Project Description
Examining the Merits of a Migration to Cloud Services for Don & Associates
Statement of Need
Don and Associates is a financial consulting company providing services to small and medium-sized companies. They are looking to expand their locations better to serve the Northeast region of the United States. Specific areas of concern include the operational cost of expansion, maintenance, and space. Accordingly, this document will address whether a move to cloud computing is a viable solution to address the need for infrastructure at Don & Associates.
Cloud Service Providers
There are three types of cloud computing services available to Don & Associates. Private cloud services are used only by a single business and offer better customization and flexibility (Raza, 2020). Public cloud services are owned by a separate entity but tend to be cheaper (Raza, 2020). Hybrid cloud services combine private and public servers, whereby the company has a private infrastructure to benefit from other networks (Raza, 2020).
Three primary cloud providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure. Since 2006, AWS boasts the largest user base and has reported high levels of trust and reliability. Moreover, AWS offers a robust firewall system, access control, and data encryption (Amazon, n.d.). GCP supports open-source developments and offers advanced machine learning, artificial learning, and a friendly user experience (Google, n.d.). Microsoft Azure operates with extant hardware and supports all programming languages but lacks autonomy (Microsoft, n.d.). AWS and GCP are commonly used for organizations of all sizes, whereas Microsoft Azure is more often used with small to medium-sized companies.
Recommended Plan
It is recommended that Don & Associates implement a hybrid cloud computing service. This would meet their primary needs since the company operates networks and servers, and other technology infrastructures. It is noted that Don & Associates are concerned about costs of equipment, maintenance, and space. The hybrid cloud computing service addresses this concern since it expands on the existing private infrastructure. That is, the public cloud adds to the current private cloud and expands in a cost-efficient way. Notably, only those with the requisite authorization have access to the information needed from the hybrid cloud, thereby keeping sensitive data in the on-site private infrastructure (Sampera, 2021).
VMWare Cloud on AMS is the recommended cloud service, offered by Amazon to help Don & Associates expand its on-site infrastructure. As outlined by Burt (2020), VMWare Cloud optimizes the costs of operating consistent and seamless hybrid cloud environments. This is because it does not require custom hardware nor involve modifying any applications during the transition to the hybrid cloud model (Burt, 2020).
Impact of Recommended Plan
Since Don & Associates already operates a private model, the migration process is likely to be relatively seamless. Employees should continue using their files, mainly if the process is undertaken after-hours (such as on weekends or at night). Given the concern about cost efficiency, it is essential to note that this hybrid model is cheaper while still offering privacy and security. There is the potential risk of latency, though this is common to any online cloud application (Cook, 2020). Also, the application design and architecture may not be entirely compatible with the distributed cloud architecture. If this is the case, it would require some modifications before migrating to the cloud (Cook, 2020).
References
Amazon. (n.d.). What is AWS? https://aws.amazon.com/what-is-aws/
Burt, J. (2020). The growing dependence of vmware on AWS. The Next Platform. https://www.nextplatform.com/2020/07/20/the-growing-dependence-of-vmware-on-aws/
Cook, J. (2020). Cloud migration risks and benefits. Cloud Academy. https://cloudacademy.com/blog/cloud-migration-benefits-risks/
Google. (n.d.). Google cloud. https://cloud.google.com/
Microsoft. (n.d.). Microsoft azure. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-ca/
Raza, M. (2020). Public vs private vs hybrid: Cloud differences explained. BMC Blogs. https://www.bmc.com/blogs/public-private-hybrid-cloud/
Sampera, E. (2021). The 5 benefits of the hybrid cloud for businesses. VxChange. https://www.vxchnge.com/blog/benefits-hybrid-cloud
