Cloud 2.0: Colocation as the foundation for the next generation of cloud
The excitement and interest surrounding the new generation of the cloud – called Cloud 2.0 – confirms the success of the first. And, at the same time, reinforces the need to make it more strategic for businesses.
The truth is that the influx of disruptive technologies into the daily lives of people and businesses reveals that cloud computing – one of the main buzzwords of the last decade – will undeniably continue to impact the next.
But what kind of infrastructure is actually needed for cloud computing to run?
So, what advantages can Cloud 2.0 actually bring to your business?
To better understand this movement, ODATA developed this article based on the views of experts in the field.
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Cloud computing in Brazil: current scenario
As we have seen, cloud application deployment is growing rapidly as digital evolution becomes a priority for organizations of all sizes and segments worldwide.
Today, the market is more open, full of solutions that deliver more effective results and better usability when implemented in the cloud.
And in this process, the exponential technologies of Society 5.0 – driven by the development of smart cities and supported by 5G – have demanded the improvement of virtualized platforms.
This transformation is called Cloud 2.0 – the next generation of the cloud.
Difference between Cloud 1.0 and Cloud 2.0
Cloud 1.0 broke paradigms and gave rise to several concepts, mainly in relation to hardware abstraction . However, it still faces certain business limitations.
Version 2.0 is now a reality and improves upon the previous version in several aspects, especially by focusing on the business, not the platform itself.
And although there is no universal categorization that clearly and standardizedly distinguishes both eras of the cloud, the term 'Cloud 2.0' can be defined as a new mechanism with much stronger performance, efficiency, and speed (loading speed, transactions, and conversion speed).
And like any upgrade, it brings updates and increases the efficiency of the functions.
Cloud 2.0, therefore, relies on an intelligence-driven infrastructure that improves both security and data analysis. And, in this way, it forms the basis for new business models.
But what exactly is Cloud Computing?
Back in 2013, a study published by the McKinsey Global Institute highlighted cloud computing as one of the "Disruptive technologies that will transform life, business, and the global economy by 2025."
Many people refer to cloud computing as a kind of "cybernetic entity" responsible for hosting personal and corporate information, but in reality, they have no idea what is needed for it to exist.
To realize the advantages of Cloud 2.0 for businesses, it's worth first 'going back a step' and understanding the roots of cloud computing.
According to the same consulting firm's definition:
Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and/or software) to provide services over the Internet or through a network.
In practice, cloud infrastructure is no different from the typical foundations of a physical data center – except for the absence of hardware. As a virtualized solution, it is offered as a service, consumed via the internet from anywhere in the world.
Thus, it can be said that computing resources, servers, equipment for electronic data storage, and security solutions are the main components of a cloud infrastructure.
Sit down, because transformation is coming!
As IT infrastructures increasingly need to be guided by business objectives, creating models, revisiting concepts, and ensuring greater competitiveness are fundamental premises.
To meet new demands and sustain company performance in the Cloud 2.0 era, organizational infrastructure must always be ready for changes , providing growth and elasticity in a dynamic, competitive, and agile way.
Given this scenario, corporations and service providers are already showing a positive inclination towards adopting hybrid architectures as a way to support their digital evolution.
Thus, the trend is to combine local data centers with colocation services and cloud computing – either by building private cloud infrastructures or hosting part of the workloads in public cloud environments.
READ MORE: Why are cloud service providers pursuing colocation?
Colocation as the foundation for Cloud 2.0
As more mission-critical work shifts to remote infrastructures—such as clouds, SaaS providers, and even edge computing —the internet connectivity currently offered will be insufficient for the reality of most businesses.
Therefore, colocation – combined with a hybrid cloud strategy – has emerged as an ideal solution to support the virtualization process of organizations.
The global colocation market acts as the physical support (facilities and networks) for value-added solutions offered by both outside computing companies and hosting and cloud computing providers.
In general terms, a Data Center solutions provider must have connections with Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and provide compatible connectivity methods and products.
Even though many IT managers still don't think about colocation strategically, about 30% of companies already use it as part of a mixed data center infrastructure. And of those, more than half use it for disaster recovery.
Colocation will continue to be the foundation of many Cloud 2.0 solutions.
Katie Broderick,
research director of 451Research.
How Cloud 2.0 and Colocation go hand in hand.
The effectiveness of the cloud adoption model will always depend on the company's business strategy (with regard to the allocation of data center infrastructure in Opex or Capex, for example).
Colocation services and on-premise infrastructure will always be important for organizations, as not everything can be run in the cloud – whether it's to host a database or some critical applications.
Thus, in current times, it has become impossible to talk about Cloud without thinking about Colocation. This is because the physical structures maintained by Data Center service providers (such as ODATA ) are what support cloud infrastructures.
In short, colocation facilities are "the homes of the cloud," especially in Latin America.
Fundamentally, cloud computing doesn't exist without the 'ground'. And that ground is colocation.
How Colocation Can Enable Your Entry into the Cloud 2.0 Era
Technically, Cloud 2.0 technology already works well, but it still stumbles on issues such as connectivity , telecommunications, latency, and reliability. Therefore, having a colocation infrastructure as part of the data center virtualization will guarantee operational quality.
For a company that is still in a 100% on-premise environment, migrating to the cloud can be a complicated process. Therefore, Data Center as a Service will always be the basic support needed to utilize remote resources.
Regarding the virtualization process in practice, when discussing migration, there is always:
- an phase of changes and then
- a regimen stage.
During the changeover phase, the items to be reevaluated (or even updated) need to be in a colocation facility so that, at a certain point, with the team ready, they can be reduced or migrated entirely to the cloud.
Colocation is also an important option for organizations that need to maintain part of their services in local structures, whether for compliance, for security strategy in the traditional model, or for cost reasons, since not all organizations can manage their own environment.
As we can see, hybrid solutions are – and will continue to be – a reality for data center managers . In any case, everything must be evaluated based on clear criteria, since Information Technology is fundamental to any organization.
How to find the best partner for your Cloud 2.0 strategy.
Just as you should expect your cloud partner to meet SLAs, provide quality service, and be agile and efficient in resolving problems and requests, the same should be expected of your colocation provider.
With key attributes such as agility and ultra-connectivity, and with the client's business as our guiding principle, ODATA possesses the essential technical and commercial flexibility to enable the next generation of the cloud.
Our team is dedicated to providing a secure, efficient, and connected environment throughout Latin America. And, through our partners, we deliver quality service and clients who are moving their workloads to the cloud.
