Cloud computing has become the backbone of modern businesses and for some good reasons.
The flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of cloud solutions make them indispensable for organizations of all sizes.
Singapore is well-prepared to shift to a cloud-based economy, with high cloud adoption. Today, 64 per cent of businesses use some form of cloud technology, up from 34 per cent in 2014.
However, managing cloud infrastructure can be complex, particularly when multiple clouds (public, private, or hybrid) are in use.
That’s where cloud management comes into play. This guide will take you through the basics of cloud management, its benefits, and how to implement it in your organization effectively.
What is Cloud Management?
Cloud management is overseeing and optimizing the use of one or more cloud platforms within an organization. Whether it’s a private cloud (owned and operated internally), a public cloud (provided by third parties like AWS or Google Cloud), or a hybrid cloud (a combination of both), cloud management ensures resources are used efficiently. It involves:
- Monitoring cloud resources and performance
- Automating tasks like workload balancing and data storage
- Managing costs to avoid overspending
- Ensuring compliance with company policies and legal standards
With most businesses moving some, if not all, of their IT infrastructure to the cloud, having a cloud management strategy is vital. Such a strategy helps organizations make informed decisions about how and when to use cloud-based services to optimize performance and minimize costs.
Why Cloud Management Matters
Without proper cloud management, organizations can easily overspend on cloud resources or suffer from inefficiencies due to underutilization. As businesses grow and scale, the complexity of managing multiple cloud environments increases. Cloud management platforms provide IT teams with the tools needed to:
- Track and analyze cloud usage
- Automate the distribution of workloads across multiple clouds
- Keep cloud costs in check
A well-structured cloud management approach is essential for businesses to get the most out of their cloud investments.
How Cloud Management Works
Cloud management involves using specialized software tools that help businesses monitor, control, and optimize their cloud usage. These solutions collect information regarding cloud usage, which aids businesses in strategically allocating resources and workloads.
Private vs. Public Clouds
- Private Cloud: Companies using private clouds need tools that allow their IT teams to manage resources internally. These tools help allocate storage, computing power, and other resources efficiently. They also allow businesses to predict demand spikes and scale up resources as needed without overloading the system.
- Public Cloud: Public cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure typically offer basic management tools. However, businesses often need third-party solutions to handle more complex tasks like workload balancing across multiple clouds or gaining deeper insights into performance.
Multi-Cloud Environments
Many organizations today use a multi-cloud environment, which involves using multiple public and private clouds. In such a setup, cloud management tools become even more critical. IT administrators can use these technologies to determine which workloads can be moved to public clouds and which should be stored in private clouds. This balance ensures optimal performance while keeping costs down.
Key Areas of Cloud Management
Platforms for cloud management fall into several major categories, each focusing on a distinct facet of cloud infrastructure management:
- Cloud Data Management
This aspect of cloud management focuses on automating the backup and recovery of data. A well-executed disaster recovery plan ensures that critical business data is safe, even in the event of cloud service outages or cyberattacks. Cloud data management tools help businesses automate the process of backing up data and restoring it when necessary.
- Cloud Content Management
Not all data needs to be immediately accessible. Some can be archived or stored in lower-cost clouds. Cloud content management tools help businesses determine where to store their data based on how often it is accessed, ensuring that archived content doesn’t unnecessarily occupy expensive cloud resources.
- Cloud Application Management
Cloud-native applications are designed to scale easily across cloud environments. Cloud application management tools monitor these applications, ensuring they are running smoothly and scaling up or down based on demand. This helps maintain performance without over-provisioning resources.
Benefits of Cloud Management
An effective cloud management strategy comes with a wide range of benefits. It enables businesses to make the most of their cloud resources while keeping costs in check. Here are some of the key advantages:
- Optimized Cloud Strategy
Cloud management tools provide detailed insights into how workloads and applications are performing across different cloud platforms. By analyzing this data, organizations can create an optimized cloud strategy that balances the use of public, private, and hybrid clouds based on their specific needs.
- Automated Workflows
One of the significant advantages of cloud management is the ability to automate tasks. For instance, during peak usage times, cloud management platforms can automatically shift workloads from private clouds to public clouds, ensuring resources are not overburdened. This reduces downtime and improves efficiency.
- Cost Control
Cloud costs can quickly spiral out of control if not managed properly. Cloud management tools provide visibility into how cloud resources are being used. This way, organizations can identify underutilized resources and eliminate wasteful spending. Additionally, these tools can monitor usage patterns and predict future costs, helping businesses budget more effectively.
- Compliance and Security
Cloud management platforms also help ensure compliance with regulatory standards and company policies. These tools can detect cloud configurations that violate compliance policies and recommend changes. Furthermore, they help monitor security vulnerabilities, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected.
What Should a Cloud Management Platform Do?
When choosing a cloud management platform, businesses need to look for specific features to ensure they are getting the most out of their cloud infrastructure. Here’s what a good cloud management platform should offer:
- Visibility into Cloud Usage
A comprehensive cloud management platform should provide detailed visibility into how cloud resources are being used across all environments. This includes tracking performance, identifying bottlenecks, and showing underutilized resources. Such visibility helps organizations make informed decisions about where to place workloads and how to allocate resources.
- Cost Optimization
Cloud management platforms should help businesses track cloud spending in real-time. They should highlight areas where resources are being wasted and suggest optimizations to reduce costs.
- Performance Monitoring
Effective cloud management platforms monitor the performance of cloud-based applications and infrastructure. They detect issues like slowdowns or downtime, providing alerts so IT teams can address problems before they affect end users.
- Security and Compliance
With the increasing threat of cyberattacks, security is a critical component of cloud management. A cloud management platform should help businesses identify security vulnerabilities, monitor compliance with regulations, and ensure that all cloud configurations meet company standards.
The Role of Third-Party Cloud Management Providers
Managing a cloud environment, especially a multi-cloud one, requires a specialized skill set. Not all organizations have the in-house expertise needed to handle complex cloud management tasks. In such cases, partnering with external cloud service providers can be a valuable option. These third-party providers offer cloud management as a service. They help businesses monitor their cloud environments, optimize costs, and maintain security.
Conclusion
Cloud management is essential for any organization that uses cloud services, whether it’s a single public cloud or a complex multi-cloud environment. By implementing a robust cloud management strategy, businesses can optimize their cloud usage, control costs, improve performance, and ensure compliance with security standards.
As cloud technology continues to evolve, cloud management platforms will become even more crucial for organizations looking to stay competitive and efficient. Whether managed in-house or with the help of third-party providers, cloud management enables organizations to harness the full potential of the cloud, driving growth and innovation.