Evolving the Cloud

Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: Doug Bonderud.

Although often misunderstood, cloud computing ultimately relies on the same technological underpinnings as traditional server and storage options. While software, platforms and even infrastructure are farmed out to third-party providers, their ability to operate efficiently is constrained by the same physical laws as those which govern local server stacks. IT professionals and service providers, therefore, both have a vested interest in making the best use of the physical hardware available – and that means thinking outside the power box.

Keeping Costs Down
One of the most-touted benefits of cloud computing is reduced cost. By offloading server management to a public or hybrid providers, admins can save themselves the price of hardware upgrades, and bypass the costs of local energy. This can result in a significant savings over time, but represents only a transfer of responsibilities, rather than a re-imagining – the price of running multiple servers still exists; it is simply split between multiple users…

For IT professionals, defrayed operating expenditures (OpEx) which offset the need for regular capital expenditures (CapEx) are often worth it, since they eliminate the need for server migrations and lower the possibility of legacy system conflicts. For cloud providers, however – or admins who choose private cloud alternatives – this isn’t enough. Fortunately, an environmental evolution is at hand…

Read more from the source @ http://www.sys-con.com/node/2673760