Cloud Infrastructure Management Types, Requirements and Benefits

Have you ever given thought to how your favorite online services like Netflix, Google Drive, or Airbnb are easily accessed from anywhere across the globe? Well, this is made possible with the help of cloud computing and cloud infrastructures.

So what exactly is cloud infrastructure? In simple terms, cloud infrastructure is like renting a computer or storage space from a remote location, rather than owning and maintaining it yourself. The way businesses and individuals operate has been revolutionized by these flexible and scalable solutions.

Let’s dive deeper into learning more about cloud infrastructure and cloud infrastructure management like a pro!

Overview of Cloud Infrastructure

Cloud infrastructure consists of the physical and software parts that enable cloud connectivity and storage. These components are essential for cloud technologies to work effectively.

Some of the notable components of cloud infrastructure are:

1. Hardware:

The hardware components include physical hosting systems for specific cloud operations, such as servers, routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers. These components are used to establish connections between cloud environments and external entities. Hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs) are used for data storage and can be connected to servers for improved performance.

2. Software:

The software component includes virtualization, and different cloud management platforms and tools. Virtualization fosters the creation of virtual machines that allow various operating systems to run smoothly on a single server. While the tools help in orchestrating and automating the deployment and management of cloud applications. The management platforms provide a proper interface for managing all vital resources across cloud environments. 

3. Network:

The network component is crucial for connecting various cloud resources:

• Internal Networks: used to facilitate communication between cloud resources.
• External Connections: this enables access to cloud services from outside networks, ensuring secure and efficient traffic management.

Now let’s see what cloud infrastructure management is.

What is Cloud Infrastructure Management (CIM)?

Managing cloud infrastructure refers to overseeing the physical and software resources used in cloud computing. This includes planning, deploying, and scaling services. Let us take a look at how it works. 

How Does It Work?

• Managing the Resources:

The management begins at the stage of allocating all the cloud resources based on the current needs and requirements of the organization. The process can be done by automating the allocation through smart technologies. The later stages involve optimizing resource usage and monitoring the overall performance to ensure in tough situations like during peak traffic the resource shouldn’t lack in performance and if there is a need then more resources could be commissioned timely.

• Keeping Track of Expenses: 

Tracking resource usage and generating reports helps the organization understand its spending patterns. Thus, this is one of the major aspects of managing the cloud infrastructure. This allows for better optimization of cloud expenditures by highlighting areas of high spending.

• Boosts Orchestration and Coordination:

Implementing automation for repetitive tasks such as provisioning, scaling, and configuration management to reduce human error and increase efficiency. Thus, for automation cloud managers can use cloud infrastructure management tools. This would lead to better coordination in workflows that ensure processes are executed in the correct order while adhering to security protocols.

• Security Management:

Talking about security the CIM understands that cloud data is vulnerable to cyber attacks thus, it includes proper cloud security measures such as encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring for potential threats. Apart from that mandatory government-issued industry regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, etc. are also complied with. 

Why Is It Important To Manage Your Cloud Infrastructure?

The importance of managing cloud infrastructure doesn’t only highlight the necessity of the technical aspects, but it also highlights the aspects that are required for the survival of businesses in a competitive environment;

Cost-Benefit Analysis:

Having already highlighted the cost efficiency of this infrastructure management. Without proper management, organizations can face unexpectedly high costs associated with cloud services. About 60% of organizations report that their cloud costs are higher than anticipated (Source: CloudZero).

Assists in Achieving Business Goals:

Effective cloud management ensures that IT strategies align with business objectives, enabling organizations to respond swiftly to market changes. Over 94% of enterprises have significant workloads in the cloud, indicating a strong shift towards cloud dependency  (RightScale). 

Regulations and Compliance Managed:

As data protection laws get stricter, it’s important to manage cloud systems to follow these rules. Thus, CIM ensures that all the necessary government mandates are adhered to. Because if the organizations don’t comply, they could face large fines and legal issues. But don’t worry with the help of right provider adhering to all compulsory government regulations can become easier and more convenient.   

Better Risk Management:

Poor risk management can lead to data breaches that can result in huge losses in terms of finance and reputation. For instance, misconfigured cloud settings can expose sensitive data, making it vulnerable to attacks. Thus, cloud infrastructure management analyzes potential risks associated with cloud usage and helps in mitigating those risks.

Types of Cloud Infrastructure

There are several types of cloud infrastructure, including:

1. Public Cloud: 

A public cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is owned and operated by a third-party provider. Examples of public cloud providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

2. Private Cloud:

Talking about a private cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is owned and operated by a single organization only for their specific interests and use. Private clouds are typically used by large enterprises that require a high level of security and control.

3. Hybrid Cloud: 

If you combine the functionalities of a private cloud and a public cloud you get a hybrid cloud. Hybrid clouds are used by organizations that require the scalability and cost savings of public cloud services however, they also require the security and control of private cloud services.

4. Multi Cloud: 

A multi-cloud is a cloud infrastructure that uses multiple cloud services from different providers (multiple vendors/third-party vendors). Usually, these clouds are used by organizations that require a high level of flexibility and scalability.

These were some significant types of cloud infrastructures, and in addition to these, there are various cloud deployment models as well. These deployment models offer different services IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and FaaS, that help in understanding which IT resources and services are accessible to end users through the internet. 

Some Challenges That Come Along With CIM

Some of the potential challenges that might occur with CIM are listed below;

• Complexities:

There are just one but two major aspects of managing cloud infrastructure that involve complexities one aspect being that of resources and the other one being the integrations. There are often scenarios when due to less planning businesses tend to lose track of their cloud resources, which leads to a cloud resources sprawl. Eventually, this leads to various inefficiencies in management and costs the organization a hefty amount. 

Furthermore, integrating existing systems with cloud services can be complicated and tricky, particularly in the areas where one has to deal with legacy systems or applications. The best way out there in this scenario is to get in touch with reputed cloud managed service providers for optimal assistance and guidance. 

• Hindered Overall Visibility:

Cloud infrastructure management is hindered by a lack of unified visibility and collaboration. This is because of the distributed nature of cloud-based applications, as they generate massive amounts of data that are scattered across various systems. Eventually making it difficult for IT teams to gain a comprehensive view of the entire application delivery chain in one go. 

• Cost Concerns:

Not tracking expenses and expectations can lead to unthought-exceeding expenses.  Plus, not checking on inactive resources can also inflate the costs majorly. Thus, it is advisable to have vigorous cost management all the while starting from cloud adoption and the thought of it.

Top Cloud Infrastructure Management Trends

Finally, let us see what’s trendy and stored in in future for CIM;

Welcoming Change With Edge Computing

Edge computing is a powerful tool for cloud infrastructure management. This technology enables independence by processing data at the network’s edge, closer to devices and users, instead of relying solely on centralized data centers. It also offers multiple benefits such as reduced latency, enhanced network efficiency, and improved data privacy. This is expected to be a big thing in the next few years as the demand for real-time data processing and analysis continues to grow.

Introducing Smarter Ways To Facilitate Different Cloud Types

Apart from public and private clouds hybrid clouds and muti clouds are now becoming increasingly adaptive. This is because the cloud types offer flexibility and cost efficacy to the users. There will be many more advances in the ways organizations would facilitate the management of hybrid and multi-clouds.

AI And Way Ahead

AI is here to stay and evolve. Its transformative capabilities will also see a boost in automating tasks on cloud platforms. With more advances in technology, AI in cloud will help optimize resource allocations, enhance efficiency, and maximize cloud performance.

Conclusion 

As technology continues to evolve, there has been a significant resurgence in the need for cloud infrastructure management in cloud computing. This is because as per a report by Gartner,  businesses that switch to cloud infrastructure management typically save an average of 30% in costs. It has proven to be a game-changer for many companies!

Implementing Cloud Infrastructure Management (CIM) is crucial for businesses. At Cyntexa, we specialize in cloud managed services, offering tailored solutions with exceptional support in managing your cloud infrastructure very well. We have formed partnerships with leading cloud infrastructure providers and gained hands-on experience in managing cloud services. Contact our team today!