The new-found leaning of technology vendors and enterprises towards implementing a cloud gateway is clearly here to stay. What a cloud gateway does is to expand out a private cloud or an enterprise data center to external clouds. As a critical component of the hybrid model, a well-configured gateway offers control, simplicity and flexibility to cloud computing. Porting applications across differing platforms, cloud architectures and various hypervisors gets easier for IT people and assigned users.
However, it is really imperative for all stakeholders to carefully evaluate the capabilities any cloud gateway has to offer.
Accessibility of enterprise-level network appliances: With ever-new cloud versions flooding the market, enterprise clients wish to leverage existing on-premise technologies and utilize trustworthy networking products for cloud deployments. A huge investment goes into operating and managing these networking appliances. The cloud gateway must act as an enabler of these appliances across cloud offerings so that enterprises can leverage configurations, policies and expertise while extending the cloud.
Interaction with virtualization technologies: It is good to review the integration of cloud gateway into extant virtualization technologies for smooth amalgamation of on-premise infrastructure with cloud deployments. Seamless interaction of gateway with data center technologies like Hyper-V, Xen Server, KVM and VMware allows for wider scope and flexibility in cloud setups.
Expanded enterprise networking: The networking infrastructure of each enterprise is unique for connecting its applications and servers- areas like identity and directory services, topology, addressing schemes, firewalls, switches and routers. The desired gateway must be able to extend enterprise-level networking with capability to link network segments like LANs to the cloud in an automated and easy fashion- encompassing both Internet Protocol and Ethernet connectivity.
Coverage across disparate cloud architectures: An ideal gateway must range across diverse clouds with their varying storage architectures, APIs, hypervisors etc. Users must have access to the most extensive range of choices to gain from cloud offerings. The gateway must be built on a deeper understanding of variety of cloud offerings and their concomitant differences to drive optimum price/performance to the clients.
Seamless control and visibility: The administrators and users of cloud gateway must be able to manage and monitor applications on a cloud as if they were accessible locally. The gateway must come out as an integrated environment of the enterprise infrastructure.
Surefire security: Last, but not the least, the gateway must render encrypted protection within the cloud infrastructure and enterprise firewall and also across the Internet. It should extend total protection of network communications and data from the third parties and cloud vendors at all times with enterprise control over all encryption keys.
However, it is really imperative for all stakeholders to carefully evaluate the capabilities any cloud gateway has to offer.
Accessibility of enterprise-level network appliances: With ever-new cloud versions flooding the market, enterprise clients wish to leverage existing on-premise technologies and utilize trustworthy networking products for cloud deployments. A huge investment goes into operating and managing these networking appliances. The cloud gateway must act as an enabler of these appliances across cloud offerings so that enterprises can leverage configurations, policies and expertise while extending the cloud.
Interaction with virtualization technologies: It is good to review the integration of cloud gateway into extant virtualization technologies for smooth amalgamation of on-premise infrastructure with cloud deployments. Seamless interaction of gateway with data center technologies like Hyper-V, Xen Server, KVM and VMware allows for wider scope and flexibility in cloud setups.
Expanded enterprise networking: The networking infrastructure of each enterprise is unique for connecting its applications and servers- areas like identity and directory services, topology, addressing schemes, firewalls, switches and routers. The desired gateway must be able to extend enterprise-level networking with capability to link network segments like LANs to the cloud in an automated and easy fashion- encompassing both Internet Protocol and Ethernet connectivity.
Coverage across disparate cloud architectures: An ideal gateway must range across diverse clouds with their varying storage architectures, APIs, hypervisors etc. Users must have access to the most extensive range of choices to gain from cloud offerings. The gateway must be built on a deeper understanding of variety of cloud offerings and their concomitant differences to drive optimum price/performance to the clients.
Seamless control and visibility: The administrators and users of cloud gateway must be able to manage and monitor applications on a cloud as if they were accessible locally. The gateway must come out as an integrated environment of the enterprise infrastructure.
Surefire security: Last, but not the least, the gateway must render encrypted protection within the cloud infrastructure and enterprise firewall and also across the Internet. It should extend total protection of network communications and data from the third parties and cloud vendors at all times with enterprise control over all encryption keys.
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