As cloud computing continues to spread throughout enterprises, mid-market companies, and SMBs alike, IT departments of every size must learn how to manage different SaaS and IaaS contracts, providers, and services.
This requires a different, if overlapping, skillset compared to administrating and operating on-site infrastructure. While much of the back-end remains the same, new titles and job roles are becoming popular for positions that identify business drivers, hammer out cloud contracts, and keep track of the complete lifecycle of a cloud service.
The Cloud Service Manager is one of these, but CTOs, Cloud Product Managers, Cloud Systems Engineers, and even Project Managers may have to fill the same shoes. What exactly is involved in being a Cloud Product Owner or Cloud Service Manager?
Both virtual desktop infrastructure and Desktop as a Service (DaaS) products operate on the same or similar technology and deliver many of the same benefits to administrators and users, including simple updates for desktop groups, remote access to applications and data, and less (or no) hardware to manage. Both VDI and DaaS take the processing load away from the local client, allowing a wide variety of user endpoints.
There are some huge differences in how you purchase and administrate VDI compared to DaaS, however. Depending on your expertise, staff, and existing infrastructure, one may be a better fit for your business.
If you’re a Managed Service Provider, chances are you’re probably already selling or seriously exploring cloud service options for your customers. SMBs, midsize companies, and enterprises are all aware of what they can get from the cloud by now, so your service options need to keep up, lest they turn towards SaaS options.
Clients will expect you, as an MSP, to be able to transfer their data and applications to a cloud platform and then keep that platform available at all times with right sizing, scaling, and management. Of course, a cloud service provider (CSP) partner is an essential ingredient towards your success (you may even want several partners to offer cloud services around the country). Here are some other tips to help you navigate the challenges of selling the cloud.
Snapshots are a convenient way to get a “moment in time” copy of your virtual machines. They should not be used as a primary method of backup, as they generally work as a record of changes made—they depend on the original virtual machine in order to roll back. They’re great for testing as they save the virtual machine settings, the state of the virtual disks, and the contents of memory, if you choose.
Snapshots are useful before you make significant configuration changes, upgrades, patches, or new software installations. Any time you’re adding or changing your virtual environment enough to think, “Hmm, I wonder if this will affect my production applications,” it’s probably an opportune moment to take a snapshot.
Here are eight tips to make the most of your snapshots.
SMBs and enterprises are both juicy targets for hackers, and breach reports continue to proliferate at alarming rates. IT departments are constantly scrambling to patch servers, block vulnerabilities, and monitor for suspicious activity, but keeping up can be difficult.
A data breach response policy is an essential piece of planning for Chief Security Officers and should be known and followed all the way down to beginner sysadmins and IT interns. Here are four steps to help you craft a response to a known security breach.
