carbon footprint of the data center
The Disadvantages of Virtualization
1. It can have a high cost of implementation.

The cost for the average individual or business when virtualization is being
considered will be quite low. For the providers of a virtualization environment,
however, the implementation costs can be quite high. Hardware and software are
required at some point and that means devices must either be developed,
manufactured, or purchased for implementation.
2. It still has limitations.
Not every application or server is going to work within an environment of
virtualization. That means an individual or corporation may require a hybrid system
to function properly. This still saves time and money in the long run, but since not
every vendor supports virtualization and some may stop supporting it after initially
starting it, there is always a level of uncertainty when fully implementing this type of
system.
3. It creates a security risk.
Information is our modern currency. If you have it, you can make money. If you don’t
have it, you’ll be ignored. Because data is crucial to the success of a business, it is
targeted frequently. The average cost of a data security breach in 2017, according to
a report published by the Ponemon Institute, was $3.62 million. For perspective: the
chances of being struck by lightning are about 1 in a million. The chances of
experiencing a data breach while using virtualization? 1 in 4.
4. It creates an availability issue.
The primary concern that many have with virtualization is what will happen to their
work should their assets not be available. If an organization cannot connect to their
data for an extended period of time, they will struggle to compete in their industry.
And, since availability is controlled by third-party providers, the ability to stay
connected in not in one’s control with virtualization.
5. It creates a scalability issue.
Although you can grow a business or opportunity quickly because of virtualization,
you may not be able to become as large as you’d like. You may also be required to
be larger than you want to be when first starting out. Because many entities share
the same resources, growth creates lag within a virtualization network. One large
presence can take resources away from several smaller businesses and there would
be nothing anyone could do about it.
6. It requires several links in a chain that must work together cohesively.
If you have local equipment, then you are in full control of what you can do. With
virtualization, you lose that control because several links must work together to
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perform the same task. Let’s using the example of saving a document file. With a
local storage device, like a flash drive or HDD, you can save the file immediately and
even create a backup. Using virtualization, your ISP connection would need to be
valid. Your LAN or Wi-Fi would need to be working. Your online storage option would
need to be available. If any of those are not working, then you’re not saving that file.
7. It takes time.
Although you save time during the implementation phases of virtualization, it costs
users time over the long-run when compared to local systems. That is because there
are extra steps that must be followed to generate the desired result.
.
What is desktop virtualization?

Desktop virtualization creates a software-based (or virtual) version of an end user’s
desktop environment and operating system (OS) that is decoupled from the end
user’s computing device or client. This enables the user to access his or her desktop
from any computing device.
Deployment models
There are three typical deployment models for desktop virtualization:
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
In virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), the operating system runs on a virtual

machine (VM) hosted on a server in a data center. The desktop image travels over
the network to the end user’s device, where the end user can interact with the
desktop (and the underlying applications and operating system) as if they were local.
VDI gives each user his or her own dedicated VM running its own operating system.
The operating system resources—drivers, CPUs, memory, etc.—operate from a
software layer called a hypervisor that mimics their output, manages the resource
allocation to multiple VMs, and allows them to run side by side on the same server.
A key benefit of VDI is that it can deliver the Windows 10 desktop and operating
system to the end user’s devices. However, because VDI supports only one user per
Windows 10 instance, it requires a separate VM for each Windows 10 user.
Remote desktop services (RDS)
In remote desktop services (RDS)—also known as Remote Desktop Session Host

(RDSH)—users remotely access desktops and Windows applications through the
Microsoft Windows Server operating system. Applications and desktop images are
served via Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Formerly known as Microsoft
Terminal Server, this product has remained largely unchanged since its initial
release.
From the end user’s perspective, RDS and VDI are identical. But because one
instance of Windows Server can support as many simultaneous users as the server
hardware can handle, RDS can be a more cost-effective desktop virtualization
option. It’s also worth noting applications tested or certified to run on Windows 10
may not be tested or certified to run on the Windows Server OS.
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Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS)
In desktop as a service (DaaS), VMs are hosted on a cloud-based backend by a

third-party provider. DaaS is readily scalable, can be more flexible than on-premise
solutions, and generally deploys faster than many other desktop virtualization
options.
Like other types of cloud desktop virtualization, DaaS shares many of the
general benefits of cloud computing, including support for fluctuating workloads and
changing storage demands, usage-based pricing, and the ability to make
applications and data accessible from almost any internet-connected device. The
chief drawback to DaaS is that features and configurations are not always as
customizable as required.
Benefits
Virtualizing desktops provides many potential benefits that can vary depending upon
the deployment model you choose. Some of possible benefits are as follows:
 Simpler administration: Desktop virtualization can make it easier for IT teams to manage
employee computing needs. Your business can maintain a single VM template for
employees within similar roles or functions instead of maintaining individual computers that
must be reconfigured, updated, or patched whenever software changes need to b e made.
This saves time and IT resources.
 Cost savings: Many virtual desktop solutions allow you to shift more of your IT budget from
capital expenditures to operating expenditures. Because compute-intensive applications
require less processing power when they’re delivered via VMs hosted on a data center
server, desktop virtualization can extend the life of older or less powerful end -user devices.
On-premise virtual desktop solutions may require a significant initial investment in server
hardware, hypervisor software, and other infrastructure, making cloud-based DaaS—
wherein you simply pay a regular usage-based charge—a more attractive option.
 Improved productivity: Desktop virtualization makes it easier for employees to access
enterprise computing resources. They can work anytime, anywhere, from any supported
device with an Internet connection.
 Support for a broad variety of device types: Virtual desktops can support remote
desktop access from a wide variety of devices, including laptop and desktop computers ,
thin clients, zero clients, tablets, and even some mobile phones. You can use virtual
desktops to deliver workstation-like experiences and access to the full desktop anywhere,
anytime, regardless of the operating system native to the end user device.
 Stronger security: In desktop virtualization, the desktop image is abstracted and
separated from the physical hardware used to access it, and the VM used to deliver the
desktop image can be a tightly controlled environment managed by the enterprise IT
department.
 Agility and scalability: It’s quick and easy to deploy new VMs or serve new applications
whenever necessary, and it is just as easy to delete them when they’re no longer needed.
 Better end-user experiences: When you implement desktop virtualization, your end users
will enjoy a feature-rich experience without sacrificing functionality they’ve come to rely on,
like printing or access to USB ports.
Software
The software required for delivering virtual desktops depends on the virtualization
method you chose.
With virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), the desktop operating system (most
commonly Microsoft Windows) runs and is managed in the data center. Hypervisor
software runs on the host server, delivering access to a VM to each end user over
47
the network. Connection broker software is required to authenticate users, connect

each to a virtual machine, monitor activity levels, and reassign the VM when the
connection is terminated. Connection brokers may be bundled with, or purchased
separately from, the hypervisor.
Remote desktop services (RDS/RDSH) can be implemented using utilities that are
bundled with the Microsoft Windows Server operating system.
If you choose a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution, all software installation,

configuration, and maintenance will be handled by the DaaS cloud-hosted service
provider. This includes applications, operating systems, files, and user preferences.
How to choose: VDI vs. RDS vs. DaaS
VDI is a popular choice because it offers a virtualized version of a familiar computing

model—physical desktop computing. But implementing VDI requires you to manage
all aspects of the infrastructure yourself, including the hardware, operating systems
and applications, and hypervisor and associated software. This can be challenging if
your VDI experience and expertise is limited. Purchasing all infrastructure
components can require a larger upfront investment.
RDS/RDSH can be a solid choice if it supports the specific applications you need to
run and your end users only need access to those applications, not full Windows
desktops. RDS offers greater end-user density per server than VDI, and systems are
usually cheaper and more scalable than full VDI environments. Your staff does need
the requisite skill set and experience to administer and manage RDS/RDSH
technology, however.
DaaS is currently gaining in popularity as IT teams grow more comfortable with

shared desktops and shared applications. Overall, it tends to be the most cost-
effective option. It’s also the easiest to administer, requiring little in-house expertise
in managing infrastructure or VDI. It’s readily scalable and involves operating
expenditures rather than capital expenditures, a more affordable cost structure for
many businesses.
Desktop virtualization and IBM Cloud
The roots of virtualization lie in mainframe computing, and IBM invented the
hypervisor to test software on its mainframes in the 1960s. Today, IBM supports a
full range of virtualization solutions, including virtual desktops.
If you’re looking to build your own VDI environment, you can do so with IBM Cloud
IaaS solutions. IBM offers a full-stack cloud platform that includes all the components
you’d need to build your own VDI environment, including virtualized compute,
network, and storage. You’d need to install and manage the hypervisor yourself in
this scenario.
In partnership with VMware, IBM offers customer-managed and partially VMware-

managed VDI solutions and a fully-managed virtual Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
solution, delivering desktops and applications hosted on the IBM Cloud platform.
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Virtual Machines
An introduction to Virtual Machines (VMs), technology for building virtualized computing environments
and the foundation of the first generation of cloud computing.
What is a virtual machine (VM)?
A virtual machine is a virtual representation, or emulation, of a physical computer.

They are often referred to as a guest while the physical machine they run on is
referred to as the host.
Virtualization makes it possible to create multiple virtual machines, each with their
own operating system (OS) and applications, on a single physical machine. A VM
cannot interact directly with a physical computer. Instead, it needs a lightweight
software layer called a hypervisor to coordinate between it and the underlying
physical hardware. The hypervisor allocates physical computing resources—such as
processors, memory, and storage—to each VM. It keeps each VM separate from
others so they don’t interfere with each other.
While this technology can go by many names, including virtual server, virtual server
instance (VSI) and virtual private server (VPS), this article will simply refer to them as
virtual machines.
What is a hypervisor?
A hypervisor is a program for creating and running virtual machines. Hypervisors
have traditionally been split into two classes: type one, or "bare metal" hypervisors
that run guest virtual machines directly on a system's hardware, essentially behaving
as an operating system. Type two, or "hosted" hypervisors behave more like
traditional applications that can be started and stopped like a normal program. In
modern systems, this split is less prevalent, particularly with systems like KVM. KVM,
short for kernel-based virtual machine, is a part of the Linux kernel that can run
virtual machines directly, although you can still use a system running KVM virtual
machines as a normal computer itself.
How virtualization works
When a hypervisor is used on a physical computer or server, (also known as bare

metal server), it allows the physical computer to separate its operating system and
applications from its hardware. Then, it can divide itself into several independent
―virtual machines.‖
Each of these new virtual machines can then run their own operating systems and
applications independently while still sharing the original resources from the bare
metal server, which the hypervisor manages. Those resources include memory,
RAM, storage, etc.
The following video explains the basics of virtualization (5:20) and check out the
article, "5 Benefits of Virtualization":
49
The hypervisor acts like a traffic cop of sorts, directing and allocating the bare
metal’s resources to each of the various new virtual machines, ensuring they don’t
disrupt each other.
There are two primary types of hypervisors.
Type 1 hypervisors run directly on the physical hardware (usually a server), taking
the place of the OS. Typically, you use a separate software product to create and
manipulate VMs on the hypervisor. Some management tools, like VMware’s
vSphere, let you select a guest OS to install in the VM.
You can use one VM as a template for others, duplicating it to create new ones.
Depending on your needs, you might create multiple VM templates for different
purposes, such as software testing, production databases, and development
environments.
Type 2 hypervisors run as an application within a host OS and usually target single-
user desktop or notebook platforms. With a Type 2 hypervisor, you manually create
a VM and then install a guest OS in it. You can use the hypervisor to allocate
physical resources to your VM, manually setting the amount of processor cores and
memory it can use. Depending on the hypervisor’s capabilities, you can also set
options like 3D acceleration for graphics.
For a full overview of hypervisors, check out ―Hypervisors: A Complete Guide.‖
Advantages and benefits of VMs
VMs offer several benefits over traditional physical hardware:
 Resource utilization and improved ROI: Because multiple VMs run on a single physical
computer, customers don’t have to buy a new server every time they want to run another
OS, and they can get more return from each piece of hardware they already own.
 Scale: With cloud computing, it’s easy to deploy multiple copies of the same virtual
machine to better serve increases in load.
 Portability: VMs can be relocated as needed among the physical computers in a network.
This makes it possible to allocate workloads to servers that have spare computing power.
VMs can even move between on-premises and cloud environments, making them useful
for hybrid cloud scenarios in which you share computing resources between your data
center and a cloud service provider.
 Flexibility: Creating a VM is faster and easier than installing an OS on a physical server
because you can clone a VM with the OS already installed. Developers and software
testers can create new environments on demand to handle new tasks as they arise.
 Security: VMs improve security in several ways when compared to operating systems
running directly on hardware. A VM is a file that can be scanned for malicious software by
an external program. You can create an entire snapshot of the VM at any point in time and
then restore it to that state if it becomes infected with malware, effectively taking the VM
back in time. The fast, easy creation of VMs also makes it possible to completely delete a
compromised VM and then recreate it quickly, hastening recovery from malware infections.
Use cases for VMs
VMs have several uses, both for enterprise IT administrators and users. Here are a
few options:
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 Cloud computing: For the last 10+ years, VMs have been the fundamental unit of compute
in cloud, enabling dozens of different types of applications and workloads to run and scale
successfully.
 Support DevOps: VMs are a great way to support enterprise developers, who can
configure VM templates with the settings for their software development and testing
processes. They can create VMs for specific tasks such as static software tests, including
these steps in an automated development workflow. This all helps streamline the DevOps
toolchain.
 Test a new operating system: A VM lets you test-drive a new operating system on your
desktop without affecting your primary OS.
 Investigate malware: VMs are useful for malware researchers that frequently need fresh
machines on which to test malicious programs.
 Run incompatible software: Some users may prefer one OS while still needing a program
that is only available in another. One good example is the Dragon range of voice dictation
software. Its vendor, Nuance, has discontinued the macOS version of its product. However,
running a desktop-focused hypervisor—such as VMware Fusion or Parallels—enables you
to run Windows in a VM, giving you access to that version of the software.
 Browse securely: Using a virtual machine for browsing enables you to visit sites without
worrying about infection. You can take a snapshot of your machine and then roll back to it
after each browsing session. This is something that a user could set up themselves, using a
Type 2 desktop hypervisor. Alternatively, an admin could provide a temporary virtual
desktop located on the server.
Types of VMs
This section goes through some of the different types of virtual machines:
 Windows virtual machines

 Android virtual machines
 Mac virtual machines
 iOS virtual machines
 Java virtual machines
 Python virtual machines
 Linux virtual machines
 VMware virtual machines
 Ubuntu virtual machines
Windows virtual machines
Most hypervisors support VMs running the Windows OS as a guest. Microsoft’s

Hyper-V hypervisor comes as part of the Windows operating system. When installed,
it creates a parent partition containing both itself and the primary Windows OS, each
of which gets privileged access to the hardware. Other operating systems, including
Windows guests, run in child partitions that communicate with the hardware via the
parent partition.
Android virtual machines
Google’s open-source Android OS is common on mobile devices and connected

home devices such as home entertainment devices. The Android OS runs only on
the ARM processor architecture that is common to these devices, but enthusiasts,
Android gamers, or software developers might want to run it on PCs.
This is problematic because PCs run on an entirely different x86 processor

architecture and a hardware virtualization hypervisor only passes instructions
between the VM and the CPU. It doesn’t translate them for processors with different
instruction sets. There are various projects to address this problem.
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Some projects, such as Shashlik or Genymotion, use an emulator that re-creates the
ARM architecture in software. One alternative, the Android-x86 project, ports Android
to the x86 architecture instead. To run it, you must install the Android-x86 program
as a virtual machine using the VirtualBox type 2 hypervisor. Another alternative,
Anbox, runs the Android operating system on the kernel of a host Linux OS.
Mac virtual machines
Apple only allows its macOS system to run on Apple hardware, prohibiting people
from running it on non-Apple hardware as a VM or otherwise under its end user
license agreement. You can use Type 2 hypervisors on Mac hardware to create VMs
with a macOS guest.
iOS virtual machines
It is not possible to run iOS in a VM today because Apple strictly controls its iOS OS
and doesn’t allow it to run on anything other than iOS devices.
The closest thing to an iOS VM is the iPhone simulator that ships with the Xcode
integrated development environment, which simulates the entire iPhone system in
software.
Java virtual machines
The Java platform is an execution environment for programs written in the Java
software development language. Java’s promise was ―write once, run anywhere‖
functionality. This meant that any Java program could run on any hardware running
the Java platform. To achieve that, the Java platform includes a Java virtual machine
(JVM).
Java programs contain bytecode, which are instructions intended for the JVM. The
JVM compiles this bytecode to machine code, which is the lowest-level language
used by the host computer. The JVM in one computing platform’s Java platform will
create a different set of machine code instructions to the JVM in another’s, based on
the machine code that the processor expects.
The JVM, therefore, doesn’t run an entire OS and doesn’t use a hypervisor as other
VMs do. Instead, it translates application-level software programs to run on particular
hardware.
For more information on Java, check out ―Java: A Complete Guide.‖
Python virtual machines
Like the JVM, the Python VM doesn’t run on a hypervisor, and it doesn’t contain a
guest OS. It is a tool that enables programs written in the Python programming
language to run on a variety of CPUs.
Similar to Java, Python translates its programs into an intermediate format called
bytecode, storing it in a file ready for execution. When the program runs, the Python
VM translates the bytecode into machine code for fast execution.
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Linux virtual machines
Linux is a common guest OS used in many VMs. It is also a common host OS used
to run VMs and even has its own hypervisor called the kernel-based virtual machine
(KVM). The mainstream Linux kernel has included the KVM since 2007. Although it
is an open source project, Red Hat now owns the original company that developed
the KVM.
VMware virtual machines
What is VMware?
Simply put, VMware develops virtualization software. Virtualization software creates

an abstraction layer over computer hardware that allows the hardware elements of a
single computer— processors, memory, storage, and more— to be divided into
multiple virtual computers, commonly called virtual machines (VMs). Each virtual
machine runs its own operating system (OS) and behaves like an independent
computer, even though it is running on a portion of the actual underlying computer
hardware.
As you can imagine, virtualization enables more efficient utilization of computer

hardware and enables a greater return on an organization’s hardware investment. It
also enables cloud providers— public or private— to serve more users with their
existing physical computer hardware.
Ubuntu virtual machines
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution produced by Canonical. It is available in desktop and

server versions, either of which you can install as a VM. Ubuntu can be deployed as
a guest OS on Microsoft Hyper-V. It provides an optimized version of Ubuntu
Desktop that works well in Hyper-V’s Enhanced Session Mode, providing tight
integration between the Windows host and Ubuntu VM. It includes support for
clipboard integration, dynamic desktop resizing, shared folders, and moving the
mouse between the host and guest desktops.
Multi-tenant vs. single-tenant
In cloud computing, virtual machines are typically offered in both single-tenant and
multi-tenant variations.
Public, or multi-tenant, virtual machines are virtual machines in which multiple users
are sharing common physical infrastructure. This is most cost effective and scalable
approach to provisioning virtual machines, but lacks some of isolation characteristics
that organizations with strict security or compliance mandates might prefer.
Two models for single-tenant virtual machines are dedicated hosts and dedicated
instances.
A dedicated host involves renting an entire physical machine and maintaining

sustained access to and control over that machine, its hardware, and whatever
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software is installed on it. This model provides the maximum amount of hardware
flexibility and transparency, workload control and placement, and also offers some
advantages for certain bring-your-own license software.
A dedicated instance offers the same single-tenant isolation and the same control
over workload placement, but it is not coupled with a specific physical machine. So,
for example, if a dedicated instance is re-booted, it could wind up on a new physical
machine—a machine dedicated to the individual account, but nonetheless a new
machine, potentially in a different physical location.
Pricing models for virtual machines

The most common pricing models for virtual machines in the cloud are pay-as-you-
go (by the hour or second), transient/spot instances, reserved instances and
dedicated hosts.
 Pay-as-you-go: In the pay-as-you-go model, there are no upfront costs for the virtual
machine and users simply pay for what they use, typically billed by the hour or second
depending on the provider and instance type.
 Transient/spot instances: The lowest cost model of VMs, transient and spot instances are
taking advantage of a provider’s excess capacity but can be reclaimed by the provider at
any time. They are typically useful for applications that don’t need to be always on or that
are prohibitively expensive in any other model.
 Reserved instances: Unlike pay-as-you-go models, reserved instances come with an
explicit term commitment, usually of between one and three years, but are also coupled
with steep discounts.
 Dedicated hosts: In the case of dedicated hosts, a user typically takes on the cost of the
total physical server and is billed in whatever increments the provider offers dedicated
servers, typically hourly or monthly.
Virtual machines vs. bare metal servers

Choosing a virtual machine over a physical one, also known as a bare metal server,
is less about competing capabilities, and more about knowing what you need, and
when you need it.
Bare metal servers are all about raw hardware, power, and isolation. They’re single-
tenant, physical servers completely void of hypervisor cycles (virtualization software),
and entirely dedicated to a single customer – you.
Workloads that highly prioritize performance and seclusion, like data-intensive

applications and regulatory compliance mandates, are typically best suited for bare
metal servers – especially when deployed over sustained periods of time.
E-commerce, ERP, CRM, SCM, and financial services applications are just a few
workloads ideal for bare metal servers.
So when would you place a hypervisor on top of the bare metal hardware to make a
virtual machine? When your workloads demand maximum flexibility and scalability.
Virtual machines effortlessly drive up server capacity and increase utilization – ideal
for moving data from one virtual machine to another, resizing data sets, and dividing
dynamic workloads.
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Virtual machines vs. containers
The easiest way to understand a container is to understand how it differs from a

traditional virtual machine (VM). In traditional virtualization—whether it be on-
premises or in the cloud—a hypervisor is leveraged to virtualize physical hardware.
Each VM then contains a guest OS, a virtual copy of the hardware that the OS
requires to run, along with an application and its associated libraries and
dependencies.
Instead of virtualizing the underlying hardware, containers virtualize the operating

system (typically Linux) so each individual container contains only the application
and its libraries and dependencies. The absence of the guest OS is why containers
are so lightweight and, thus, fast and portable.
Containers, and the orchestration engine that manages them, Kubernetes, are well-
suited for modern, cloud native and microservices architectures. And while
containers are most commonly associated with stateless services, they can be sued
for stateful services as well.
Containers are also becoming more common in hybrid cloud scenarios because they
can run in a consistent fashion across laptops, cloud and traditional, on-premises IT.
The blog post "Containers vs. VMs: What's the difference?" explains more.
In the following video, Sai Vennam breaks down the basics of containerization and
how it compares to using VMs (8:09):
How to choose a virtual machine provider

Selecting a virtual machine and cloud provider doesn’t have to be challenging, as
long as you know what to look for. The virtual machine needs to fit your workload
needs and business budget, of course, but other factors play key roles between you
and your virtualization environment. Below are ten things to consider when selecting
a virtual machine service provider.
 Reliable support – Ensure there’s 24/7 customer support by phone, email and chat or walk
away. You want a real person on the other end of the line to help you through critical IT
situations. It’s also important to note which cloud providers offer additional services for
more hands-on backing.
 Managed options – Does the cloud provider offer both unmanaged and managed
solutions? If you don’t know virtualization technology in and out, consider a provider that’ll
be responsible for setup, maintenance and ongoing performance monitoring.
 Software integration – Will your virtual machine environment play well with others?
Operating systems, third party software, open source technology and applications help you
deliver more solutions across your business. You’ll want a virtual machine provider with
both support for and strong partnerships with the industry’s most-used software suppliers.
Note: Stay away from vendor lock-ins.
 High-quality network and infrastructure – How up-to-date is the infrastructure your new
virtual machine will run on? This includes dependable bare metal servers, modern data
centers, and the network backbone. A cloud provider should be able to deliver its part of the
deal with state-of-the-art hardware and high-speed networking technology.
 Location, location, location – The closer the data is to your users, the less hassles you’ll
run into with latency, security, and timely service delivery. A good global network of
scattered data centers and POP locations is central to having data where and when you
need it most.
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 Backup and recovery – What plan does your cloud provider have in place for keeping your
virtual machines up and running in the face of unexpected events? Do they also provide
add-on backup and redundancy options for your virtualized environment? Continuous
operation is something you should take seriously.
 Scalability ease – How fast and easy will it be for you to spin up, spin down, reserve,
pause, and update your virtual machine? The word you want to hear most when it comes to
virtual machine scalability is ―on-demand.‖
 Varied CPU configurations – The more configurations, the better. Not every virtual
machine configuration fits every workload during every season of usage. Be sure to look for
a virtual machine provider that delivers varied configuration packages for both single and
multi-tenant requirements.
 Security layers – Ask your provider about them, then ask about them again. Your business
data is currency in the highest form, especially when dealing with sensitive client
information. Private network lines, federal data center options, built-in encryption features,
and meeting regulatory compliance standards are essential to protecting your most
valuable asset.
 Seamless migration support – Your IT priorities will always evolve. This we all know. Any
virtual machine provider should be able to help you lift and shift between hybrid, on-premise
and off-prem environments. Look for full data ingest, over-the-network and application-led
migration options.
Virtual machines and IBM Cloud

IBM Cloud offers the opportunity to configure and run your own VMs based on
different technical and pricing options. You can select technical profiles for VMs
based on the required computing power, memory, local storage, and GPU
capabilities, tailoring the system for your specific workload. You can also manage
VMware VMs using IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions.
You can choose from public or private nodes to suit your security and compliance
requirements. A private, single-tenant service can reside on a dedicated host of your
choosing from over 60 IBM data centers in 19 countries around the world.
Choose from a panoply of deployment options to match your pricing needs. A public
VM instance that you reserve for a set time in advance is less expensive than a non-
reserved system. Alternatively, you can choose a VM based on spot market pricing
to handle temporary workloads.
IBM Cloud also enables you to mix and match virtual server and bare metal
resources to suit your workload requirements.
Types of virtualization
To this point we’ve discussed server virtualization, but many other IT infrastructure
elements can be virtualized to deliver significant advantages to IT managers (in
particular) and the enterprise as a whole. In this section, we'll cover the following
types of virtualization:
 Desktop virtualization
 Network virtualization
 Storage virtualization
 Data virtualization
 Application virtualization
 Data center virtualization
 CPU virtualization
 GPU virtualization
 Linux virtualization
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 Cloud virtualization
Desktop virtualization
Desktop virtualization lets you run multiple desktop operating systems, each in its
own VM on the same computer.
There are two types of desktop virtualization:
 Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) runs multiple desktops in VMs on a central server
and streams them to users who log in on thin client devices. In this way, VDI lets an
organization provide its users access to variety of OS's from any device, without installing
OS's on any device. See "What is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)?" for a more in-depth
explanation.
 Local desktop virtualization runs a hypervisor on a local computer, enabling the user to
run one or more additional OSs on that computer and switch from one OS to anot her as
needed without changing anything about the primary OS.
For more information on virtual desktops, see ―Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS).‖
Network virtualization
Network virtualization uses software to create a ―view‖ of the network that an

administrator can use to manage the network from a single console. It abstracts
hardware elements and functions (e.g., connections, switches, routers, etc.) and
abstracts them into software running on a hypervisor. The network administrator can
modify and control these elements without touching the underlying physical
components, which dramatically simplifies network management.
Types of network virtualization include software-defined networking (SDN), which

virtualizes hardware that controls network traffic routing (called the ―control plane‖),
and network function virtualization (NFV), which virtualizes one or more hardware
appliances that provide a specific network function (e.g., a firewall, load balancer, or
traffic analyzer), making those appliances easier to configure, provision, and
manage.
Storage virtualization
Storage virtualization enables all the storage devices on the network— whether
they’re installed on individual servers or standalone storage units—to be accessed
and managed as a single storage device. Specifically, storage virtualization masses
all blocks of storage into a single shared pool from which they can be assigned to
any VM on the network as needed. Storage virtualization makes it easier to provision
storage for VMs and makes maximum use of all available storage on the network.
Data virtualization
Modern enterprises store data from multiple applications, using multiple file formats,
in multiple locations, ranging from the cloud to on-premise hardware and software
systems. Data virtualization lets any application access all of that data—irrespective
of source, format, or location.
Data virtualization tools create a software layer between the applications accessing
the data and the systems storing it. The layer translates an application’s data request
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or query as needed and returns results that can span multiple systems. Data
virtualization can help break down data silos when other types of integration aren’t
feasible, desirable, or affordable.
Application virtualization
Application virtualization runs application software without installing it directly on the

user’s OS. This differs from complete desktop virtualization (mentioned above)
because only the application runs in a virtual environment—the OS on the end user’s
device runs as usual. There are three types of application virtualization:
 Local application virtualization: The entire application runs on the endpoint device but
runs in a runtime environment instead of on the native hardware.
 Application streaming: The application lives on a server which sends small components
of the software to run on the end user's device when needed.
 Server-based application virtualization The application runs entirely on a server that
sends only its user interface to the client device.
Data center virtualization
Data center virtualization abstracts most of a data center’s hardware into software,
effectively enabling an administrator to divide a single physical data center into
multiple virtual data centers for different clients.
Each client can access its own infrastructure as a service (IaaS), which would run on
the same underlying physical hardware. Virtual data centers offer an easy on-ramp
into cloud-based computing, letting a company quickly set up a complete data center
environment without purchasing infrastructure hardware.
CPU virtualization
CPU (central processing unit) virtualization is the fundamental technology that

makes hypervisors, virtual machines, and operating systems possible. It allows a
single CPU to be divided into multiple virtual CPUs for use by multiple VMs.
At first, CPU virtualization was entirely software-defined, but many of today’s

processors include extended instruction sets that support CPU virtualization, which
improves VM performance.
GPU virtualization
A GPU (graphical processing unit) is a special multi-core processor that improves

overall computing performance by taking over heavy-duty graphic or mathematical
processing. GPU virtualization lets multiple VMs use all or some of a single GPU’s
processing power for faster video, artificial intelligence (AI), and other graphic- or
math-intensive applications.
 Pass-through GPUs make the entire GPU available to a single guest OS.
 Shared vGPUs divide physical GPU cores among several virtual GPUs (vGPUs) for use by
server-based VMs.
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Linux virtualization
Linux includes its own hypervisor, called the kernel-based virtual machine (KVM),
which supports Intel and AMD’s virtualization processor extensions so you can
create x86-based VMs from within a Linux host OS.
As an open source OS, Linux is highly customizable. You can create VMs running
versions of Linux tailored for specific workloads or security-hardened versions for
more sensitive applications.
Cloud virtualization
As noted above, the cloud computing model depends on virtualization. By virtualizing

servers, storage, and other physical data center resources, cloud computing
providers can offer a range of services to customers, including the following:
 Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): Virtualized server, storage, and network resources you
can configure based on their requirements.
 Platform as a service (PaaS): Virtualized development tools, databases, and other cloud-
based services you can use to build you own cloud-based applications and solutions.
 Software as a service (SaaS): Software applications you use on the cloud. SaaS is the
cloud-based service most abstracted from the hardware.
Virtualization vs. containerization
Server virtualization reproduces an entire computer in hardware, which then runs an

entire OS. The OS runs one application. That’s more efficient than no virtualization at
all, but it still duplicates unnecessary code and services for each application you
want to run.
Containers take an alternative approach. They share an underlying OS kernel, only

running the application and the things it depends on, like software libraries and
environment variables. This makes containers smaller and faster to deploy.
Security
Virtualization offers some security benefits. For example, VMs infected with malware
can be rolled back to a point in time (called a snapshot) when the VM was uninfected
and stable; they can also be more easily deleted and recreated. You can’t always
disinfect a non-virtualized OS, because malware is often deeply integrated into the
core components of the OS, persisting beyond system rollbacks.
Virtualization also presents some security challenges. If an attacker compromises a

hypervisor, they potentially own all the VMs and guest operating systems. Because
hypervisors can also allow VMs to communicate between themselves without
touching the physical network, it can be difficult to see their traffic, and therefore to
detect suspicious activity.
A Type 2 hypervisor on a host OS is also susceptible to host OS compromise.

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The market offers a range of virtualization security products that can scan and patch
VMs for malware, encrypt entire VM virtual disks, and control and audit VM access.
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CHAPTER FOUR:
DATA SCIENCE
Data science: An untapped resource for machine learning

Data science is one of the most exciting fields out there today. But why is it so important?
Because companies are sitting on a treasure trove of data. As modern technology has enabled
the creation and storage of increasing amounts of information, data volumes have exploded.
It’s estimated that 90 percent of the data in the world was created in the last two years. For
example, Facebook users upload 10 million photos every hour.
But this data is often just sitting in databases and data lakes, mostly untouched.
The wealth of data being collected and stored by these technologies can bring transformative
benefits to organizations and societies around the world—but only if we can interpret it.
That’s where data science comes in.
Data science reveals trends and produces insights that businesses can use to make better
decisions and create more innovative products and services. Perhaps most importantly, it
enables machine learning (ML) models to learn from the vast amounts of data being fed to
them, rather than mainly relying upon business analysts to see what they can discover from
the data.
Data is the bedrock of innovation, but its value comes from the information data scientists
can glean from it, and then act upon.
What’s the difference between data science, artificial intelligence, and

machine learning?
To better understand data science—and how you can harness it—it’s equally important to
know other terms related to the field, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
learning. Often, you’ll find that these terms are used interchangeably, but there are nuances.
Here’s a simple breakdown:
 AI means getting a computer to mimic human behavior in some way.

 Data science is a subset of AI, and it refers more to the overlapping areas of statistics, scientific
methods, and data analysis—all of which are used to extract meaning and insights from data..
 Machine learning is another subset of AI, and it consists of the techniques that enable computers
to figure things out from the data and deliver AI applications.
And for good measure, we’ll throw in another definition.
 Deep learning which is a subset of machine learning that enables computers to solve more
complex problems.
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How data science is transforming business

Organizations are using data science to turn data into a competitive advantage by refining
products and services. Data science and machine learning use cases include:
 Determine customer churn by analyzing data collected from call centers, so marketing can take
action to retain them
 Improve efficiency by analyzing traffic patterns, weather conditions, and other factors so logistics
companies can improve delivery speeds and reduce costs
 Improve patient diagnoses by analyzing medical test data and reported symptoms so doctors can
diagnose diseases earlier and treat them more effectively
 Optimize the supply chain by predicting when equipment will break down
 Detect fraud in financial services by recognizing suspicious behaviors and anomalous actions
 Improve sales by creating recommendations for customers based upon previous purchases
Many companies have made data science a priority and are investing in it heavily. In
Gartner’s recent survey of more than 3,000 CIOs, respondents ranked analytics and business
intelligence as the top differentiating technology for their organizations. The CIOs surveyed
see these technologies as the most strategic for their companies, and are investing
accordingly.
How data science is conducted

The process of analyzing and acting upon data is iterative rather than linear, but this is how
the data science lifecycle typically flows for a data modeling project:
Planning: Define a project and its potential outputs.

Building a data model: Data scientists often use a variety of open source libraries or in-
database tools to build machine learning models. Often, users will want APIs to help with
data ingestion, data profiling and visualization, or feature engineering. They will need the
right tools as well as access to the right data and other resources, such as compute power.
Evaluating a model: Data scientists must achieve a high percent of accuracy for their
models before they can feel confident deploying it. Model evaluation will typically generate a
comprehensive suite of evaluation metrics and visualizations to measure model performance
against new data, and also rank them over time to enable optimal behavior in production.
Model evaluation goes beyond raw performance to take into account expected baseline
behavior.
Explaining models: Being able to explain the internal mechanics of the results of machine
learning models in human terms has not always been possible—but it is becoming
increasingly important. Data scientists want automated explanations of the relative weighting
and importance of factors that go into generating a prediction, and model-specific
explanatory details on model predictions.
Deploying a model: Taking a trained, machine learning model and getting it into the right
systems is often a difficult and laborious process. This can be made easier by operationalizing
models as scalable and secure APIs, or by using in-database machine learning models.
Monitoring models: Unfortunately, deploying a model isn’t the end of it. Models must
always be monitored after deployment to ensure that they are working properly. The data the
model was trained on may no longer be relevant for future predictions after a period of time.
For example, in fraud detection, criminals are always coming up with new ways to hack
accounts.
Tools for data science

Building, evaluating, deploying, and monitoring machine learning models can be a complex
process. That’s why there’s been an increase in the number of data science tools. Data
scientists use many types of tools, but one of the most common is open source notebooks,
which are web applications for writing and running code, visualizing data, and seeing the
results—all in the same environment.
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Some of the most popular notebooks are Jupyter, RStudio, and Zeppelin. Notebooks are very
useful for conducting analysis, but have their limitations when data scientists need to work as
a team. Data science platforms were built to solve this problem.
To determine which data science tool is right for you, it’s important to ask the following
questions: What kind of languages do your data scientists use? What kind of working
methods do they prefer? What kind of data sources are they using?
For example, some users prefer to have a datasource-agnostic service that uses open source
libraries. Others prefer the speed of in-database, machine learning algorithms.
Who oversees the data science process?

At most organizations, data science projects are typically overseen by three types of
managers:
Business managers: These managers work with the data science team to define the problem
and develop a strategy for analysis. They may be the head of a line of business, such as
marketing, finance, or sales, and have a data science team reporting to them. They work
closely with the data science and IT managers to ensure that projects are delivered.
IT managers: Senior IT managers are responsible for the infrastructure and architecture that
will support data science operations. They are continually monitoring operations and resource
usage to ensure that data science teams operate efficiently and securely. They may also be
responsible for building and updating IT environments for data science teams.
Data science managers: These managers oversee the data science team and their day-to-day
work. They are team builders who can balance team development with project planning and
monitoring.
But the most important player in this process is the data scientist.
What is a data scientist?

As a specialty, data science is young. It grew out of the fields of statistical analysis and data
mining. The Data Science Journal debuted in 2002, published by the International Council
for Science: Committee on Data for Science and Technology. By 2008 the title of data
scientist had emerged, and the field quickly took off. There has been a shortage of data
scientists ever since, even though more and more colleges and universities have started
offering data science degrees.
A data scientist’s duties can include developing strategies for analyzing data, preparing data
for analysis, exploring, analyzing, and visualizing data, building models with data using
programming languages, such as Python and R, and deploying models into applications.
The data scientist doesn’t work solo. In fact, the most effective data science is done in teams.
In addition to a data scientist, this team might include a business analyst who defines the
problem, a data engineer who prepares the data and how it is accessed, an IT architect who
oversees the underlying processes and infrastructure, and an application developer who
deploys the models or outputs of the analysis into applications and products.
Challenges of implementing data science projects

Despite the promise of data science and huge investments in data science teams, many
companies are not realizing the full value of their data. In their race to hire talent and create
data science programs, some companies have experienced inefficient team workflows, with
different people using different tools and processes that don’t work well together. Without
more disciplined, centralized management, executives might not see a full return on their
investments.
This chaotic environment presents many challenges.
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Data scientists can’t work efficiently. Because access to data must be granted by an IT
administrator, data scientists often have long waits for data and the resources they need to
analyze it. Once they have access, the data science team might analyze the data using
different—and possibly incompatible—tools. For example, a scientist might develop a model
using the R language, but the application it will be used in is written in a different language.
Which is why it can take weeks—or even months—to deploy the models into useful
applications.
Application developers can’t access usable machine learning. Sometimes the machine
learning models that developers receive are not ready to be deployed in applications. And
because access points can be inflexible, models can’t be deployed in all scenarios and
scalability is left to the application developer.
IT administrators spend too much time on support. Because of the proliferation of open
source tools, IT can have an ever-growing list of tools to support. A data scientist in
marketing, for example, might be using different tools than a data scientist in finance. Teams
might also have different workflows, which means that IT must continually rebuild and
update environments.
Business managers are too removed from data science. Data science workflows are not
always integrated into business decision-making processes and systems, making it difficult
for business managers to collaborate knowledgeably with data scientists. Without better
integration, business managers find it difficult to understand why it takes so long to go from
prototype to production—and they are less likely to back the investment in projects they
perceive as too slow.
The data science platform delivers new capabilities

Many companies realized that without an integrated platform, data science work was
inefficient, unsecure, and difficult to scale. This realization led to the development of data
science platforms. These platforms are software hubs around which all data science work
takes place. A good platform alleviates many of the challenges of implementing data science,
and helps businesses turn their data into insights faster and more efficiently.
With a centralized, machine learning platform, data scientists can work in a collaborative
environment using their favorite open source tools, with all their work synced by a version
control system.
The benefits of a data science platform

A data science platform reduces redundancy and drives innovation by enabling teams to share
code, results, and reports. It removes bottlenecks in the flow of work by simplifying
management and incorporating best practices.
In general, the best data science platforms aim to:
 Make data scientists more productive by helping them accelerate and deliver models faster, and
64
CHAPTER FIVE:
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
Mobile technology is a form of technology that is mostly used in cellular

communication and other related aspects. It uses a form of platform where by many
transmitters have the ability to send data at the same time on a single channel. This
platform is called Code-division multiple access (CDMA). This platform allows many
users to make use of single frequencies because it restricts the likelihood of
interference of frequencies from two or more sources. This channel has evolved over
the years. The mobile technology is rapidly evolving; over the years, its uses are
becoming diverse and is gradually replacing some similar sources in the market that
are also used for communication e.g. post office and land lines. The mobile
technology has improved from a simple device used for phone call and messaging
into a multi-tasking device used for GPS navigation, internet browsing, gaming,
instant messaging tool etc. Professionals argue with the trend that the future of
computer technology is rest on wireless networking and mobile computing. Mobile
technology through tablet and portable computers are becoming more and more
popular.
Mobile technology was a mystery two decades ago but now, it has become
something of necessity to both the rural and the urban areas. The mobile technology
started as a remarkable achievement in the world of technology but now, it is
transforming into user comfort technology due to its present diverse functionality.
When the mobile was first introduced, it used to be basically for SMS, Calls and
games. But it has presently transformed into a digital world and has made life and
business much easier; marketers now have the ability to sell their products with ease
through mobiles technology. The mobile has made it possible for users to transfer
files and other files through Bluetooth and wifi. The mobile is also equipped with
internet connectivity, making it easy for the user to gain information and also to
download files from the internet. Video call conferencing is another achievement that
has come to reality through mobile technology. Business men and clients now have
the channel to communicate even without seeing in person. With the use of mobile
technology, it is now easy to catch up with every form of entertainment from the
comfort of your home. It has also made it possible for one to easily locate places on
the globe using the Global positioning system (GPS). Especially in the business
world, the importance of mobile technology cannot be overemphasized; bankers
depend solely on mobile technology on managing finances and stocks. Many
business firms uses the mobile technology to increase their earnings through
providing customers easiness to patronize their product through apps and websites.
For example, the Cinema may create an app for ticket booking; railway travel tickets
can be purchased from the internet without having to queue up to purchase it. The
evolvement of mobile technology has made our life easier and also saves us time
and resources.
The diversity of mobile technology is due to the fact that that many mobile operating
systems are available for smart phones all of which have their own unique
characteristics. Some of these operating systems are: the Android, blackberry,
webos, ios, symbian windows and bada mobile some of which will be briefly
discussed: The android is an operating system that is developed by google. The
operating system is designed basically for the touch screen mobile devices and it is
based on a simple manipulation. It uses simple touch gestures that relates to the real
world situation. The Android is the first and only open source operating system; that
means it has the ability to be ported to any cell phone. The blackberry is an
operating system developed by the Blackberry limited. The operating system was
developed mainly for Blackberry smart phones. This system is most specialized for
multitasking and also aids the use of some specific inputs for the supports of some of
its smart phones such as the trackwheel, trackball, trackball, trackpad and
touchscreen. The IOS is a mobile operating system that is made and developed by
Apple. The system was developed for the use of the Apple hardware only such as
Iphone, Ipad and Ipod Touch.
Since 2008 the operating system customized their platforms, allowing the user to
download any app he wishes to download like the gaming app, the utility apps, the
GPS and other tools. Any user that have the knowledge to create an app and also
65
wishes to create one can legally do so. The WebOS basically has the ability to
support internet programming languages some of which are HTML, JavaScript, and
CSS.
The internet is now equipped with a 4G network. This network enables a high speed
data transmission in the channels, making surfing the internet to be easier. In the
future, smart phones will be aware of their environment, they are going to be able to
utilize the availability of physical inbuilt sensors and the ease with which data are
exchanged. One of the way to achieve these trend is that the mobile phones will
begin to keep track of the user’s personal data, but also, they will be able to predict
almost correctly the user intentions on what he wants to use or the information he is
interested in getting. This will be accomplished by keeping track of the user earlier
tasks. In the next generation of mobile technology, smart phones will be equipped
with X-Ray tool that will be able to detect detail information about the location the
phone is pointing to at that particular time. Various companies are presently
developing apps that will be able to accurately sense the exact location or present
position of the phone or the user. Along with the future of mobile technology comes
another device called Omnitouch this is a device that makes it possible for
application to be used on the hand, arm, desk, wall and every other plain surface.
The device has a sensor touch interface which makes it possible for the user to
access functions through the use of the finger touch.
Since the arrival of the mobile, it has helped humans in many ways; some of which
are: mobile phones are very important in case of an emergency they safe lives in
cases of accidents and other related issues. One of the most important use of smart
phones is that they ensure safety. Families can easily communicate with each other
while away. To cap it up, mobile technology is here to stay and holds a lot more
features in the future to meet even the most of our basic needs and to make life a lot
easier.
What is mobile technology?

Mobile technology is exactly what the name implies - technology that is
portable. Examples of mobile IT devices include:
 laptop, tablets and netbook computers

 smartphones
 global positioning system (GPS) devices
 wireless debit/credit card payment terminals
Portable devices utilise many different communications technologies, including:
 wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) - a type of wireless local area network technology

 bluetooth - connects mobile devices wirelessly
 data networking services for mobile phones - such as 3G, 4G and 5G wireless
cellular technologies, global system for mobile communications (GSM) and
general packet radio service (GPRS) data services
 dial-up services - data networking services using modems and telephone lines
 virtual private networks - secure access to a private network
These technologies enable us to network mobile devices, such as phones and
laptops, to our offices or the internet while travelling or working from remote
locations.
Advantages of mobile technology

Benefits of using mobile technology in business can manifest in:
 higher efficiency and productivity of staff

 the quality and flexibility of service you offer your customers
 the ability to accept payments wirelessly
 increased ability to communicate in and out of the workplace
 greater access to modern apps and services
 improved networking capabilities
66
Mobile devices can link you directly into the office network while working off-site. For
example, you could remotely:
 set up a new customer's account

 access existing customer records
 check prices and stock availability
 place an order online
Rapid developments in cloud technologies are boosting the use of mobile devices
in business, supporting more flexible working practices and accessing services over
the internet. For more information, see cloud computing.
Disadvantages of mobile technology

Main disadvantages that come with the use of mobile technology in business
include:
 Costs - new technologies and devices are often costly to purchase and
require ongoing maintenance and upkeep.
 Workplace distractions - as the range of technologies and devices
increases, so does the potential for them to disrupt productivity and workflow
in the business.
 Additional training needs - staff may need instructions and training on how
to use new technology.
 Increased IT security needs - portable devices are vulnerable to security
risks, especially if they contain sensitive or critical business data.
If you are using mobile devices for business, you should take precautions to ensure
that the devices, and the data they can access, remain safe. See more on cyber
security for business and securing your wireless systems.
Enterprise mobility is an approach to work in which employees can do their jobs from
anywhere using a variety of devices and applications.
The term commonly refers to the use of mobile devices, such

as smartphones and tablets, for business purposes. But it also covers the mobility of
corporate data and of workers themselves. As an example of enterprise mobility, an
employee may upload a presentation from their desktop PC to a cloud storage
service, and then access it from a personal Apple iPad to show at a client site.
Enterprise mobility management (EMM) and other technologies have emerged to

help IT departments enable mobile workers and to address security risks. A
strong acceptable use policy for employees can also contribute to a successful
67
VOCABULARY LIST
Application
A classification of computer programs designed to perform specific tasks, such
as word processing, database management, or graphics.
Application Platform
The collection of hardware and software components that provide the services
used by support and mission-specific software applications.
Architecture
Architecture has two meanings depending upon its contextual usage:
1. A formal description of a system, or a detailed plan of the system at
component level to guide its implementation.
2. The structure of components, their inter-relationships, and the principles
and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time.
Architecture, Baseline
The existing system architecture before entering a cycle of architecture review and redesign.
Base-Level Functions
Initial or basic functions.
Baseline
A specification or product that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon, that thereafter
serves as the basis for further development and that can be changed only through formal
change control procedures or a type of procedure such as configuration management.
Batch Processing
Processing data or the accomplishment of jobs accumulated in advance in such a manner
that each accumulation thus formed is processed or accomplished in the same computer run.
Business System
Hardware, software, policy statements, procedures, and people which together implement
a business function.
Client
An application component which requests services from a server.
Communications Mechanism
Hardware and software functions which allow Application Platforms to exchange information.
Communications Network
A set of products, concepts, and services that enable the connection of computer systems for
the purpose of transmitting data and other forms (e.g., voice and video) between the systems.
Communications Node
A node that is either internal to the communications network (e.g., routers,
bridges, or repeaters) or
located between the end device and the communications network to operate as a gateway.
Communications System
A set of assets (transmission media, switching nodes, interfaces, and control devices) that
will establish linkage between users and devices.
Data Dictionary
62

68
A specialized type of database containing metadata, which is managed by a data

dictionary system; a repository of information describing the characteristics of data used
to design, monitor, document, protect, and control data in information systems and
databases; an application of data dictionary systems.
Data Element
A basic unit of information having a meaning and that may have subcategories (data
items) of distinct units and values.
Database
Structured or organized collection of information, which may be accessed by the computer.
Database Management System

Computer application program that accesses or manipulates the database.
Data Interchange Service

A service of the Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides specialized
support for the interchange of data between applications on the same or different platforms.
Data Management Service

A service of the Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides support
for the management, storage, access, and manipulation of data in a database.
DBMS
Database Management System
DCE
Distributed Computing Environment
DDL
Data Definition Language
Default
Command which is automatically executed if none is specifically indicated.
Directory Service
Part of the network services of the Application Platform entity of the Technical Reference
Model (TRM) that provides locator services that are restricted to finding the location of a
service, location of data, or translation of a common name into a network-specific address. It
is analogous to telephone books and supports distributed directory implementations.
Distributed Database
1. A database that is not stored in a central location but is dispersed over a
network of interconnected computers.
2. A database under the overall control of a central Database Management System
(DBMS) but whose storage devices are not all attached to the same processor.
3. A database that is physically located in two or more distinct locations.
.
File
Any specifically identified collection of information stored in the computer.
Function
A useful capability provided by one or more components of a system.
Hardware
1. Physical equipment, as opposed to programs, procedures, rules,
and associated documentation.
2. Contrast with software.
Human Computer Interface (HCI)

Human Computer Interface hardware and software allowing information
exchange between the user and the computer.
63

69
Information
Any communication or representation of knowledge such as facts, data, or opinions, in
any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or
audio-visual forms.
Information Domain
A set of commonly and unambiguously labeled information objects with a common security
policy that defines the protections to be afforded the objects by authorized users and
information management systems.
Information System
The computer-based portion of a business system.
Information Technology (IT)

The technology included in hardware and software used for information, regardless of
the technology involved, whether computers, communications, micro graphics, or others.
Interface
Interconnection and inter-relationships between two devices, two applications, or the
user and an application or device.
Interoperability
1. The ability of two or more systems or components to exchange and use information.
2. The ability of systems to provide and receive services from other systems and to
use the services so interchanged to enable them to operate effectively together.
Metaview (also known as a Viewpoint)

A specification of the conventions for constructing and using a view. A metaview acts as a
pattern or template of the view, from which to develop individual views. A metaview establishes
the purposes and audience for a view, the ways in which the view is documented (e.g., for
visual modeling), and the ways in which it is used (e.g., for analysis).
Open System
A system that implements sufficient open specifications for interfaces, services,
and supporting formats to enable properly engineered Application Software:
a. To be ported with minimal changes across a wide range of systems
b. To interoperate with other applications on local and remote systems
c. To interact with users in a style that facilitates user portability
Open Systems Environment (OSE)

The comprehensive set of interfaces, services, and supporting formats, plus user aspects
for interoperability or for portability of applications, data, or people, as specified by IT
standards and profiles.
Operating System Service

A core service of the Application Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model (TRM)
that is needed to operate and administer the Application Platform and provide an interface
between the Application Software and the Platform (e.g., file management, input/output,
print spoolers).
Portability
1. The ease with which a system or component can be transferred from one hardware
or software environment to another.
2. A quality metric that can be used to measure the relative effort to transport the
software for use in another environment or to convert software for use in another
operating environment, hardware configuration, or software system environment.
3. The ease with which a system, component, data, or user can be transferred from
one hardware or software environment to another.
RDBMS
Relational Database Management System
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70
Repository
A system that manages all of the data of an enterprise, including data and process models and
other enterprise information. Hence, the data in a repository is much more extensive than that
in a data dictionary, which generally defines only the data making up a database.
Scalability
The ability to use the same Application Software on many different classes of
hardware/software platforms from PCs to super-computers (extends the portability concept).
The capability to grow to accommodate increased work loads.
Security
Services which protect data, ensuring its confidentiality, availability, and integrity.
Server
An application component which responds to requests from a client.
System
A collection of components organized to accomplish a specific function or set of functions
(taken from Draft Recommended Practice for Architectural Description IEEE P1471/D5.2).
System and Network Management Service

A cross-category service of the Application Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model
(TRM) that provides for the administration of the overall information system. These services
include the management of information, processors, networks, configurations, accounting,
and performance.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
Transaction
Interaction between a user and a computer in which the user inputs a command to receive a
specific result from the computer.
Transaction Sequence
Order of transactions required to accomplish the desired results.
65

71
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coronel C., Rob P., Database Systems Design and Implementation,
th
5 Edition, Thomson Course Technology.
72
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Information Systems 302

Information Systems 301

DIPLOMA IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (YEAR

INFORMATION SYSTEMS 302

• Describe the concepts that underpin cloud computing

• Discuss the benefits and risks of cloud computing

• Explain the various cloud delivery models

• Explain the various cloud deployment models

• Describe the principles of mobile communication

• Discuss the issues and opportunities of mobile technologies

Compatibility Issues ................................................................................................................................... 35

Data virtualization ...................................................................................................................................... 57

What is cloud computing, in simple terms?

How does cloud computing work?

What cloud computing services are available?

What are examples of cloud computing?

Cloud computing underpins a vast number of services. That includes consumer

Why is it called cloud computing?

What is the history of cloud computing?

How important is the cloud?

451 Research predicts that around one-third of enterprise IT spending will be on

Cloud computing benefits

No more buying servers, updating applications or operating systems, or

Cloud computing advantages and disadvantages

What is cloud computing adoption doing to IT budgets?

"CIOs are increasingly turning to cloud infrastructure and services in order to

How do you build a business case for cloud computing?

Cloud computing adoption

What about cloud computing security?

What is public cloud?

Public cloud: Advantages and disadvantages

What is private cloud?

Advantages of Private Cloud

Disadvantages of Private Cloud

In terms of Price, a Private cloud model is more expensive. This is particularly

Deployment of a Private cloud is considered to be very difficult since it requires many

The Art Of The Hybrid Cloud

What is hybrid cloud?

What is cloud migration? An introduction to moving to the cloud

Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications or other business

Benefits of cloud migration

For example, many organizations perform the migration of on-premises applications

Cloud migration strategies

Moving workloads to the cloud requires a well-thought-out strategy that includes a

Consider your costs. An organization may have a bundle invested in hardware

Consider your options with this cloud migration checklist.

As you examine the application, it may be prudent to reconsider its strategic

platforms are now mainstream among hybrid and multi-cloud environments,

Microsoft Azure Stack;

 Google Cloud Anthos;

 VMware Cloud on AWS; and

 a container-based PaaS, such as Cloud Foundry or Red Hat OpenShift.

Cloud migration process

 evaluation of performance and security requirements;

 selection of a cloud provider;

 calculation of costs; and

 any reorganization deemed necessary.

At the same time, be prepared to address several common challenges during a

 data and application portability;