Converged Cloud Satisfies IT Outsourcing

By Bryan Doerr

Bryan Doerr, CTO of Savvis Inc., outlines a “converged cloud” approach to satisfy enterprise-class IT outsourcing needs. While many in the IT industry continue to move applications to the cloud, enterprises often are hesitant to jump into mass-market cloud offerings. Many enterprises are concerned with the privacy and security of their data, as well as the performance of their cloud-based applications.

Savvis, a forerunner in utility computing, has invested heavily in cloud and utility services for several years. Based on extensive experience in delivering virtual and multi-tenant solutions, we addressed enterprise concerns with our recently launched Savvis Symphony line of cloud services, which layers a range of enterprise-class cloud services on top of fully managed infrastructure to create a flexible, credible service offering tuned to the needs of clients.

In talking to numerous clients and analysts, we learned that cloud buyers seldom considered the network that provides access to cloud compute resources. While Internet connectivity is perfectly appropriate for some applications, enterprises learned long ago that differentiated network services are essential to acceptable performance across the full range of enterprise applications. Accordingly, enterprise buyers are increasingly aware that they need more from their cloud provider, namely a completely integrated cloud "infrastructure" that includes network services.

The financial community offers a prime example, in which an entire ecosystem has been built around the assumption of secure, consistent, low-latency access to massive hosted trading platforms and databases. In that case, the network is anything but public, and there's no tolerance for inconsistent quality or oversubscription of services. While the requirements for many organizations aren't that extreme, similar requirements usually are present in one or more corporate applications.

We have found that the scenario of a public cloud versus a dedicated cloud set to meet the needs of a demanding user community actually represents two end points on a spectrum. In response to the range of applications and related performance requirements that fall in between, Savvis has expanded the concept of cloud services into something that we refer to as the converged cloud.

The converged cloud includes three major elements. First, the commonly held concept of cloud - a managed virtualized hosting environment - is certainly part of the mix. We expand that concept by adding a secure, low-latency distribution network, and enhance the value proposition with a unique business model that allows Savvis to offer a complete, end-to-end, quality of service-enabled solution for our customers - from inside the data center to the end-user location.

The Savvis Symphony suite of cloud services introduces the converged cloud to enterprises. The suite includes Savvis Symphony Virtual Private Data Center (VPDC) and Savvis Symphony Open - both public cloud services - which offer differentiated service levels with predictable performance for scenarios ranging from development and testing of new applications to automated capacity increases due to seasonality or unforeseen demand for IT resources; and Savvis Symphony Dedicated - a private cloud service - which allows clients to tailor and scale their dedicated infrastructure at their own pace.

Our converged cloud includes network options ranging from public connectivity over Savvis' Tier 1 IP network backbone to secure, low-latency, quality-of-service-enabled Application Transport Services (ATS), Savvis' core Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based service.

There are few vendors that offer converge cloud solutions with tight integration of technologies, applications and infrastructure delivered on a global scale. Enterprises that shy away from mass-market cloud offerings are looking for solutions that fit their unique needs.

The converged cloud isn't just technologies coming together to enable virtualized data center services or multiple applications joined on a single virtualized network. The converged cloud involves tight integration of technologies, applications and infrastructure, plus a commitment to deliver services to the most demanding customers, anywhere in the world.

Biography

Bryan Doerr provides technology leadership for corporate strategy, product, software development, M&A support, and next-generation platform evaluation.

Before joining Savvis, Doerr held positions in management, software technology research, and software development at Bridge Information Systems, Boeing, and the Applied Physics Laboratory.