Cloud Based Solutions West Midlands

Oracle Linux – A Linux OS Designed For A Hybrid Cloud

There are hundreds of Linux distributions to choose from, but not all are created equal. When it comes to enterprise deployments you need a distro that is secure, reliable and performant – particularly in a hybrid cloud scenario.

So why should Oracle Linux be at the top of your shortlist?

Cloud-native technology built in as standard

Oracle Linux has been built with cloud operations from the outset. Support for Kubernetes and container orchestration is included with the kernel. This allows your business to build modern cloud-ready applications and run them locally, in the cloud or across a combination of both according to your needs and preferences.

Indeed, Oracle is the only vendor to offer a complete technology stack to accompany their Linux distribution – applications, middleware, database, management tools, operating system, virtualisation, hardware, engineered systems, and cloud.

Enterprise-class support available

Oracle offer a selection of flexible support contracts to cover any combination of Oracle Linux instances. As well as ensuring access to product support experts in the event of a problem, you also benefit from advanced tools to help better manage your hybrid cloud operating environment. You can run line-of-business applications on Oracle Linux safe knowing that you have sufficient resources available to assist whenever required.

Importantly, Oracle Support for tends to be cheaper and more cost-effective than other competing enterprise-class services too. This is particularly true when you consider that physical and virtual installations are treated the same, simplifying your support subscription.

Oracle uses Oracle Linux

One of the best tests of a product is whether the vendor uses it. Oracle develops all of their products and services on Oracle Linux giving them a deep insight into demanding enterprise workloads. Their efforts to improve reliability, security, scalability and performance in-house are then rolled into each OS upgrade for the benefit of all of their customers too.

Multicloud support

The modern hybrid cloud operating environment is increasingly complex, often relying on services from more than one vendor. In recognition of this fact, Oracle Linux is available for both Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure – in addition to Oracle Engineered Cloud.

By offering multi-cloud support, your business can build Linux-based applications and services with confidence, knowing that they will run anywhere without any reconfiguration or redevelopment. Any on-premise development will continue to deliver even after it is migrated entirely to the cloud.

It’s time to learn more

Few operating systems can come close to Oracle Linux in terms of enterprise performance, security, functionality and cost. And the cloud-ready nature of the distro makes it a natural choice for hybrid cloud operations.

To learn more about Oracle Linux and why it is the perfect OS for enterprise workloads anywhere (including hybrid cloud), please give the WTL team a call

cloud-connected storage

Is cloud-connected storage your path to the future?

The hybrid cloud infrastructure model has become the platform of choice for most businesses for two reasons.

First, questions about security and sovereignty means that some operations are best retained in-house to maintain compliance.

Second, time sensitive operations, particularly operations that rely on real-time processing, need to be kept on-premise. Latency between local data centre and the cloud could prevent timely processing.

Time to blur the boundaries

Despite best efforts, current hybrid models emphasise the disconnect between on-premise and cloud. The number of applications and operations being run locally may have decreased, but the CTO must still deploy sufficient processing and storage capacity for those that remain.

This is where the choice of on-premises technology platform becomes crucial. Ideally you want to eliminate the barrier between local and hosted resources to create a seamless, unified platform on which to build.

One choice would be NetApp AFF storage. The ultra-low latency all flash arrays are powered by ONTAP, NetApp’s comprehensive management and configuration system providing cloud-connected storage.

Included in ONTAP is the FabricPool technology which allows you to connect various public and private cloud services directly to your on-site infrastructure. This forms the basis of your seamless hybrid cloud.

Time to get smart

A unified platform is just the start of a future-ready infrastructure, however. FabricPool goes further, using intelligent rules and analysis to automate data and workload allocation.

Mission-critical applications requiring the very highest levels of performance are retained in-house, using the NVMe flash to minimise latency. FabricPool then re-allocates other workloads to off-site cloud platforms to help balance performance and cost.

Embracing the multi-cloud future

Despite the best efforts of cloud providers, CTOs have been keen to avoid the trap of vendor lock-in. The ability to move workloads between providers cost effectively is important for future proofing and flexibility, driving a more towards multi-cloud deployments.

Best-of-breed infrastructure can be costly to set-up and maintain, mainly because the relevant skills are in such high demand. As a result, many of the cost-control opportunities of multi-cloud operations are lost through increased staffing and administration costs.

Again, NetApp AFF technology can help you build a multi-tier storage strategy. FabricPool analysis will identify and categorise workloads, moving data to the most appropriate cloud platform automatically. Shifting ‘cold data’ to a hosted archive service will help to reduce per-terabyte storage costs and free up valuable high-performance local capacity. Extra sensitive data can be piped to lower-cost private cloud storage if preferred too.

Cloud-connection will be key to the future

The beauty of cloud platforms is the flexibility they offer. With almost infinite scalability, your business is free to rapidly grow its systems without capital investment.

But while some workloads remain tied to the local data centre, there is no reason similar scalability cannot be deployed on premise. Choosing all-flash arrays with the ability to join on-off-site platforms offers exceptional processing speed and the option to extend into the cloud whenever required.

While the hybrid cloud model remains default, CTOs should pay close attention to their choice of on-premise systems. Cloud-connected storage offers valuable strategic opportunities – and a way to bridge the on/off-premise divide seamlessly.

Useful Links

White Paper: Optimise Oracle Workloads with NetApp Solutions

hybrid cloud computing

How Your Business Could Benefit from a Hybrid Cloud Approach

In the not-too-distant past, many firms proudly promoted their “cloud first” strategies. By moving infrastructure and applications to the cloud, these adventurous organisations hoped to increase operational flexibility (and reduce costs). Over time it has become apparent that some workloads are not currently suited to hosted platforms. Anything that is time sensitive (IoT and real time analytics) or exceptionally sensitive (personally identifiable information, intellectual property) may be more effective in the on-premise data centre. The hybrid cloud developed as a natural response to these different workloads – and has gone on to become the new norm for most organisations. This change in strategy is not necessarily a bad thing – there are definite benefits to the hybrid operating model according to research from the Aberdeen Group.

Improved application performance

Speed of IT is closely associated with speed of business, so any gain is important. 50% of hybrid cloud adopters report improved application performance.

Increased IT infrastructure agility

The ability to change operations and processes quickly is vital to competing with disruptive start-ups and shifting customer preferences. 43% of hybrid cloud users believe they have a data platform capable of supporting that change.

Genuine cost savings

Early cloud platforms promised enormous financial savings – but only if applications were re-engineered around the pay-as-you-use business model. By retaining control of some apps and data in house, 38% of hybrid cloud using companies have achieved an overall reduction of IT expenses.

Improved system reliability

In most cases, data availability is as important as speed. By moving to enterprise-class hybrid cloud platforms operated by data centre experts, adopters can reduce at least some of their on-premise footprint. The fewer “moving parts” they operate, the lower the risk of outage – as confirmed by 35% of users.

Building for the future

Once they have established some of their operations in the cloud, hybrid users have the option of increasing capacity and resources as and when required. And as other applications become cloud-enabled, they can migrate more of their workload off-site to compound the benefits and gains listed here.

Hybrid cloud doesn’t “just happen” though. You will need a proper cloud strategy, one that assesses current workload and identifies which assets are suitable for hosting in the cloud. Systems that remain on site will need at least some degree of reconfiguration for optimal performance and compatibility.

With the right technology platform and cloud partner, you can define a roadmap that offers maximum flexibility moving forwards. In return you can expect to reduce operating risk and increased control of your entire IT estate.

If you would like to learn more about hybrid cloud and exactly what it means for your business, please give us a call.

Useful Links

White Paper: IT Benefits from a Hybrid Cloud Approach Continue to Grow