Whether you’re looking to get to grips with the basics or you want to take your IT knowledge to the next-level, this guide has you covered.
The biggest mistake organisations make when it comes to migrating to the cloud is assuming that all cloud environments are alike.
The benefits of the cloud are long and growing – but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best option for you.
Congratulations! You’re moving to the cloud. The trouble is, now you have to do all the heavy lifting. Or do you? Here are the alternatives...
Newsflash – cloud provider says moving to the cloud could be a good idea. But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what the analysts and other cloud vendors have to say…
Whilst we’ve dropped some hints here and there – here’s a summary of the core benefits your organisation could realise by migrating existing workloads to the cloud.
We should really use this as an opportunity to get to know one another. Here’s how UKCloud differs to traditional hyperscaler offerings and why we can help your next cloud migration project be a success.
Swift definitions for popular terms that just won't go away
Like with bill shock, runaway cloud costs will often occur when legacy workloads are moved to the cloud without first assessing viability. Before moving any application to the cloud, an organisation needs to fully understand their resourcing requirements and impose strict procurement guidelines for cloud-based resources. For CAPEX-based expenditure, IT teams would have jumped through hoops to purchase a new server, but with cloud-based resources available at the click of the button, it’s easy to see how costs can quickly spiral.
To avoid runaway cloud, conduct a thorough assessment of current application architecture to avoid migrating zombie servers to the cloud and ensure strict procurement guidelines as in place prior to migration.
Remember that fancy restaurant which didn’t have prices on the menu? Remember how you felt when the bill arrived? That’s bill shock. But rather than paying for an overpriced coq-au-vin, this time you’ve been stung by the price of cloud-based resources.
If you migrate legacy applications to the cloud – which aren’t optimized to do so – then you’re in for a nasty surprise. However, migrating legacy workloads to dedicated cloud-hosting technologies – like UKCloud for VMware – will avoid bill shock altogether.
Done right, a lift and shift approach could be your IT budget’s best friend.
Traditionally, cloud bursting is a technique used for when an application is first deployed in a private cloud environment but will then burst to the public cloud in times of peak demand.
This hybrid model is a great way to kick-start your journey to the cloud and experience the PAYG (pay-as-you-go) benefits that have become synonymous with the cloud.
Rather than relying on a physical server to host application workloads, a cloud-hosting service will provide a network of virtualized servers from which your application can be deployed.
This type of solution will offer greater resilience due to the increased number of locations the service can be hosted, greater flexibility in terms of cost (only paying for what you use), and provide your organisation with the opportunity to scale your solution to meet demand.
Helping you avoid application downtime and disgruntled customers.
Cloud storage is exactly what you’d imagine it to be. Like how we use dedicated servers to manage storage in our private data centres – you can now store that information in the cloud. And depending on the configuration, you can access this information through public internet or a dedicated private network connection.
With UKCloud, native access to government and community networks (HSCN, Janet, PSN and RLI) means you could access privately stored information with ease.
Like cloud bursting, a hybrid cloud environment will utilize both public and private cloud environments. However, there is often confusion as to how a hybrid cloud solution differs from multi-cloud. Typically, a hybrid-cloud solution will rely on proprietary software that will optimize workload performance between public and private cloud environments. A solution that will often be managed through a single vendor.
Conversely, a multi-cloud solution will leverage the unique characteristics of multiple cloud providers. A methodology that is focused on finding the right cloud for every workload.
A private cloud is a single-tenant environment.
A single-tenant environment means you won’t share the underlying resources with any other organisation but yours. The resources that make up your private cloud can be hosted in your own internal data centre or procured through a third-party organisation – like UKCloud. A configuration that appeals to organisations with specific security requirements.
Depending on the type of applications that are hosted in a private cloud, your organisation will leverage virtualization or container software to optimize workload performance.
Often, public sector organisations find it easier to budget for CAPEX expenditure rather than OPEX. If that sounds like you, then a private cloud could be the right fit.
The public cloud is the cloud type that most people would be familiar with. It’s where many of the web applications we interact with on a day-to-day basis can be found. Netflix, Airbnb, Salesforce – all these services, in some form or other, are hosted in the public cloud.
The main difference between public and private cloud is that the former is a multi-tenant environment. This means that you will share the same pool of resources with multiple companies. And just to be clear, by resources we mean physical hardware. In no way, shape or form will you be sharing application data.
To put it simply. You’re hosting your workloads on someone else’s kit.
Why build when you can buy? Too many organisations fall into the trap of building new applications from the ground up, when a better, SaaS-enabled solution might already exist. And what do we mean by SaaS? SaaS stands for Software-as-a-Service.
Short-term, SaaS removes the need to manage and maintain any hardware. Longer-term, you’ll benefit from an ever-evolving feature set that enterprise IT teams rarely have time to deliver. Leverage the capability of specialist providers and both your users and your ITOps team will thank you for it.
At UKCloud, we’ve partnered with over 300 organisations who provide specialist solutions for the public sector. Solutions that benefit from the government-grade infrastructure we can provide.
Traditionally, there have been three cloud-computing models Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – with PaaS serving as the middle ground between the other two.
Where IaaS will mean you are entirely responsible for an application’s underlying code, with SaaS, it’s the complete opposite. You simply consume a service. A PaaS cloud computing model enables you to build new software solution using pre-built modules and pre-set functionality. This gives developers the freedom to create new software without having to worry about the underlying operating system or hardware issues.
Examples include: Red Hat OpenShift (available on UKCloud), AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure and Heroku.
Perhaps the best comparison for IaaS is an on-premise alternative.
For an on-premise solution, a traditional data centre, you’re responsible for everything from the technology stack – right the way up to the application’s underlying code. That means networking, storage, servers, virtualization – that’s all your responsibility. However, if you deploy an IaaS cloud computing solution, you handover the responsibility of the hardware to someone else.
You’re still responsible for everything up from the operating system – but hardware? Nope. There will be no need to reboot or patch servers any time soon.
Examples include: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Rackspace, Microsoft Azure (available on UKCloud), Google Compute Engine (GCE).
To us, multi-cloud is about finding the right cloud for every workload.
Rather than hedging your bets on a single provider, a true multi-cloud strategy will capitalize on the benefits of multiple cloud providers. You see, every cloud has a unique set of characteristics that make it ideal for certain workloads, but sub-optimal for others.
It’s all about finding the right tools for the job.
Don’t fall into the trap of putting all your eggs in one basket. Otherwise, some will be certain to crack.
Check out our multi-cloud guide for further info.