Private Cloud vs. Virtual Datacenter

A key worry about using remote data centers is security — who’s handling (and viewing) the data? Brian Proffitt talks about the relative benefits of an in-house virtualized solution.

A private cloud can be a very attractive solution, but just like seeing that attractive person across the room you want to approach, care must be taken so the results don’t end up with you getting shot down for your troubles.

The reason for the attractiveness of a private cloud versus, say, the public cloud or even a hybrid cloud usually boils down to one very important reason: trust. When push comes to shove, IT managers are not yet willing to trust their company’s data to resources that are not completely owned by their own company.

There is a problem, however, with successfully implementing private clouds: a serious misunderstanding of just exactly what constitutes a private cloud. Walk up to the average IT manager on the street (and they’re out there, rest assured) and ask them what it takes to make a private cloud.

“Virtualization!” they will answer with the confident air of someone who knows they’ve got the right answer. And, indeed they do. Virtual machines and the ability to deploy jobs and resources to said VMs are at the heart of any form of cloud computing. What else?

Read the rest at Enterprise Networking Planet.