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Month: September 2019

Containerization – The Next Evolution of the Cloud

Posted on by Abhijeet Chinchole

Cloud containers are remarkable tools in the field of agile software development. Containers, evolved from the ‘security’ buzzword, have become an essential element for protecting the IT infrastructure. The trend shows no indications of winding down. Container ecosystems will record a rapid development, with cloud service providers focused on technology improvement.

The popularity of containers grew as a feasible go-to strategy of enterprises for virtualization. This status quo of containers will prevail in the near future, as vendors and open-source community formalize the container ecosystem. Complementing virtualization and low overhead, containers are best suited for the application ecosystem that is inherited from cloud computing, data centers, and VMs.

Evolution of Containers

There has been a marked rise in the evolution of the container ecosystem in recent years, which has made them capable to uphold production-ready workloads. The evolution is not yet over and has given rise to many container platforms to implement modern service and applications with the onus of combating developer problems. 

While every container platform has been built on a programmable, API-driven, and self-service infrastructure, Kubernetes rose as the standard for container orchestration, completely based on its technical pedigree. As more and more organizations embark on their journey to containerization, identifying the imperativeness of data persistence has become necessary for enterprise applications.

Kubernetes excels in this owing to its ability of seamless provision of persistent storage capabilities, independent of whether workloads are scheduled in the cloud or on-premises. These capabilities are attributed to Kubernetes’ Persistent Volume Framework that standardizes the dynamic provision and consumption of persistent storage by application pods.

Container Management and its Implications

There is this one feature requested by prospects and customers in the cloud computing space – container management. One of the many growing optimization trends, containers help to package and run applications remotely in isolated environments and reduce the configuration time during deployment to production. 

The majority industry researches estimate the current worth of the container market to be over $2 Bn. As CSPs commence to plan their container management offerings, a better understanding of whether this popularity of containers is just a hype, or do the customers really want and need the containers is a must. Ambiguities also exist in deciding for the right type of container management required, particularly in cloud computing space.

Container management, analogous to the broader cloud management, involves orchestration, monitoring, security, and optimization. Based on optimization alone, there are 5 key ways to save on the cost of cloud containers, namely, review purchasing options, consider storage opportunities, rightsize the nodes and pods, and turn off the idle pods.

The focus on container management is a must if you plan to leverage any type of cloud container, as they offer opportunities for lightweight and efficient application development. However, likened to an on-demand computing resource, containers also result in wasted spend. As suboptimal, idle, and unused container options will add billions more to this waste, container management must be a part of an organization’s cloud optimization plan.


In a bid to understand the evolution of containers, knowledge on three phases of containerization is necessary, namely, staging and PaaS dominate, container deployment at scale and the take over of containerization services. It is highly likely that CSPs slash costs for container services while beefing up these services with security tools for attracting more customers. Whatever the future holds, the positive impacts of the container evolution on the evolution of cloud computing is evident and is set to endure in the years to come.

The Harmony of the Cloud and DevOps

Posted on by Abhijeet Chinchole

DevOps continues to make inroads in the technology space, translating software teams to supercharged IT powerhouses. DevOps is now a popular means to encourage teams in better leveraging their skill sets and time for faster building, testing, and deployment of software. The main objective of DevOps is leveraging multi-faceted teams of operations professionals and developers to ensure things get done right with zero errors the first time itself.

The role of the cloud in DevOps is likened to support, enabling collaboration without the downtime of data transition. Cloud computing renders each step of DevOps implementation simple, empowering the development lifecycle. Provided with virtualization and kernels, applications can be developed and tested on a variety of environments through clouds. This further eliminates the requirement for physical machine tests, enhances time savings, and reduces cost in light of its on-demand nature.

Cloud and DevOps – The ‘Go Together’ Relationship

Using DevOps QA teams and developers can work well with the operations team that employs a cloud platform. It also enables developers to set up new environments faster without any help from the IT team. Meanwhile, operations of the infrastructure can be investigated by IT operations, in turn enabling dynamics and security. Cloud computing is the common media here that connects two different teams.

The purpose of the cloud and DevOps is quite similar – providing speed, automation, and agility to businesses. While DevOps stresses on continuous practices of operations along with automation, the cloud is the enabler of automated delivery of computing resources, usage-based cost, and upstream & downstream scalability. Together, the cloud and DevOps solve automation problems for companies.

DevOps holds the potential to drive a dramatic shift through a centralized platform for testing, deployment, automation, and moving applications to production in organizations using cloud platforms. The combination of the cloud and DevOps brings better application performance, continuous feedback loops, and faster deliveries if the key best practices are thoroughly followed, namely, cloud security, automated performance engineering, using the platform-agnostic DevOps tools, and achieving skills in CloudOps.

Securing the Cloud for DevOps

As the cloud grows in popularity and prevalence, more organizations are vying for incorporating the technology while the prices go down as options increase. At present, there are diverse options and making a move to the cloud entails the need for due diligence. Planning is considered as an important factor in the adoption of new technology into your enterprise, and the cloud is no exception.

Another aspect to be considered while migrating your applications and infrastructure to the cloud is ensuring the understanding of the requirements of the organization. Driving adoption of the cloud and DevOps is facilitated when team members can make changes by understanding the way these can help them ease their job. The importance of communication is emphasized by DevOps, and now is the right time to adopt the culture of clarity. 

It is now the time for organizations to get past the changes, pulling ahead based on time-to-market with application services and solutions. DevOps and Cloud Computing together form a powerhouse, driving meaningful IT transformation and directly impacting business goals.

What is the role of Artificial Intelligence in Cloud Computing?

Posted on by Veeraj Thaploo

It has been a while now that research into artificial intelligence (AI) has grown spectacular, and the technology is permeating various industrial sectors, ranging from healthcare to tourism. This recent surge in AI research and deployment is molding genuine change, with overall spending on AI and intellectual frameworks increasing at a Y-o-Y of over 50%.

One of the notable fields that AI is transforming the most is cloud computing intelligence and the relationship between these is constantly changing. The market for AI is pegged at worth $60 Bn by 2025. On the other hand, the adoption of the cloud is swooping up becoming an alternate mammoth entirely. Cloud computing is an imperative aspect of the AI framework and this can be explained in two different ways:

  1. The data sets that organizations are cashing in on are not open in the event not meant for the cloud.
  2. The fact that cloud computing can empower organizations to keep up through data concentrated services offered to customers at affordable costs.

The ripple effects of the long strides that artificial intelligence is taking in cloud computing space are astounding, as the AI technology conjures a unique flair that positively transforms the next-gen cloud computing platforms.

Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing Reshaping the IT Infrastructure

Competition has raised the bar of standards, alluding to the need for an unprecedented number of various measures to sustain. At present, the application infrastructure optimized by AI is in vogue, with more and more vendors introducing IT platforms that feature pre-constructed combinations of storage, interconnect and compute resources.

AI workloads are gaining downstream momentum and operations are being developed to be support-ready. Besides, vendors of cloud computing are introducing various platforms such as hyper-converged, storage, and compute. The integration of AI-ready compute/storage has now become an essential asset for several enterprise customers.

Currently, there is an enormous requirement for the incorporation of intelligent methods for IT infrastructure. As workloads grow, the pace of innovation increases and data growth becomes exponential, the traditional IT methods are becoming obsolete. The artificial intelligence cloud solutions, on the other hand, hold the potential to cater to the rising demands in light of its key benefits, namely, support to mainstream AI frameworks, management tools, integration with PaaS, and GPU-optimized infrastructure. 

Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cloud computing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud computing are two rapidly evolving technologies that are driving innovation across industries. The role of AI in cloud computing is significant and can be seen in the following ways:

  1. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL): Cloud computing provides the necessary infrastructure for the training and deployment of ML and DL models. The scalability and flexibility of cloud computing make it ideal for running complex AI algorithms and analyzing vast amounts of data.
  • Natural language processing (NLP): Cloud-based NLP services, such as chatbots and voice assistants, are powered by AI technologies. These services provide a more personalized and conversational experience to users.
  • Predictive analytics: Cloud-based predictive analytics tools use AI algorithms to analyze historical data and make predictions about future trends. This helps organizations make informed decisions and improve their business outcomes.
  • Intelligent automation: Cloud computing can enable intelligent automation by combining AI technologies with robotic process automation (RPA) tools. This can help organizations automate repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and improve efficiency.
  • Security: AI-powered security solutions can analyze vast amounts of data to identify and respond to potential security threats. Cloud computing provides the necessary infrastructure for these solutions to run effectively.

Overall, the role of AI in cloud computing is to provide organizations with the necessary tools and infrastructure to leverage the power of AI technologies to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and enhance user experiences.

Integrating AI Cloud Solutions to Business Process

Leveraging AI cloud solutions needs key prerequisites in the business environment. The cost-advantage assessment of implementing AI cloud solutions requires a necessary undertaking considering the business processes. The procedures deemed to benefit from AI pose implications on processes circling them, in turn rendering the holistic and flow-on analysis of AI cloud implementation constructive.

Seamless integration of technological development with existing programming languages, input/output needs, and process infrastructures is a must. The design might start with defining the inputs and desired outputs. This can be facilitated by choosing an adapted solution around these definitions for ensuring the coherence of the end result and desired value gain.

Transformation Continues

The interplay of cloud computing and AI is yet at a nascent phase, however, the changes are significant and at a progressive pace. Organizations must be prepared for the waves generated by the cloud and AI combination, as evolution is promising. 

The risk of unforeseen downsides remains linked with the reality of new technologies and necessary measures are yet to be developed to combat the same. Organizations must prepare for both – good as well as the bad – imminent outcomes, which in turn will make addressing any issue a more head-on process.

Cloud Storage to Replace the Aging On-Prem Gear

Posted on by Team Cloudlytics

Cloud storage is becoming an integral part of our lives, replacing the conventional ways of storing information. It is a bundle of hard drives and enables access to data as long as the business with a service provider is intact. This has created the urge to preserve the ability to read or convert outdated formats and maintain the continuity of access.

Although cloud storage is gradually replacing the on-prem, the dependency on flash drives and hard drives are here to stay for a while for most of the data storage requirements. Slow internet and limited storage are primary reasons behind this dependency. As the time required to download or upload data from the internet points at the discrepancy in the main motive of cloud storage – easy accessibility,  high-speed internet for faster access to data is the need of the hour.

To get a pulse on, cloud storage is the onus of IT professionals working for SMEs and international companies alike. It’s plausible that several companies are adopting the cloud to get rid of the complexities and costs associated with the equipment. The storage on cloud is poised to showcase a smooth take-off soon and the following are key reasons that are boosting its adoption among enterprises worldwide.

Growing Reliance on the Internet

The consumption rate of the internet has increased manifold in recent years and access to the internet is now available 24/7. The proliferation of the internet alludes to a promising future for cloud computing, and thereby cloud storage. The data storage practices are becoming more convenient, which range from sending files through WhatsApp to writing stories on cloud platforms such as Google Docs.

Aging On-Premises Gear

As the storage technology continues to advance at a breakneck pace, price performance and storage density numbers have seen a marked rise in the recent past. This will soon make the on-premises gear obsolete, before its complete depreciation. Several businesses latch onto underperforming storage platforms in the hope of leveraging their capital investments. However, application performance and business agility are impaired by outdated storage solutions. Cloud storage eliminates these issues and enables recouping capital outlays while keeping pace with innovation.

Security and Compliance

IT organizations worldwide face intricacy in ensuring compliance and data security abreast of evolving government regulations. Protecting confidential customer data from unauthorized access and disclosure is the need of the hour for several institutions and businesses. It is also important for organizations to preserve records of data for a long time. Cloud storage promises extreme data security, integrity, and durability, which in turn is significantly complementing its adoption.

Easy Accessibility

There are many cases where the documents prepared for projects cannot be accessed due to loss of flash drive. The roleplay of the cloud here is pleasing, as the documents are stored in the email that has been sent to the respective authority. With cloud storage, accessing data is a piece of cake and all one needs is the internet.

The Future of Cybersecurity Lies in Cloud Computing

Posted on by Varoon Rajani

One might think intuitively that their hardware is more dependable than the cloud. Although this is true in some limited use-cases, the cloud will be your best bid for cybersecurity soon. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have for long overshadowed most organizations on the cybersecurity front, as these technology giants are capable of recruiting the best talent for securing their operations.

The trend of digital transformation continues to disrupt the IT industry. The growing shift of businesses to cloud computing has led to the adoption of security solutions to keep cyberattacks in check. Cybersecurity is currently the buzzword in the cloud computing landscape, where businesses are in a constant strive to protect their network and systems from fraudulent attacks.

Cybersecurity is about ensuring ready availability of data, let alone providing access to business applications & data and protection against threats. Keeping the data safe while simultaneously accessing it has become a paramount emphasis for organizations at present. This is where the subset of cybersecurity and cloud computing is birthed, called cloud security. As cloud implementations surge, businesses are fast migrating to the cloud and cybersecurity has become an integral part of the process to ensure data security and accessibility.

Key Insights

  • The Interplay of Cloud Computing and Security

The conversations around security are spreading fast as cloud computing reforms the technology landscape. Cloud computing and security have been eminent technology areas. The next-generation enterprises are directing their focus to the workforce, procurement, and security to promote cloud adoption, even while pushing for a robust cyber posture. However, the execution of the cloud-first strategy plays a far greater role.

  • The Wave of Web Application Attacks

Cybersecurity’s future lies where the risk dwells, and the risk is scorching from the network and infrastructure to web applications. Websites have evolved from being mere marketing sites outsourced to be the primary platform of customer base expansion and interaction for businesses.

At present, the core business differentiator being delivered is via software that comprises customer data, making web applications the largest business asset of an organization and most appealing to attackers. As web applications are currently the most common vector for data breaches, the adoption of cybersecurity is an unsaid mandate for enterprises.

  • Containers – Must-Have Yet Vulnerable

Vulnerabilities in container software are increasing manifolds as the adoption of cloud ceaselessly skyrockets. One of the most concerning areas in cloud computing is the race among attackers to devise an exploit before launching a triumphant attack on a container. Containers have a greater quotient of being quickly replication, compared to other technologies, and the attack footprint expands rapidly with an increasingly high number of victims.

Additionally, containers are touted as the next metamorphosis of cloud computing, replacing the traditional VMs architecture – the foundation of most enterprise cloud offerings. With container vulnerabilities on the rise, it is imperative for enterprise IT teams to adopt management tools for automating security of the containers to stave off massive breaches in record time.

Cloud computing is that inflection point in the IT industry where cybersecurity has a crucial role to play in protecting business data and infrastructure. Organizations must make it a priority for cybersecurity starting right from the moment of making decisions over choosing their cloud vendor. And with Cloudlytics, your search ends!

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