Cloud Insurance – Part 1

by sburger on May 24, 2013 by sburger

What is cloud insurance?

In a world where everything has gone digital, it’s safe to say an interruption in service is inevitable. No matter how much you prepare or safeguard from hacking, power outages or an old fashion hardware failure, the one universal truth in this digital age is at some point your system will fail. While many in the industry use the ‘build for failure’ mantra, many more still need an extra bit of assurance.

Now there is a solution, cloud insurance. Tech Target says cloud insurance is an approach to risk management in which a promise of financial compensation is made for specific potential failures on the part of a cloud computing service provider. The insurance may be included as part of a service level agreement with the provider or it may be purchased separately through a third-party insurance company who works with the provider.

When considering a move to the cloud, the first thing a company should review is its insurance policies. The importance of time spent with a broker and outside insurance counsel, to discuss and understand the potential scope of coverage under a company’s insurance policies as it relates to cyber and privacy risks, is amplified when thinking about moving to the cloud. Companies should not assume that their insurance companies will agree that coverage for cyber risks related to the cloud are provided by traditional forms of insurance.

That’s why the International Association of Cloud & Managed Services Providers or MSP Alliance announcement in April is important. The new cloud and management services insurance program, brokered by Lockton Affinity, offers comprehensive protection for cloud and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. The MSP Alliance Cloud and Managed Services Insurance Program includes limits of liability options, which range from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000 per claim, and include deductibles from $2,500 to $10,000 per claim. It also includes online self service via link from your vendor page. Coverage can be bound within 24-72 hours, certificates of coverage are available on demand, as well as coverage options that include technology E&O, cyber liability, contractual liability, general liability and property.

However, MSP Alliance isn’t the first to offer cloud insurance. Up-start CloudInsure offers what it describes as a “Cloud Insurance platform designed to specifically address emerging liabilities within the cloud environment. Through our innovative underwriting models and proprietary analytics, we bring insurance solutions that move at the pace of cloud technology.”

A 2011 GIGAOM article outlines some of the advantages of cloud centric insurance noting, “Cloud providers also stand to benefit from an insurance system. Not only will the availability of policies allay some cautious potential customers’ concerns about moving to the cloud, but insurance policies for providers will help offset the cost of dealing with an outage. Those service credits cost money, after all, as do steps taken to investigate and resolve outages and implement improvements to prevent future incidents.”

Come back next week when we discuss what companies should look for when considering insurance for cloud-related risks, and what questions should be asked, in the second half of our 2-part blog.

RiverMeadow enables Carriers, Service Providers, Enterprises and SMBs to deliver and consume the incredible benefits of cloud computing with minimal cost and complexity. To learn more about RiverMeadow’s services contact us at support@rivermeadow.com.

Photo Credit: kevin dooley

Cloud Computing: How it Has Changed IT Departments

by sburger on May 17, 2013 by sburger

What will your IT Department look like?

IT has been adapting for decades and continues with the evolution of cloud computing. When an organization decides to move to the cloud, how does it change the role of IT? Should internal IT be concerned? How does cloud adoption affect the management of backup, security and disaster recovery? In this blog post, we will provide insight and clarity around these questions.

Cloud computing has dramatically changed the data center’s structure, rewriting IT job descriptions. Many IT departments and IT pros are not ready for these drastic changes, but that won’t stop them from happening. Hewlett-Packard has happily proclaimed that an imminent move to cloud computing will inevitably lead to the termination of rafts of technical IT jobs, as the automators become the automated. But, as with most new technologies, cloud computing won’t promote a destruction of IT jobs, rather it will change their nature.

So how is the role of IT changing? Traditionally, companies needed to hire IT ‘techies’ to get systems up and keep them running because hardware, storage and network connections were not reliable. However, because of advances in virtualization and automation, the need for IT has dramatically diminished in recent years. Instead of technical depth, enterprises are looking for IT staff with business skills and the ability to work with various business units within the company. An IT department must be able to understand service-level agreements, track business-unit spending through methods such as chargebacks and much more. It’s no longer just about writing code.

As a result, IT roles have evolved from “systems admins” and “systems architects” to “cloud admins” and “cloud architects.” This does not reduce the importance of IT departments, rather it shifts their efforts and focus to application management. They are forced to become more involved in the process of selecting which applications to host in the cloud, as well as keeping a close eye on how those applications are supported and integrated across the entire organization. In many cases, they end up managing their relationship with the cloud service provider much like they do with Internet service providers.

So how does cloud computing adoption affect IT’s management of backup, security and disaster recovery? For IT and their businesses, it is important to realize that cloud solutions for backup, DR and security are just one piece of the puzzle. While research indicates that cloud storage adoption is slowly being embraced, it does show that enterprises are utilizing the cloud for data backup and disaster recovery at a higher pace. There are a number of benefits that make cloud backup and DR, mostly related to cost savings. The utility storage model is affordable and the need for other resources such as IT infrastructure data center space is reduced. Those savings mean that smaller enterprises can implement backup and DR plans that would have been impossible otherwise. The benefits of data backup or disaster recovery in the cloud also outweigh security compliance concerns because enterprises are trying to stay lean and mean.

The answer is this – cloud computing is only one part of the overall solution and process, and as with anything, putting all of your chips (or data) into one basket (a.k.a. the cloud) is just as dangerous as putting all your data in a single on-premise server. Remember that IT will still be responsible for availability, recovery, security and compliance throughout the working process.

Photo Credit: bandarji

SaaS – Single vs. Multi Server Migration

by sburger on May 10, 2013 by sburger

How will you migrate to the cloud?

Migrating a single server to the cloud has its benefits including reduced risk of downtime, reduced risk of errors due to complexity and the assurance that compliance and security policies are met. But what if you could remove all these risk elements even during a larger multi-server migration? In this post we will outline how your business can approach both a single or multi server migration and the benefits and pitfalls for both approaches.

We know the benefits and the risks associated with cloud computing, but with those details aside, we delve deeper into the idea of cloud migration. Whether it is a single server or complete transformation, migrating to the cloud is an important process that requires extensive care and consideration. According to David Linthicum of Info World, “migrating from existing on-premise platforms to a cloud-based platform is difficult and risky, but it can provide the most value.”

What is a single server migration? Business efficiency is more important now than ever. The presence of downtime is essentially non-existent and the mindset of “time is money” rings truer and truer each day. For this purpose, migrating single sections of a workplace (aka a single server) is a highly popular practice for those companies looking to migrate to the cloud and begin reaping the benefits of doing so without losing efficiency and profitability within the work and market place.

Migrating a single server will allow some wiggle room for mistakes to be made. It is common for multiple errors to occur while migrating a server to the cloud and working with a single server will allow for those mistakes to happen without threatening the workability of the entire company culture. Additionally, business leaders who may be concerned about the safety of cloud computing are given time to ease into the comfort of security within the cloud with each single server migration, rather than making one large migration effort. These migrations provide a learning period that total transformation may not be able to offer; mistakes will be less damaging and complexities will be easier to grasp.

What is total transformation? Cloud migration can occur by multiple methods. The idea of single server migration has proven its popularity, but the idea of total transformation has also been found to be favorable for businesses as they adopt cloud computing into their workplace. Total transformation is simply that, a complete makeover of a company’s servers. This can be time consuming, but ultimately lends a hand to employees as they make the shift to cloud computing in one clean sweep.

Total transformation may not be as simplistic as single server migration, but it still has its benefits when performed with the right SaaS platform. Jamie Yap of ZDNet.com said, “IT software and services companies are putting more effort and investment to make migration faster and less disruptive for clients.” RiverMeadow’s cloud migration SaaS is an API based platform that allows for entire servers (aka total transformation) to be migrated to the cloud in one full swoop, quickly and cost efficiently. This SaaS platform is non-intrusive and allows for efficient collection, conversion and deployment of data. Learn more about the RiverMeadow SaaS platform here and discover how total transformation can be as beneficial as single server migration within the workplace.

RiverMeadow develops industry leading cloud migration SaaS that enables Carriers and Service Providers to deliver the incredible benefits of cloud computing to Enterprise and SMB customers with minimal cost and complexity. The RiverMeadow Cloud Migration SaaS automates the migration of physical, virtual and cloud based servers into and between public, private and hybrid cloud environments. To learn more about RiverMeadow’s SaaS contact us at support@rivermeadow.com.

Photo Credit: Fifikins

Cloud: Moving Multiple Servers – 5 Key Steps to Success

by sburger on May 3, 2013 by sburger

Do you know how to move multiple servers with ease?

In this blog post we will outline the 5 Key Steps enterprises and cloud service providers should cover when moving multiple servers to the cloud.

Enterprises of all sizes virtualize to consolidate and reduce costs. Virtualization and cloud computing increase efficiency and flexibility in providing data and applications to users, yet managing performance of applications and transactions in the cloud is neither simple nor easy. So what practical steps should you take if you are considering outsourcing parts of your IT infrastructure from in-house physical servers to a remote, cloud environment? Here are a few things to consider.

Have a Plan
When moving data to a new location, enterprises should always have a plan. One way to do that is to simplify everything.

“When you look at most internal environments, you find there is a lot of complexity that will prevent you moving to the cloud or will make your life much more difficult,” said eBay Cloud Architect Jean-Christophe Martin at a recent Cloud Expo in London.

Simplification is the most important issue when moving to the cloud. Organizations should split the process into 3 areas to make it easier: process, technological and organizational simplification.

Analyze Your Current System
It’s important for enterprises to look at the end-to-end lifecycle of servers and applications to see what you can automate and what are the impediments to automation. For example, some firewalls cannot be automated because a vendor may not provide any way to amend the configuration of the firewall to do it. In a case like that you need to change firewall vendor.

Don’t forget that network optimization and moving to the cloud will almost always involve increasing bandwidth and introducing Quality of Service, which will necessitate an increase in a business’ spend on connectivity. Overall, the importance of the network to the outsourced cloud means the cloud service provider can help keep costs down and can offer added value to a project.

Look at the Future
It’s important to remember that the benefits of the cloud are not limited to cost reduction alone. There may also be an opportunity to improve your business’ continuity strategy and disaster recovery plan. Consider all areas of your organizations IT strategy not only for today, but future technology and business requirements.

Plan for Failure
Applications have the potential for failure and you must plan accordingly. One way of doing that is to partition by function. By splitting the functions up you have more of a chance to recover in case a failure should happen. Also make sure backup and recovery systems and processes are in place.

Security
To meet security requirements you must look at the requirements for each physical environment and define them logically. For each you should have detailed Security requirements and a documented Security Policy. Whether in the cloud or not, organizations need to have complete control over their infrastructure.

Photo Credit: Fractal Artist

Enterprises Combating Cloud Sprawl

by sburger on April 19, 2013 by sburger

Have you suffered from cloud sprawl?

Cloud sprawl is inevitable as more enterprises continue to add cloud services and applications to their business – often without the approval of IT. Like many IT challenges, it comes down to management and control. In this blog post we will discuss the evolution of cloud sprawl and ways your company can reel it in through improved visibility and management.

Cloud sprawl is a growing concern for businesses worldwide, and with cloud services being easier to access, cloud sprawl will only continue to become a bigger problem. But what is cloud sprawl? It is defined as a situation created by the ever-growing use of public cloud services and apps by individuals within a company, often without any permission from the IT department. Cloud sprawl can create security and privacy concerns, increase the threat of breaches and data loss and intensify an enterprises’ potential for breaking laws or best-practices. As the situation develops, poorly managed end-user cloud purchases and deployments make for fragmented, redundant, unmanaged and inefficient cloud-based outsourcing decisions with little or no input from IT.

If enterprises had just a dozen applications to manage, life would be easy for IT departments. However, with the implementation of smartphones and mobile apps into corporate life, managing just a few applications has become a thing of the past. Easy access to public cloud computing resources facilitates the resurgence of shadow IT projects.

To avoid cloud sprawl and its dangers and costs, CIOs must strategically plan and manage their cloud environments. Here are a few steps CIOs can take to help mitigate cloud sprawl.

Develop a Strategy. Without proper planning, the cloud will become nothing more than an extension of the problems it has been employed to overcome.

Create a Customized Cloud Solution. Whether it is public, private or hybrid, the cloud should be tailored to the company’s specific business needs, because the cloud is not a one-size-fits-all opportunity.

Determine Where Cloud Solutions Will Reside. Also decide how they will be operated, to help control the otherwise unmanaged expansion of cloud resources.

Assign a Manager. Someone must manage the cloud that’s been created to avoid the out-of-control clutter that once existed in unchecked physical data centers as well as the spiraling costs associated with that.

With the right management tools and techniques, enterprises can turn cloud sprawl into a competitive cost-cutting advantage.

Photo Credit: DieselDemon

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