• Cloud broker functions: Organizational vs. enabling technology
• A new Cloud Broker Reference Model (CB-RM)
• Whether or not a Cloud brokering approach is right for you
• The duties, functions, and capacities of a Cloud broker
• Cloud brokering best practices and implementation guidance
• The actions to take toward implementing a Cloud broker strategy

Download the supporting whitepaper – Brokering Your Way to Cloud Computing Success.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

If you have not yet read the previous two posts, catch up on The Cloud: Problem and Solution and Cloud Brokering and Market Place Functions.

Cloud abstraction and integration capabilities are essential for establishing a multi-Cloud or hybrid Cloud environment whereby multiple Cloud provider services can be accessed in a unified manner, via a set of abstracted Cloud APIs. Cloud abstraction and integration help provide a common development environment for application developers to build Cloud-based applications using abstracted APIs, which eliminate the need to work with vendor-specific APIs. Applications developed using this abstracted API model will be loosely coupled to Cloud provider APIs, which will allow Cloud services to be swapped without breaking the functionality of the business application. This helps insulate applications from technology, service, and SLA changes on the provider side.

A key requirement of a Cloud broker is its ability to integrate multiple Cloud providers, and their respective Cloud services, into a service catalog such that the collection of cloud services is aggregated into an integrated master service catalog. This capability is used to establish a multi-Cloud or hybrid Cloud marketplace. This service aggregation function is a key attribute of Cloud brokers.

Perhaps more critical is the abstraction capabilities of the broker to connect with multiple Cloud providers–both public and private–and allow their Cloud services to be accessed and consumed in a consistent way by developers without having to deal with the differences of providers and their respective Cloud management APIs. This functionality is referred to as a “Cloud abstraction layer.” The Cloud broker abstraction services will enable the developers to easily swap out backend Cloud services without disrupting front end applications based on functionality or price, in an arbitrage model. Cloud abstraction layers are developed and deployed to enable an enterprise to consume Cloud services from multiple Cloud service providers, irrespective of the differences in APIs used by provider to expose their Cloud services. The Cloud abstraction layer’s primary purpose is to abstract the API differences from various Cloud providers such that cloud solutions can be created in a multi-cloud environment.

A Cloud Broker platform essentially serves as the Cloud abstraction layer by virtue of integrating with multiple providers and private Cloud frameworks or stacks, thereby enabling a multi-Cloud environment to be established such that the provider APIs, although vastly different and incompatible, can be accessed in a common fashion via a Command Line Interface, management console, or user interface. There are many Cloud abstraction layers available in the Open Source community, as well as from Cloud vendors, such as Apache Libcloud, Apache Jclouds, Delta Cloud, and Simple Cloud. There are many others in this dynamic category of Cloud middleware technology.

It should also be noted that Cloud management platforms and technologies also offer the ability to implement a multi-Cloud abstraction layer in which vendor APIs are abstracted from consumers, enabling Cloud services to be consumed in a common orchestrated fashion without having to deal with provider-specific APIs and management consoles. Cloud abstraction layers, Cloud integration tools, and Cloud management platforms are converging in capabilities and functionality.

For more information on Cloud brokering strategy and philosophy, join the live webinar, Brokering Your Way to Cloud Computing Success, on Thursday, August 21:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/REGISTER/416594561

If you have not yet read the previous post, The Cloud: Problem and Solution, catch up here.

Cloud broker capability provides the functionality to establish and conduct Cloud marketplace activities, including providing a self-service portal, a Cloud service catalog, enabling pricing and comparisons of Cloud services, and facilitating the consumption of Cloud services by application developers and other Cloud consumers. The brokering and marketplace capabilities are centered on enabling Cloud resource consumption by current and potential consumers via permission or role-based access to various Cloud services by pre-established purchasing or buying limits. Creating such a multi-Cloud marketplace enables comparisons of more-or-less equivalent Cloud services by provider, by configuration and by technology such that consumers are empowered to select the Cloud services that best meet their business and technical needs.

Cloud brokering and marketplace capabilities are core functions that Cloud brokers are expected to provide out of the box to support the business and operating model of a brokered Cloud operating model. The following functionality is expected to be provided:

• Establish a Cloud computing marketplace and ecosystem that connects Cloud consumers and Cloud providers via a transparent, unified, aggregated service marketplace
• Provide a self-service portal for Cloud services
• Provide a service catalog that integrates / aggregates the Cloud services from multiple service providers
• Enable service comparisons, pricing comparisons, generation of IT bill of materials
• Enable service arbitrage by moving workloads from one provider to another provider’s equivalent service to reap cost savings
• Support reservation and spot buy modes of service consumption
• Support metering, billing and accounting, usage metrics, and financial accounting function
• Provide reporting, dashboard and metrics of service consumption, availability, and more

These requirements are all based on the necessary functionality to enable an organization to become a Cloud Broker or broker/provider to a target marketplace of Cloud consumers. These functional capabilities of the broker platform provide key business and market place functions that implement the desired Cloud business and operating model. For more information on Cloud brokering strategy and philosophy, join the live webinar, Brokering Your Way to Cloud Computing Success, on Thursday, August 21^st: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/416594561

Cloud computing adoption is accelerating as Cloud enablement technologies, Cloud management tools, and Cloud application development frameworks mature. As organizations consider their own Cloud adoption roadmaps, they must understand the various Cloud enablement technologies and how they enable different Cloud value propositions to be achieved. Private Cloud technologies, public Cloud services, and the integration and aggregation tools for both to enable hybrid Clouds or multi-Cloud deployments continue to rapidly evolve. However, Cloud management APIs are not converging, and industry standards are trailing industry innovation, making the multi-Cloud deployment the rule rather than the exception. Some organizations are turning to the concept of a Cloud broker to help navigate this dynamic Cloud computing environment.

The Cloud Problem: Consuming Multi-Cloud Services

The problem is not the Cloud delivery model, which is being quite well done by Amazon, Google, Rackspace, Microsoft and a host of others. The real problem is enabling business capabilities to be performed faster, better, and cheaper via the consumption of Cloud services. For certain business capabilities, this means being able to develop new business applications and new products and services faster, better and cheaper via the consumption of Cloud services. Enabling faster application development (Cloud services consumption) using Cloud services provided by multiple Cloud providers is a major driver of Cloud services consumption by today’s enterprises. That’s not to say the other strategic objectives from Cloud computing are not equally important, such as reducing IT costs, implementing an asset light IT infrastructure delivery model, and achieving business agility through Cloud services. However, it is becoming more common to implement a multi-Cloud strategy to achieve these objectives.

If you are only consuming Amazon Web services, Google Cloud services, or other Cloud services, your consumption challenges are most likely fairly minimal. You can use their services, their management tools, and their orchestration templates to build applications on their Cloud services and achieve most of your Cloud computing objectives. However, if your Cloud strategy is to consume services from multiple Cloud providers, then you will have to approach your Cloud strategy differently. More than likely, some form of Cloud brokering middleware will be necessary.

Cloud Broker Defined

A Cloud broker has two broad meanings: A Cloud broker on one hand is an organizational function, whereby an organizational entity provides intermediation services between Cloud providers and Cloud consumers such that there is added value in the brokering function. This is Cloud Broker with a capital “B.” A Cloud broker on the other hand is a class of enabling technologies that enable Cloud services to be accessed from multiple Cloud providers, via a brokering platform, such that Cloud services consumption is simplified by virtue of the Cloud brokering technology and capabilities. This is a Cloud broker with a lower case “b.” The illustration below conceptualizes the Cloud broker model as comprised equally of an organizational function and an enabling technology.

For more information on Cloud brokering strategy and philosophy, join the live webinar, Brokering Your Way to Cloud Computing Success, on Thursday, August 21^st: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/416594561  

To download the companion whitepaper, please click here. 

The challenges posed by the Next Generation IT Architecture are many.  However, the biggest challenge facing CIOs today is the fact that this architecture is already here.  It is not the future, but today’s current situation.  The future has already happened; you just did not know it. .  Achieving this this vision of the Next Generation IT Architecture can be dealt with in two ways:  

1. You can let it happen to you, driven by your millennial employees or millennial customers.  (By the way, they are already using this architecture, both at work and on Sunday.)
2. Or, you can aggressively embrace this IT architecture, and provide it to your customers and internal customers. 

— Excerpted from “The IT Platform of the Future” by Eric Marks, President and CEO of AgilePath

Clearly, #2 is the way to ensure that your enterprise IT will continue to grow and thrive for years to come. You know that embracing this new IT architecture on your own terms is essential to the enduring health of your enterprise. But but where do you start?

Begin by downloading the AgilePath whitepaper “The IT Platform of the Future.” In this whitepaper, we explore the genesis of change in today’s Information Technology industry and why this new IT architecture is so important.  We must understand the value proposition associated with these new computing and communications capabilities, and what the implications for both Commercial and Public Sector enterprises.

Download Here

Next, for a closer look at this new IT architecture and a chance to ask AgilePath CEO Eric Marks your questions, tune into our upcoming webinar “The Next Generation of IT Architecture” on May 16 at 12 p.m. EDT.  Use the link below to reserve your spot now.

Register Here

Adapting to this new IT architecture landscape is essential, and we hope that these resources can help guide you during this major transition. If you would like to speak with an AgilePath consultant about the unique concerns of your IT environment, call us at 978.462.5737 or email us at info@agile-path.com.

• Social media
• Cloud computing
• Big Data
• Mobile technology

The shift to these technologies presents nearly limitless opportunities to enterprises, but is accompanied by several challenges.  These range from addressing Enterprise and Consumer requirements, governing and securing the new IT architecture, and harnessing the skills and capabilities necessary to complete and survive based on these new technologies.  As enterprises integrate social media, Cloud computing, Big Data, and mobile into their legacy Enterprise Architectures and business models, they must consider the following challenges:

Navigating the Enterprise-Consumer Continuum:  The Enterprise-Consumer continuum highlights the challenge of providing a user experience that is rich, social and engaging, while ensuring that the enterprise and enterprise data assets is secure. The Enterprise-Consumer continuum examines the tension between end-user and consumer requirements, as compared to the requirements and needs of  Commercial or Public Sector enterprises. Enterprises must find ways to support the engagement architecture needs of RDAC customers and employees, while meeting the needs of the enterprise.  This tension will be a persistent challenge with accelerating adoption of these technologies.

Balancing Governance, Security, Risk and Control with Enablement and Access:  The IT organization of today cannot say “no” to the enchroasment of mobile, social, Cloud and Big Data.  The IT organization, and its IT architecture, must enable the rich media consumer experience from Sunday evening to be experienced Monday through Friday during the typical work week.  Governance models, policies and processes must be updated to allow access to these contemporary technologies while maintaining security. Finding the balance between Governance and control as opposed to enablement and access is going to be challenging.

Engaging with Consumer Technology Firms from an Enterprise IT Architecture Perspective:  Corporate enterprises must be prepared to acquire and implement enterprise-class capabilities from Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon., even though these technologies are not typically considered “enterprise-class” solutions.  IT organizations must quickly find ways to evaluate and insert these new technologies into the enterprise IT baselines, while providing governance, security and trust that these technologies will not expose the enterprise to additional risk.  On the other hand, IT must have processes to evaluate the relative risk to the benefits offered by these new technologies as well.

Integrating the new (Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon) with the old (SAP, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft):  Enterprises must also determine how they will integrate these next generation technology solutions into the existing IT architecture.  What is needed is a next Generation Enterprise Integration model that will address how to integrate diverse capabilities from today’s titans of technology with the legacy infrastructure and application portfolio you are dealing with today. This will not be an easy challenge, and will require a blend of traditional enterprise integration approaches, plus Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) on steroids, or a Next Gen SOA framework that will simplify the integration of these diverse technologies.  Next Gen SOA and API Management will be essential for the smooth adoption and integration of Next Generation IT Architecture capabilities.

To explore these topics and more, download our whitepaper “The IT Platform of the Future.” 

Next generation IT architecture will also be the topic of our next webinar, which will be held on May 9 at 12 p.m. EDT. Reserve your spot by registering now.  

Register for the “Legacy Portfolio Migration in the Age of Cloud Computing” webinar now. 

When the legacy portfolio is opened and analyzed, the contents may be surprising. A legacy portfolio contains more than just applications.  It also includes legacy data and integrations that have evolved over the years to help stitch the enterprise systems and processes together. When evaluating the legacy application portfolio for modernization options, there is a range of “generic” choices available, as illustrated on the Legacy Portfolio Modernization Curve below:

The Legacy Portfolio Modernization Curve is segmented into the following categories:

• Retire:  This portion of the legacy portfolio can simply be retired because the applications are no longer in use.

• Rationalize/Consolidate: There is an opportunity to rationalize the multiple functionally duplicate applications and consolidate the users onto one application platform, saving support costs, license fees, and infrastructure costs.
• Replace with COTS/GOTS:  Custom-developed, homegrown code that can be replaced by equivalent commercial off the shelf (COTS) or government off the shelf (GOTS) solutions.
• The “Dangerous Middle”:  This segment of the legacy application portfolio needs further analysis because of technology complexities, business or mission criticality, or other risk factors. We call this the “Dangerous Middle,” because the risks associated with these applications are enough to merit a cautious approach for these applications.  Based on the various risks, there is a range of options to consider for “Dangerous Middle” applications.

Options for “Dangerous Middle” applications

• Rewrite/Refactor
• Replatform
• Service-Refactor (via SOA-based approach)
• Service-Wrapper/Exposure (via SOA-based approach)
• Virtualize (preparatory for Cloud migration)
• Do Nothing – Too Risky, Costly or Complex

These dangerous middle applications are among the major cost drivers of the legacy portfolio, because there are no easy or obvious modernization choices, and almost of the options require significant investment, and expose the organization’ to the various risk factors.

• Do Nothing:  This category of applications are either too risky to meddle with or very recent additions to the portfolio.  In either case, the migration decision is the same – do nothing for the time being.

These “generic” legacy portfolio migration options provide an overall perspective across the legacy portfolio, independent of specific migration scenarios or target technologies such as Cloud, Mobile, Big Data, Service-Oriented Architecture, and others.

This post is adapted from the AgilePath whitepaper “Legacy Portfolio Modernization in the Age of Cloud Computing.”   This exclusive whitepaper will become available on ___ in conjunction with the AgilePath webinar of the same title. AgilePath President and CEO Eric Marks, the author of the whitepaper, will detail the challenges faced by IT executives and offer solutions for legacy portfolio migration/modernization.

Click below to register for the webinar and pre-order your exclusive copy of “Legacy Portfolio Modernization in the Age of Cloud Computing” by Eric Marks, President and CEO of AgilePath.

Register for the webinar now

Available from Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook and other cool and fun technology companies!

The IT architecture of the future is here.

This certainly was not imagined by CIOs and CTOs and Chief Architects of major corporate enterprises. Quite the opposite. The IT architecture of the future has been imposed upon major enterprises by the forces of change and innovation beyond the control of the IT organizations of those enterprises.  The IT architecture of today is being driven from the outside-in, from customers and employees, from innovations in the Commercial technology world, and from forces of IT innovation and change.

 The drivers of the new IT architecture are varied and diverse, but powerful.

This newley released white paper will assist in understanding why this new IT architecture is so important and will explore the genesis of change in today’s Information Technology industry.

This whitepaper will cover the following:

*The Value Proposition

*Trends and Drivers of the New IT Architecture

* The Next Generation of IT Architecture

*The Major Components of the Next Generation Architecture

*The Enterprise Enablement Architecture

*The Next Generation Integration Services Architecture

*The Roadmap to the Next Generation IT Architecture

This whitepaper provides a vision of your imminent IT future.  However, what should be clear is that the future has already happened. This is really your current situation.  Your customers, employees and internal customers are already using this IT architecture at home, at work, or on the way home from work, in its entirety or in part, every day.  The fundamental question is as follows:  When will you adopt it as your corporate Enterprise IT Architecture that will enable your business to innovate and thrive in the next decade?

Remember, the value of the Next Generation IT Architecture is measured, from an end user’s perspective, in Five Minute increments, or the time it takes to download a new app from the Apple iStore, or the time it takes to provision a public Cloud service from Amazon.  Can you afford to wait another five minutes to act?

Download White Paper: http://www.agile-path.com/thought-whitepapers.php

Learn more about AgilePath: www.agile-path.com