Understanding and Controlling Cloud Sprawl

Use agnostic management tools. Since numerous components make up cloud computing, it’s important to have fewer tools which have greater visibility. Where native management tools fall short, modern monitoring and management platforms have created a plug-in or management pack solution to the issue. For example, tools like SCCM 2012 or SCOM 2012 have management packs that tie into the product suite so that the administrator only needs one management platform. Underlying physical and virtual servers can all be controlled form a single pane of glass.

Have clear communication (and documentation). One of the biggest issues within larger organizations has been the departmental cloud deployment problem. More recently, departments have had cloud initiatives, sought budget and have deployed their infrastructure. In many cases, a different department may be doing something very similar or can utilize the same resources. Without good communication, an organization can have duplicate cloud efforts. In line with good communication, having a solid documentation practice spanning the IT environment is a must. Testing and deployment documentation can save a lot of time and money. Furthermore, it can streamline further deployment operations and help alleviate duplicate efforts.

Monitor your VMs. A large part of cloud computing is, of course, virtualization. An important way to control your cloud presence is to begin at the VM level. As mentioned earlier, having a good management platform will help control how and where your VMs are being deployed. Remember, it’s important to have visibility into a virtualization infrastructure not only at the local data center, but at the cloud level as well. Rogue, cloud-based VMs, take up resources and can create security concerns.

Control your resources. Resources are very finite. This means that they have to be monitored and controlled more than ever. A rogue cloud model will see storage, physical server, and networking utilization all spike. This equals lost dollars and a less efficient infrastructure. Keeping a close eye on where resources are being distributed, which system is using it most and tracking those metrics will help with any cloud model.

Control POCs and pilots. One of the easiest ways to let a cloud deployment get out of control is to let numerous pilots and POCs (proof of concepts) happen at the same time. All of the above control metrics apply here since communication and resource management can help curtail this issue. Many times an organization will roll out a POC and forget to end it. Furthermore, some administrators will continue to use that POC environment as a full-out testing infrastructure. Although this can work, there needs to be a clear separation between a testing/development cloud model and one designed for a POC. It’s important to have departmental controls where no one department can run a POC or pilot without some IT management guidelines. This will help control rogue cloud deployments and help other departments gain knowledge on a given cloud initiative.