There is a new term
emerging in the world of cloud computing: 'cloud sprawl’. It is a term being used to describe current
conditions in which organisations have multiple cloud environments all in place
simultaneously, with each one including multiple instances of virtualisation. The principle of cloud sprawl is based on the
municipal planning concept of urban sprawl; it denotes growth that is quickly
getting out of control.
The early days of cloud computing
were marred by excessive capacity and not enough personnel and systems to
properly manage it all. Despite fairly
rapid adoption in North America, Europe was not as quick to catch on because of
the implied weaknesses of the system. Things
are now much improved thanks to better management however some experts fear the
principle of cloud sprawl could tip things back in the other direction.
For example, a company
working with its own enterprise server may no longer have just one cloud. In fact, most do not. Most have multiple cloud environments used to
serve different groups of people; for example, they might have a private cloud
for company employers and vendors and a completely separate cloud for the
general public. Driving these
multi-cloud environments is a new love of distributed computer systems.
Another potential problem
is one of new cloud administrators being given a piece of new technology and
running wild with it, only to find that things get out of hand very quickly. Those concerned with cloud sprawl say now is
the time to get control of cloud environments before these become completely
unmanageable. It is something that needs
to be dealt with at data centres and corporate IT facilities alike.
The Cloud Is Here To Stay
It would appear as though
the cloud is here to stay. There was
some speculation a few years ago, but the broad adoption of cloud computing has
pretty much cemented its place in the world of Internet technology. Furthermore, Internet use is only going to
expand as we move into the future. It is
not likely the global community can reach its goal of worldwide Internet access
without continuing to utilise the cloud for everything from web-based
applications to IT services. It is what
it is.
Having said that, as long
as web administrators are going to begin thinking of ways to attack cloud
sprawl, an equal amount of attention needs to be paid to on-demand Internet. It is the insatiable thirst for streaming data
and real-time applications that are driving the need for ever-increasing
speeds. Any methodologies put in place
to control cloud sprawl have to be measured against the ability to provide for
the world's on-demand needs.
It is an exciting time to
be part of the world of data centres and cloud computing. As with the entrepreneurs of the early
industrial age, those of us involved in developing the future of the Internet
face a daunting world of exciting challenges. Only time will tell where we end up…
Source: Data Centre Knowledge – http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2014/10/28/cloud-sprawl-problem-many-clouds
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