Cloud computing is a convenient computing modelling that allows access to a pool of shared and configurable computer resources and provide quality services with very minimal organizations management effort. These shared and configurable resources include: network, servers, services, applications and storage.
This report therefore, focuses on analyzing Smith security company services and providing various recommendations on why the company should subscribe for cloud services. The report provides various best cloud computing platforms by looking at their advantages and disadvantages in relation to the services provided by Smith Security Company. Finally, the report provides recommendations to the company on moving their business applications and services to cloud.
Smith Security is an Australian company that runs various security services. The company has its head office located in Sydney with its data centers located in five different places, that is Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The company also has its server infrastructure consisting of email server, business application servers, web servers, SQL server, print server and Active directory domain controller located in the five sites. The company’s current IT infrastructure is outdated and needs to be updated for smooth running of services.
Considering the current state of the company’s infrastructure where each site has its own system in place, it will be costly both in terms of money and time spent in updating their systems. Therefore, a suitable mechanism to address this issue is required, the company therefore is recommended to use cloud computing.
Cloud computing comes with many benefits that will help the company in achieving its objectives of delivering its business services more efficiently and using up to date infrastructure (Viswanathan, 2018). The following are some of the benefits associated with cloud computing and which will be very useful to Smith security company (Technologies, 2014).
The current set up of Smith Security Company is costly to maintain and to upgrade. The company is running custom business applications which are expensive in renewing the licenses. This is issue will be resolved once the company moves to cloud, since cloud services are available at cheaper prices and the company will not have to worry about maintaining or carrying out upgrades of their systems as it is the case now. The company will not have to think about buying new hardware infrastructure or applications as this is taken care of in cloud platform.
With cloud infrastructure the company will not have to worry about their storage capacity, since the storage provided by cloud providers is almost unlimited. This means that the company will never run out of storage while doing their business operations.
Smith Security Company will be able to integrate their business applications or software automatically without having to do any extra customizations. Once integrated cloud allows the company to customize these applications based on their preferences at no costs at all.
With cloud infrastructure, the data center will be accessed from one place and information shared to all the five sites based on the defined privileges hence there will be no need of having data center in each company’s site.
With cloud computing all the company’s resources and services will be deployed within a very short time and hence the company’s operations will not be halted for long due to infrastructure upgrade.
Cloud infrastructure allows the company to carry out regular backups of its data at the same time contrary to the current situation where the company has to do backup of its information from all of its sites.
Apart from the benefits outlined above, there exist few challenges associated with cloud computing. These include:
Just like any other IT infrastructure cloud platform can experience technical dysfunction which can affect business operations when it happens.
Cloud infrastructure involves delegating a third party cloud services provider to manage and be in charge of the company’s information hence need to choose the most reliable service provider to avoid security risks.
Despite the few challenges outlined above, cloud infrastructure remains the best option for Smith Security Company. This is because the infrastructure will save the company a lot of money and time required for the upgrade. Also with the centralized data management center, information will be easily accessible and manageable than when the data centers are in separate locations.
There exist various cloud computing platforms that Smith Security could choose from for the hosting of their SQL and Web servers. It is therefore important for the company to select the best solution that will suit its services and operations. The platforms include:
This is cloud computing service that consist computer resources that are highly scalable and automated. This is a self-service cloud infrastructure that allows the company to access and monitor services such as networking, storage, computing, among others (Microsoft, 2011). With this infrastructure, the company purchases its resources when the need and demand arises rather than buying hardware outright. This infrastructure provides organizations with a dashboard or API that gives the organizations complete control of their servers such as the SQL server and Web server for Smith Security.
This cloud infrastructure is mainly used for application since it provides various cloud components for certain software. This platform is mainly used by developers since it provides a cloud framework that can be built upon and used to create customized software or applications. An enterprise or a third party manages all the servers, storage and networking services while the management of the applications is done by the developers.
SaaS provides software delivery over the internet while PaaS creates a software creation platform. This therefore distinguish PaaS to be mostly used for software developers than business management while IaaS for managing business operations than software development (Steven, 2017). Apart from this difference all the other services are quite similar for the two cloud platforms (Tarzey, 2010).
It is therefore necessary for Smith Security to choose a cloud platform that suits their services based on the various services and differences of the above two platforms for better and more efficient services.
Based on the business operations of Smith Security, IaaS will be the best solution for their cloud infrastructure. The platform correspond to their business operations and the company will have more control over the resources and management of their information (Colman, 2017). With IaaS the company will not have use a lot of time and money in creating hardware or software. Also with this platform, smith Security will only purchase what they need at a given time hence ensuring proper utilization of resources. The platform is also flexible and this gives the company an opportunity to scale up or scale down depending on their needs. The dashboard or API will also allow the company to be in full control over its SQL and Web server at any given time.
The following are some of the differences between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS (Barabas, 2018) that Smith Security Company should consider.
There are two deployment models for cloud services across all the cloud computing platforms (White, 2018). These models are:
This is a model where organizations store their data in the data center belonging to the provider and the provider is the one who manages and maintains the data center. The company is therefore not responsible for the management of the cloud infrastructure. Here the provider uses a ‘pay as you go’ as well as metered service model to provide services to their clients. With public cloud model the company pays for resources they only need at a given time.
Public cloud model can be a shared one or a dedicated one. For the shared public cloud the physical infrastructure which include the architecture, customization and security degree is shared based on the market specifications (Watts, 2017). For the dedicated public cloud services are delivered on a dedicated physical infrastructure. Dedicated public cloud is more expensive than shared public cloud model.
The only issue that most companies have with this deployment model is feeling of being insecure due to lacking security in public cloud.
This cloud model is where the infrastructure resides on the company’s network or hosted data center and all the data is protected using a firewall. With this model, the client or the company is responsible with the management, updating and maintenance of the data centers. This include replacement of the hardware which include the replacement of servers which can be expensive. Very few or no resources are shared with other organizations in this model hence high level of security of resources.
Based on the two models outlined above, Public cloud model would be the most appropriate for Smith Security as this model is a bit cheaper and the company will not have to do costly maintenance and upgrades as it is the case now. This model will help the company reduce the time taken to test and deploy new components to the infrastructure by Smith Security hence saving its time and cost of doing these services.
Although this model is appropriate for Smith Security, there is an issue with the security of the company’s resources. This is because the model is public and most of its resources and infrastructure is shared hence lack of total security of the hosted information.
Therefore Smith Security Company should implement dedicated public cloud which is safer than the shared public cloud since most of the resources is not shared with other organizations. This approach will mitigate against the security threat hence enabling the company to conduct its services in a more secured manner. On the other hand, the company should be aware that their data is stored separately from others and hence it is not easy for security breaches to take place.
As defined in the slide above, cloud computing acts as a centralized position where the client or the organization is able to access and manage its resources. For instance, Smith Security can have their network, servers, business applications and databases hosted in the cloud instead of having each site having its own physical infrastructure setup.
There exist many benefits of cloud computing to the organizations such as Smith Security. Some of these benefits include; Cost savings for operating and managing the IT infrastructure, Extensibility such that the infrastructure can be scaled to accommodate the services of the growing business in future, Easy application integration such as Smith Business applications.
Other benefits include access to unlimited storage to the company hence adequate storage capacity for Smith Security Company. Information can also be easily accessed by all the sites at any given time hence enhancing reliability and availability.
Backup and recovery is another advantage that comes with cloud computing. It allows the company to recover from any technical problems that may happen.
Cloud architecture consist of three models which include the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. The IaaS as explained in the slide above is used by businesses and the company purchases what they need at a given time.
The PaaS is majorly used by the developers as this platform provide a quality framework that allows developers to build their applications.
SaaS is used by the end users since it consist of a complete package needed by the client. The entire model is managed by the vendor and the client only uses the platform.
For Smith Security, IaaS is the best option as it gives them quality services in which they will not have to worry about maintenance and upgrades as it is the case now, The dashboards and the APIs will also allow the company to manage and control their web servers as well as the SQL server.
It is therefore important for Smith Security Company to consider cloud computing as this will reduce their worries on management of their IT infrastructure as well as reduce costs and inconveniences experienced in the current setup.
Conclusion
In conclusion, moving to cloud will be the best solution for Smith Security Company as this will reduce the upgrade cost as well as the maintenance cost involved in maintaining the current infrastructure. The company therefore should adapt public cloud model with IaaS services for better service delivery and business operations.
List of References
Barabas, J. (2018). IaaS PaaS SaaS Cloud Service Models | IBM. 1-3. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/iaas-paas-saas
Colman, E. (2017). When to use SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. ComputeNext, 1-4. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://www.computenext.com/blog/when-to-use-saas-paas-and-iaas/
Microsoft. (2011). Cloud Computing: What is Infrastructure as a Service. Retrieved from TechNet Magazine: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh509051.aspx
Steven, K. (2017). The Differences Between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS (and when to use each). 1-4. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://www.engineyard.com/blog/the-differences-between-iaas-paas-and-saas-and-when-to-use-each
Tarzey, B. (2010). The difference between Saas, Paas and Iaas. The Computer Weekly guide to Cloud Computing. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://www.computerweekly.com/photostory/2240109268/The-Computer-Weekly-guide-to-Cloud-Computing/2/The-difference-between-Saas-Paas-and-Iaas
Viswanathan, P. (2018). Cloud Computing:. Know the Pros and Cons, 2-3. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://www.lifewire.com/cloud-computing-explained-2373125
Barabas, J. (2018). IaaS PaaS SaaS Cloud Service Models | IBM. [online] Ibm.com. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/iaas-paas-saas [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Colman, E. (2017). When to use SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. [online] ComputeNext. Available at: https://www.computenext.com/blog/when-to-use-saas-paas-and-iaas/ [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Microsoft (2011). Cloud Computing: What is Infrastructure as a Service | TechNet Magazine. [Online] Technet.microsoft.com. Available at: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh509051.aspx [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Stevens, K. (2017). The Differences between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS (and when to use each). [Online] Engineyard.com. Available at: https://www.engineyard.com/blog/the-differences-between-iaas-paas-and-saas-and-when-to-use-each [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Tarzey, B. (2010). The difference between SaaS, Paas and Iaas – The Computer Weekly guide to Cloud Computing. [online] Computerweekly.com. Available at: https://www.computerweekly.com/photostory/2240109268/The-Computer-Weekly-guide-to-Cloud-Computing/2/The-difference-between-Saas-Paas-and-Iaas [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Technologies, R. (2014). 9 Cloud Computing Benefits For Organisations. [Online] Blog.rgtechnologies.com.au. Available at: https://blog.rgtechnologies.com.au/cloud-computing-benefits [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Viswanathan, P. (2018). Cloud Computing: Know the Pros and Cons. [online] Lifewire. Available at: https://www.lifewire.com/cloud-computing-explained-2373125 [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Watts, S. (2017). SaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS: What’s The Difference and How to Choose – BMC Blogs. [Online] Bmc.com. Available at: https://www.bmc.com/blogs/saas-vs-paas-vs-iaas-whats-the-difference-and-how-to-choose/ [Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
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