Let’s try and build a sensible definition of the phrase “well-run hybrid cloud.”
Many IT departments would argue that they have created a “well-run internal cloud.” This means, for example, that they can place a checkmark next to five common cloud characteristics (as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology or NIST):
- On demand self-service
- Broad network access
- Resource pooling
- Rapid elasticity
- Measured service
If each of these attributes is indeed in place does that make a private cloud “well-run?”
Not necessarily.
A private cloud is only well-run if the end users believe it to be so! These end users happen to rely on a different set of metrics – cost, ease, time, and agility. They view NIST’s five cloud characteristics as table stakes.
Therefore the first step in creating a well-run hybrid cloud is to create a well-run private cloud by bringing together IT’s metrics with those of the end user:
Once this happens, the end user begins to prefer the selection of private cloud IT resources in many cases. If this occurs, your private cloud has reached “well-run” status.
It is then (and only then) that IT can take the next step: becoming a broker for external services. Once again, the end user has a set of expectations that must be met in order to achieve the label of “well-run.”
- Clear advertisement of services (internal or external)
- Clear pricing
- Published service levels
- Self-provisioned
- Automated deployment of the services
The first and last bullets in the list above represent two key litmus tests for earning the label of a “well-run hybrid cloud”. A hybrid cloud is well-run if advertising its services don’t cause the end user to ask whether the services are provided privately or publicly. The end user feels no need to shop for public services that have better metrics.
And finally, the automated deployment of services, often called right-sourcing, seamlessly issues the application internally or externally to give the end user the most benefit across the metrics established above.
For EMC World attendees, I recommend attending Build-A-Hybrid-Cloud LIVE (Booth #850) to see live demonstrations and gain a more thorough understanding of how a well-run hybrid cloud can be built in practice.
