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Cloud Computing

What is Application Virtualization?
Cloud Computing July 9, 2017
What is Application Virtualization?

If you are a technology decision-maker in your organization, you are probably overwhelmed by communications from vendors offering the latest and greatest technologies to help you save money and make your IT operations more efficient. There are now so many technological advancements available that even the most resource-anemic of IT departments can get whipped into a lean, mean, high-performing machine. But, reaching this pinnacle takes time. First, as a decision-maker you must understand the technologies that are available. A good place to start your education is with virtualization, specifically, application virtualization. What is application virtualization?

Forrester, a well-known technology research company defines application virtualization as follows:

Application virtualization refers to software technologies that encapsulate their applications from the operating system on which they are executed, in order to improve their compatibility, portability, and management.1

To fully understand application virtualization, we can break down the Forrester definition into four parts: encapsulation, compatibility, portability, and management.

Encapsulation

In organizations, many applications are typically installed directly on individual desktop systems. When you implement application virtualization, it becomes a new layer that is sandwiched between the work computer’s operating system and the application. This virtual layer, which often exists as a sandbox or virtual machine (VM), is where all the component-related activities occurs. For example, changes to the system registry. System performance issues are often tied to these activities. By virtualizing apps, those issues are no longer associated with the organization’s work systems.

Compatibility

I’m sure employees in your organization use multiple applications to perform their jobs. When you install or upgrade applications, there is always a chance for compatibility issues. These may relate to the operating system or the applications themselves. Virtualized apps remove these dependencies. All of your requirements and testing are limited to the virtual system.

Management

Since virtualized apps are installed on a host system, management occurs at a single location. Once installed on the host system, deployment of virtualized apps works similar to a network service. You deploy the applications across the network and employees access them as needed directly or using a VPN connection. You control all installation and management tasks related to the applications. Any updates to the application are made to the host and automatically picked up the next time the user launches the app.

Portability

For the most part, virtualized apps are used the same way as their counterparts. Users are able to store information on their local system as normal. If there are employees in your organization that work remotely or travel often, they can access virtualized apps that are streamed across the network. Depending on the setup, they may not need an Internet connection.

Is Your Organization Ready for Application Virtualization?

If you decide to follow-up with potential vendors about application virtualization as a potential technology for your organization, it is a good idea to first determine your goals, specific use cases, and the number and types of applications you want virtualized. There are many approaches to application virtualization. Identifying your specific needs when talking to a vendor can help determine if their solution is suitable for your organization.

1 = http://www.forrester.com/Application-Virtualization

What Does it Mean to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)?
Cloud Computing June 17, 2017
What Does it Mean to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)?
What Does it Mean to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)?

The increasing popularity of smart devices has had a dramatic impact on how we do everything. The clear separation between work and personal environments that once existed is quickly fading. The catalyst for this change are mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets that are now so sophisticated that they can do what desktop systems can do—from anywhere.

With all their smart technology, mobile devices have become extremely popular. Using personal devices in the workplace is a natural progression that is even taking place in organizations with highly sensitive data. A patient who visits their doctor today and needs a new medication may see their doctor looking up medical information on their smartphone. The use of personal mobile devices in the workplace is referred to by several acronyms, but BYOD (bring your own device) is the one most commonly used.

How it Works

Possessing a mobile device does not automatically grant an employee access to its organization’s network. There must first be an acceptance and then an integration plan put in place. The IT department does not usually have the final say in whether personal mobile devices are acceptable in an organization. Instead, their expertise typically lies in integrating the devices and developing the BYOD policy.

There is no one way to implement BYOD. Many organizations develop a BYOD policy that states what is and is not acceptable when using a personal device to access work applications. A very basic scenario is allowing employees to only access webmail from a mobile device. At the other extreme is unrestricted access to all business-related applications.

Benefits

If you are deciding whether to accept personal mobile devices in your organization, you may be asking yourself, “Why should I?”

There are several benefits of BYOD that can actually benefit your business:

  • Increased productivity. Employees are able to access work applications at any time anywhere they go.
  • Cost-savings. Companies are not responsible for buying the devices. They may foot the bill for a data plan that the employee accesses while at work. The savings are greatest when a mobile device is an employee’s only access to business applications.
  • Increased morale. Quite simply, employees are happier using their personal devices. The devices chosen by IT may not be the latest and greatest.
Security Concerns

There are some challenges associated with allowing personal devices in the workplace. The most significant is security. The very nature of a personal device means that people can use them to do non-work activities. What level of access do employees have to sensitive data? What happens if the device is lost or stolen? These are just a few security-related questions to consider when implementing a BYOD policy.

There are tools available that provide you some control and management of personal mobile devices, but the most important security measure is employee compliance. Employees should be trained how to protect business data and required to adhere to the BYOD policy.

The Future

Could mobile devices eventually replace desktop systems and BYOD become the norm in every industry? It’s definitely possible. If your organization chooses to implement a BYOD policy, a good plan to prepare for whatever the future holds for BYOD is to nail down your security approach and consider innovative ways to make it work without disrupting your business flow.

What is the Cloud?
Cloud Computing March 8, 2017
What is the Cloud?

One of the most vocalized terms in use today is “the cloud”. This two-word saying is a metaphor for the Internet. For many years engineers would use cloud silhouettes in network drawings and diagrams to represent the Internet. This is still common practice today. However, in recent years the term “the cloud” is also synonymous with virtualization and cloud computing.

Most people don’t realize that they are most likely using several cloud services. Some examples are Google Gmail – cloud based email, Netflix – cloud based video streaming, Facebook – cloud based social networking and Dropbox – cloud based data storage. All of these cloud services you use over the Internet in place of your computer hard drive. The cloud is the opposite of your hard drive and local storage.

For a very long time organizations have swayed back and forth on which architecture and delivery model for applications and services is the most reliable, secure and scalable. Businesses have debated whether or not to build out infrastructure and deliver applications and services internally from on premises solutions or forgo the build out instead to purchase cloud subscription services. Today’s solutions offer more flexible deployment models where companies can utilize hybrid and blended architectures with services delivered from both on premises infrastructure and the cloud.

There are many benefits to the cloud delivery model. The most prevalent is the reduction in capital expenditure. To build out on premises infrastructure for application and services money would be spent on hardware and software. In comparison, a cloud model would not require a capital expenditure for hardware and software but instead require an operational expenditure for the cloud subscription service. Two great examples of cloud services used by large companies are Salesforce and WebEx. Companies that utilize these cloud services pay an ongoing operating expenditure. Sure companies could purchase on premises CRM and Collaboration solutions similar to Salesforce and WebEx but they wouldn’t get the benefits of the cloud.

Businesses today are looking for cloud based services fro competitive advantage. It’s costly to stand infrastructure up and tear it down project after project. Also, building out infrastructure on premises takes time and does not provide flexibility to easily scale up and down as needed or when temporary service is a requirement. There are many companies providing infrastructure as a cloud service. Some of these companies are Google, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and Rackspace.

Some of the other benefits for cloud services are the ability to quickly scale and ramp up as needed. In particular, for geographically distributed companies cloud services provide the needed wide-reaching access. Remember the alternative would be adding more infrastructure to scale and distribute infrastructure for people across geographies.

Another advantage for businesses utilizing cloud services versus building out on premises infrastructure is maintenance and support. Enterprise infrastructures require regular maintenance and support for staying current on software releases and hardware lifecycles. Upgrading hardware and software can be very expensive for an organization. In comparison, with cloud solutions the cloud service provider is responsible for maintaining and keeping the platform current.

For individuals, “the cloud” is an ideal place to purchase subscription services for email, data backup and also video streaming or on demand. For businesses, it dependents on the size of your business and operating models. Putting aside those factors, “the cloud” is accommodating for fast deployments when you need to deploy applications or test applications immediately.