LAST weekend I was approached again with the question "I want to shift my existing business into a "Private Cloud", can I shift my existing server and data?" I wish the answer is a simple yes or no, but I told the truth; "it depends on what you have purchased before your decision, and your actual usage".
Saving costs by relocation of the server function is a great idea so I have prepared this checklist to ready for cost reduction.
Current server operating system:
* Linux - easier to relocate; and
* Microsoft - check your licence.
Linux is easy to relocate, we look at the next question. If your Microsoft ® license is an OEM (eriginal equipment manufacturer), the licence is locked to the piece of metal (server) that you use. It cannot be shifted onto any other device, so when the hardware dies, or reaches end of life the "software licence is killed". Hardware suppliers profit by selling the "OEM licence" saving you a few dollars today, costing you more tomorrow. The rule is simple "Server dies, software licence is killed". The result is forcing you to purchase a new software license at each physical replacement. To be very clear, this type of OEM license is not suitable for any Cloud hosting service.
A Microsoft "Volume Licence" is transferrable to any physical device (Server) that you wish to use, even your private cloud. A "Volume license" may cost you a little more but the hardware is not "licensed to kill the software". To be clear, volume licence is easy to relocate into your private cloud without new costs.
Branch access
Once you know the operating system, decide which branches or offices will have access to the data. The office location and usage will determine hosting location (where the virtual server will reside).
Physical location consideration includes internet response times between your main office, branches and the hosting location. If you select the lowest cost location (with poor communications) the end experience will be slow and poor. I always recommend a location "well connected to the branches and head office". We normally test best location with a communication sample tool during the analysis stage.
Function
Next we consider the function of the application or program. (what you use it for). Look closely at any large search function may transfer a high volume of data during the search Examples include; customer database, stock and shipping data. To prevent performance disappointment I recommend;
- Contacting the application provider verifying the application is suitable for remote hosting.
- Test and pilot before deciding to relocate data intensive programs.
High-risk relocation includes "database search intensive" applications.
Application in the Cloud
Many applications now have a cloud version, with some offering some transfer or migration path that you can utilise. Instead of 'relocate your server" you could shift your business usage, however most times this service is a "Public Cloud" not a "Private Cloud". Remember your business security requirements.
Hybrid
Relocating your server from a physical server into a cloud service, is transferring from "on premise" to "off premise". Sometimes planning includes an intermediary step of a hybrid, where you have a mixture of "on premise and off premise" for a year or two, before all service is changed.
Best preparation
The biggest shift, "on premise hardware, is now viewed as a commodity ù not a necessity". Before purchasing any new hardware, consider the OEM "licence to kill" as a loaded gun. Calculate your total savings over a five-year period. Even if you do not use Cloud products now, there is a high probability you will within the next three years so be prepared.
* Kelvin Davis is the director of Greymouse, an Australian controlled Cloud provider supplying high quality, time bound and cost effective services through its own off-shoring facility in the South Pacific.