October 8th, 2014 by Ronen

What Categories Of Challenges Does The Integration Of Hybrid Cloud Solutions Pose?

Hybrid cloud solutions are becoming extensively adopted at an astounding pace, by companies and organizations worldwide. In the process of integrating the on-premises databanks within the architecture of public cloud, users are left wondering whether or not creating a virtual private network between the publicly available resources and the physical hosts is enough.

Unfortunately, the development of a functional and secure cloud entails numerous considerations and challenges, including security, portability and feasibility issues. The following guide aims to shed some light on the questions your chief information officer (CIO) should ask himself when establishing the guidelines for the hybrid cloud integration.

Data security concerns

‘Hybrid cloud security’ constitutes an umbrella term, often utilized to cover a broad scope of concerns with a direct impact on the overall network integration process. Among the list of considerations, we count the level of permissions awarded to public users, the unique login credentials required by the hybrid cloud’s environment, the authority of the data safety protocols in between the local network and the cloud, etc. The security-centric list of measures should represent the foundation upon which the hybrid cloud develops.

Network topography

Cloud hosting service providers offer a wide array of data transfer options, but extending the native specs of your on-site VPN to the cloud environment presents numerous challenges. For example, you would have to check the hybrid platform’s ability to operate with the predefined IP blocks, whether or not the bandwidth is suitable for the transfer of larger quantities of data, and the latency resulted in the process of transferring information to and from the cloud and the VPN. Determining whether the security measures enforced in the private sector of the cloud are operational in the public component is another notable challenge.

The integration of the databanks and applications

Will the public component of the cloud be capable of every throttling inbound query? Can you employ similar protocols and applications to gracefully manage data transfers and events irrespective of the location where they are stored? Is it possible to have specific component downtime from various sections of the cloud without impacting the overall functionality of the software apps? Keep in mind that being provided the ability to elect the location from which a workload is operating constitutes a decisive factor in the selection process of a competent cloud host service.

Monitoring and management of the cloud system

Monitoring and managing lifecycles in a hybrid cloud environment is often a daunting task for the CIO when the planning phase did not take into account all the platform specific factors. In the event when the pool of resources of the cloud infrastructure is handled on a self-servicing protocol, effectively configuring the management of the said resources is virtually unachievable. While it is entirely true that cloud platforms provide users access to a more flexible type of computing resources, one should also remember that they are not unlimited.

The planning of the integration has to account for the unique inherent limitations of all environments in the cloud, be they public, private or on-site. Furthermore, monitoring each subset of environments is performed on distinct set of guidelines. For example, in the public section of the clouds, tracking may rely on a restricted number of monitors, which would automatically imply the requirement for additional tools in assessing the overall health of the cloud platform.

A tight network integration may have a direct impact on the administrator’s abilities to perform configuration and monitoring tasks utilizing a single set of apps and processes for both the public and the private sections of the hybrid cloud.

Cross-cloud compatibility issues

A realistic chance for the private and public cloud to operate on distinct infrastructures and software exists. In the event when Virtual Machine Monitors (VMMs) you depend on for the private sector is different from the category utilized on its public counterpart, compatibility issues are quick to arise. It’s important to point out that public cloud environments are designed in a fundamentally different way from the private clouds. Therefore, you should expect at least some challenges in the attempt to integrate software apps pertaining to both sides.

Workload portability

Transferring workloads rapidly and with the least amount of hassle represents one of the main reasons why companies and organizations opt for the cloud system in the first place. The transfer of various apps and virtual machines to and from various components of the cloud has become considerably simpler, thanks to the advances of the past few years.

On the other hand, importing configurations and transferring metadata still constitutes a challenge, particularly when the two ends of the cloud are not operating on the same type of platform; mismatches between these two sections however will undoubtedly constitute a source of frustration for the IT staff of the company.

Expertise and tools required in maintenance

Experts in cloud and particularly hybrid cloud deployment are currently in extremely high demand in the corporate world. Many organizations and companies find it incredibly difficult to locate IT specialists with extensive knowhow and experience regarding the architecture of these communication platforms. Why?

Because the sum of knowledge necessary to elaborate a comprehensive plan for hybrid clouds comprises of process automation techniques, app design, networking architecture, so on and so forth. In addition, the cloud is still a technology in its infancy, as it has only been around for a few years now and only a small number of people are capable of fully comprehending its entire scope or the ways in which it’s expected to evolve across the years. Yes, clouds systems represent the future of information management, but there is still a long way to go before its full potential can be harnessed effectively.

In retrospect

Large scale corporations and organizations have numerous advantages to reap from the integration of hybrid cloud platform. However, it is also necessary to remember the fact that implementing, operating and maintaining such systems requires substantial efforts, careful planning and expert personnel, in addition to a collaborating with a hosting service that can adapt to the unique specifications of your working environment. The expertise of IT consulting services could prove invaluable for this purpose.

September 11th, 2014 by Ronen

Guidelines To Choose The Best Colors For Your Web Design

When designing your website, it is important to think about the best colors to use. Choosing the right color scheme will go a long way in setting the business tone, identifying the type of business, and establishing your business style. The colors that you choose for your website can determine how long prospective customers spend on the website. It can also make a huge difference when it comes to encouraging visitors to take action. Following are some tips that will help you to choose the best web design colors for your business.

Consider the website style

It is important to have a website style in mind before you start choosing colors. It helps if you already have corporate colors or an established brand identity as you can simply use the same colors for the website. If, on the other hand, you are a new business and you are trying to introduce your company to online visitors, you need to ensure that you come up with a color scheme that will suit your type of business. Whether you are in luxury retail, professional services or you have a restaurant, you should think about the colors that will best depict the style of the business.

Avoid using too many colors

To have an attractive website, you should limit the color usage. Too many colors can make your website look crowded and unprofessional. Remember that less is more when choosing colors for your website. Find out the best way to use colors to grab attention. This is especially important if you have a professional services company where you want to be taken seriously. Using a few colors in the right spots will have a much better effect and you can highlight important details effectively. As a rule, sticking to not more than three or four colors is a good idea. Look beyond the basic colors for your site.

Choose a unique web design

The best way to ensure that your website stands out is by ensuring that it is as unique as possible. Remember that there are numerous sites out there and you want your readers to be interested in what you have to say. Instead of choosing the all too common black text, consider choosing a different color like grey or bright colors. You can think of unconventional ways to use color in order to achieve the best results. This will help to attract attention and you can stand out from your competition.

Ensure that you maintain readability

The use of color should never be at the expense of readability. You have to make sure that you use adequate color contract so that the content is easy to read. If readers have to strain their eyes to read the content, you can be sure that they will not remain on your site for too long! If your background is dark colored, use light colored text and vice versa. When pairing colors for the website, consider how the text will appear to your visitors. You also have to think about the age of the potential visitors.

Find out the web-friendly colors

It is important to know that certain colors look different when on the Web than they do on your computer. This is mainly due to a number of factors including the screen resolution and the device you are using. Using web smart colors will help you to avoid issues and your website can look exactly the way you want it to. Remember to allow white space to enhance the colors and think about the images that you want to use on the site.

Choosing the perfect colors for your website may take time as it will require thoughtful consideration as well as the testing of several color schemes. Work with web designers who have the relevant experience and expertise to create the best website.