CloudBzz

Following Unisys’ announcement on Wednesday regarding their cloud computing strategy (Unisys Moves to Break Through Barriers to Adoption of Cloud Computing) I had the opportunity to speak with Rich Marcello, president of Unisys Systems & Technology, and Sam Gross, VP of Unisys Global IT Outsourcing Solutions. What struck me was the coherence and clarity of their cloud computing vision as compared to HP or IBM.

Unisys’ strategy bridges public, private and hybrid cloud models, and includes well-differentiated infrastructure, platform and software as a service offerings (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS). Further, they wrap this all in a set of comprehensive service offerings that they can deliver globally. It’s a big vision, and if they can pull it off it should make them one of the more interesting providers out there. One of their key differentiators is Unisys Stealth (described below).

The Big Picture

As you see here, Unisys is providing a pretty comprehensive vision.

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1. Private Cloud – Unisys will turn your existing data center assets into a private internal cloud with all of the things you’d expect – virtualization, automated provisioning, etc.
2. External Cloud – through a network of five data centers owned an operated by Unisys, they will provide companies with external cloud computing environments. This is not really a public cloud in that people can’t just come in and sign up. It’s part of their managed services portfolio and is tightly aligned with their private cloud solutions.
3. Cloud-in-a-Box – due later this year, Cloud-in-a-Box will be a pre-configured cloud infrastructure delivered either as software or with a software+hardware model. This is like Joyent or Enomaly.
4. Hybrid – early next year Unisys plans to provide a hybrid cloud model where your applications can run on both internal and external cloud resources. This is a virtual data center model.

XaaS – X as a Service

To my knowledge, Unisys is the first to publicly support having a complete set of offerings for XaaS. Amazon is really IaaS, and Google is more of a PaaS play. Salesforce is a combined PaaS/SaaS offering (PaaS for force.com and SaaS for their SFA/CRM applications). Even within these offerings, Unisys has some interesting differentiation.

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1. IaaS – most public clouds are built on a “scale out” model with many smaller machines. In addition to “scale out,” Unisys also includes “scale up” capabilities to allow you to use large, enterprise-class hardware in your cloud (for running databases, for example). What’s important about this is that Unisys allows you to provision servers that match the software licenses you already own. If you have an Oracle database license for an 8-way Solaris server with 8GB of RAM, you can’t use that on Amazon’s EC2.
2. PaaS: Java and .NET – Unlike Salesforce which requires you to program to their model, Unisys provides a container model to allow your Java and .NET applications to run in the cloud. You write the application and deploy into these containers – you don’t have to install or manage the core components (e.g. WebSphere and DB2 or Windows and Oracle), you just deploy your applications. This should appeal to IT.
3. SaaS – while the offering is a bit limited at this point, Unisys is offering a set of end user business applications in their cloud (email, SharePoint, virtual desktops).
4. My Secure Application as a Service: AaaS – this is where an existing application you have deployed can be moved into the cloud and managed from a provisioning and security perspective.

People Services

Unisys claims to have an 800-person services organization that can provide a complete range of assessment, advisory and implementation services to their customers. This is in contrast to what they termed “do-it-yourself” clouds from the other guys.

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Unisys Stealth – A Secret Weapon

As has been reported in many quarters, security is the #1 deterrent to more enterprise cloud adoption. While Unisys uses standard enterprise-grade security technologies you’d expect to find in a large IT shop, they also have a unique solution called Unisys Stealth (link goes to a paper describing Stealth that is specifically targeting the Defense industry). Announced last November, Stealth is a network appliance that makes data and even hardware (desktops and servers) invisible to network sniffers and other similar technologies.

Stealth works at the link layer (layer 2) of the TCP/IP stack, which means that every packet on the network is cloaked unless you have the right key.

“The result is a cloaked network that secures data-in-motion
and hides servers and PCs in plain sight. Devices that do
not have the same workgroup key remain cloaked from
unauthorized eyes. Without the correct key, users cannot ask
for the data from the server or send data to the server or
workstation. They can’t even ping the server or workstation.”

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So now you can run any application in the cloud and only authorized users (controlled by your network administrators) can access the information. Stealth even applies to your storage infrastructure — your SAN becomes invisible and therefore inaccessible to hackers. All of this is accomplished without any changes to your application. You add the appliance to your network, Unisys deploys it in the cloud, and voila – instant cloaking.

Conclusion

Unisys has articulated a comprehensive and cohesive cloud computing vision, while simultaneously addressing security in a new and very powerful way. If they deliver all that they are claiming, Unisys should be well-positioned for success in the great cloud migration.

I got a chance to spend time with James Duncan and Bryan Bogensberger of Joyent at #e2conf today.  I’ve always been a little bit cloudy on what Joyent actually does.  Their Web site (which is getting a makeover) is not all that clear today.

Let’s take a look at their stack as they described it to me this afternoon.

Accelerators – these are roughly equivalent to Amazon’s EC2 instances, though with a lot of compelling differences (if you’re using/considering EC2, you should check out Joyent).

“Cloud Control” – this is not a product per se, but it’s their management interface into their Accelerators.

Smart - this is their Javascript-based platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering from Joyent’s acquisition of Reasonably Smart (where James and Bryan hail from). The value of Smart to Joyent is as a feature of their stack, and not as a compelling standalone solution. It’s going to be open-sourced so you can run the Smart PaaS offering inside your firewall. I’m a bit dubious on whether or not they will see much adoption, but perhaps it will kick butt.

The Hybrid Cloud

What struck me as totally unique and compelling about Joyent was an aside comment that they have a couple clients today running the Joyent Cloud Control management interface across both internal (IT-controlled) and external (Joyent-controlled) infrastructure. The net effect is that, to the IT user, their own servers and Joyent’s accelerators combine for a seamless and burstable hybrid cloud.

Effectively, your servers are “joined” to the cloud. This is my “marketecture” view from my conversation with James and Bryan, and what they end up releasing may look very different. But if what they say is true, they may be one of the first to have actually deployed a hybrid cloud into production. That’s huge – like Santa Claus is Real kind of huge!

The diagram below gives a bit of insight into where IBM is today and where they are heading. I posted this last week, but removed the diagram at IBM’s Request. Now I’m reposting it after seeing Sean Poulay from IBM presented the chart at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston.

In a stunning infringement, IBM has released a video about the story of Seamus McManus, the Al Gore of Cloud Computing (e.g. he invented it).  For some reason, IBM chose to have Seamus be a beekeeper, and they show bees in the video.  This is an outrage!

CloudBzz has retained the legal services of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe to issue a takedown notice, penned in a faux-RIAA style on faux-RIAA letterhead.  Further, we have called on IBM to stop comparing the work of SM to the creation of Cloud Computing.

In the immortal words of VP candidate Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, and I paraphrase,

“I know Cloud Computing.  Cloud Computing is a friend of mine.  And you, Seamus Mc-IBManus, are no father of Cloud Computing.”

Doth I protestetheth to mucheth? Don’t I pwn the bee?

You decideth!

The NY Times broke IBM’s embargo this morning by publishing their story on IBM’s new cloud computing initiatives.  I’ve posted the full release here on CloudBzz.

The diagram below gives a bit of insight into where IBM is today and where they are heading.

{Diagram removed at IBM’s Request – not sure why they sent it out but didn’t want it shown}

IBM is also updating their collateral with a bit more detail.  Here is a fact sheet for their Smart Business initiative:

Fact sheet: IBM Smart Business

Smart Business is IBM’s commonly branded set of cloud computing offerings for business. This set of offerings gives clients three choices to deliver and consume cloud services to drive efficiency, productivity and control.

Smart Business Services – cloud services delivered:

1: Private cloud services, behind your firewall, built by IBM.

2: Standardized services on the IBM cloud

Smart Business Systems – purpose-built infrastructure

3. IBM CloudBurst: Pre-integrated hardware, software and service offerings

On June 16, 2009 IBM will introduce all three choices for two specific workloads: development and test and virtualized desktops. There will be both public and private delivery options for both.

IBM Smart Business Test Cloud Services

IBM is unveiling a secure private environment for clients to test cloud applications before sending them to production in their enterprises. The Smart Business Test Cloud includes a pre-integrated set of services, from planning through management, for a test environment implementation. Delivered through hardened services methods for the design and deployment of integrated cloud solutions, the offering can leverage existing investments in hardware, software, storage, and virtualization management, or utilize the newly announced IBM Cloudburst as the infrastructure solution.

Based on initial IBM projections, Smart Business Test Cloud can potentially save clients as much as 50 to 75 percent on capital and licensing expenses, and as much as 30 to 50 percent on operating and labor costs through automated provisioning and configuration of virtualized test resources. Additionally, these services can improve quality and testing quality by reducing defects from faulty configurations and poor modeling by as much as 15 to 30 percent.

The Smart Business Test Cloud can include strategy consulting, design, implementation, operation and management from IBM Global Technology Services.

IBM Smart Business Test Cloud Services also support IBM CloudBurst – with this capability, IBM can help clients rapidly set up a cloud platform with CloudBurst, then provide full customization and integration for a comprehensive, on-premise test environment in private cloud environment. The new services also gives clients the option of leverage their existing systems and storage for a complete cloud solution.

IBM Smart Business Test Cloud can help clients:

· Reduce costs by over 20% — operating cost reductions through automation

· Improve provisioning time from days to minutes – faster cycle of innovation

· Improve quality by automating configuration and better modeling of the production environment.

· Reduce risks associated with human error

· Reduce or avoid capital expenses by driving higher utilization and efficiency of existing assets

IBM Smart Business will also include a public cloud version of the Test Cloud, IBM Smart Business Development & Test on the IBM Cloud.

IBM Smart Business Desktop Cloud

IBM is delivering new private cloud services to allow end-users greater levels of self-service, while ensuring they maintain the highest levels of quality and security in accessing the critical information they need remotely, from any device, anywhere.

IBM Smart Business Desktop Cloud gives end users with internet enabled PCs and other devices the ability to access applications and data through a centrally managed computing environment. The private cloud offering helps clients quickly scale their IT infrastructures to address business demands, while significantly reducing the cost and complexity associated with managing the traditional “close to the box” user environment.

The IBM Smart Business Desktop Cloud helps clients provide anytime, anywhere access for more efficient desktop management, improved security and compliance, enhanced user productivity, and lower end-user IT support costs, including power and cooling for green initiatives.

IBM Smart Business Desktop Cloud is available in two implementation strategies: Project Based Services, for organizations that are interested in client virtualization and need help with strategy, planning, design, and implementation of a virtual desktop solution; and, Managed Services, for organizations that are interested in client virtualization and would like IBM to not only design and implement a solution, but also manage the virtual desktop operations.

IBM partners with a number of virtualization software vendors, including Citrix, Desktone, Quest, VMWare and Wyse to provide the most optimal solution for customers, including virtual clients, server-based computing and OS and applications streaming.

Today’s cloud-based solutions are complemented by IBM’s on-premise virtual desktop offering, announced last year, which includes a combination of Verde’s Virtual Bridges, Ubuntu Linux and IBM’s Open Collaboration Client Solution Software (OCCS), based on IBM Lotus Symphony, IBM Lotus Notes, and Lotus applications.

IBM Smart Business will also include a subscription public cloud version of the Desktop Cloud, IBM Smart Business Desktop on the IBM Cloud.

For more information about IBM’s cloud computing products and services, please visit www.ibm.com/cloud

For information on how cloud computing is helping usher in a smarter planet, please visit, www.ibm.com/think

One of the core predicates to true enteprise cloud computing is manageability. Enterprise IT organizations don’t like surprises, especially the kind that start with an executive calling them about an application failure before they know about it.  That’s why services like Tap In Systems are going to be critical to enterprise cloud adoption.

Tap In Systems is still in private beta at this point, and according to CEO Peter Loh they are making some changes to the system before expanding the beta in the near future.  They are actively seeking beta customers as well, particularly from enterprise organizations. Their beta today has only a few customers, and most are what Loh termed “Web 2.0 companies.”  He did reference an unnamed enterprise customer in the beta running a “core application” with 200 EC2 instances.

Tap In’s core value proposition starts with a simple question – “How can you solve a problem when you can’t determine where it exists?”  Standard application management and monitoring solutions today cannot handle the dynamic IP and non-sensical naming of public cloud infrastructures like EC2.  Tap In not only sees the performance of the system, but also knows the meta data of the instances – including configuration types, memory, and more.

They are also integrating with Amazon’s recently announced CloudWatch API and will be providing a lot of value beyond the core CloudWatch data. Analytics, visualization, and long-term archiving of CloudWatch data are some of the enhancements they are planning.

Of course, Amazon is not their only target cloud infrastructure.  They also have deals with (or plans for this) with 3tera, GoGrid and RackSpace.  Tap In is hoping to have the cloud providers OEM or resell their management tools to users.

Pricing is a reasonable $0.49 per hour of their server, and a single server can monitor 200 instances.  This is a fairly inexpensive price for a system that provides peace of mind for large-scale cloud usage.

Tap In Systems is still very early, with only 5 employees and bootstrap / friends & family funding.  It would seem like this could be a good venture-funding opportunity.

Here are some screen shots:

Symform, a Seatle company focused on cloud-based storage for the enterprise, has just taken $1.5m of venture financing according to Xconomy. The basic premise is that your data is stored on my computers, and mine on yours. Or more precisely, a very small portion of my data, super-encrypted, resides on the servers of many other customers. It’s redundant, secure and “in the cloud.” Now you get to hear a familiar refrain of many entrepreneurial types… I had this idea over two years ago. I even tried to get some of my totally smart ex-colleagues from ODI to join me (this is a big-brain storage-oriented thing, after all). My concept has several differences, but the core idea of a cooperative shared storage cloud was there. Kudos to Symform for getting it done!