Discuss the requirements that VideoDev will need to consider in order to conduct remote administration, resource management and SLA management for its proposed MicroService approach. This section should be no more than two to three pages in length. (10 marks)
Cloud computing and hosting services are increasingly becoming popular for deploying business systems nowadays since mobility is becoming an important factor in business processes (Linthicum, 2018). Micro service architecture is an approach to application development where large applications are built as a fragmentation of modular components. Each module supports a particular task or business goal and communicates with lightweight mechanisms. Having an application in different and smaller sizes improves modularity and overall functionality, a factor that Video Dev’s customers would enjoy. This is mainly due to an enhanced data availability with cloud computing. On the overall, it would increase the company’s flexibility and responsiveness which is the main objective (Berg, Kroodsma, Kummerow & McKague, 2018).
Remote administration ensures that all the data is made available for all clients from any of the locations. To implement this, some network requirements in architecture and installation need to be fulfilled (Azadmanesh, 2016). Variables such as number of users, network bandwidth and latency as well as device capabilities may come into play but there are some critical requirements that Video Dev will need to consider with focus on remote administration. Security is a major concern especially in this age of hackers and cyber attacks. Remote access and control tools should be secured and on the clients’ end, two factor authorizations can be enforced to prevent unauthorized access. Also, limiting access to individual clients according to their clearance/privilege level may ensure that not all the information is viewable by all users. Clear designation must be adhered to. Reliability is an important aspect of remote administration(“IEEE Cloud Computing Call for Papers: Special Issue on Cloud-Native Applications House Advertisement”, 2016). Remote access should work as and when needed by clients and the host and as such, it should be very reliable with few to no downtimes. Manageability should be considered. As the remote administrator, access and control tools should be easy to manage and maintain for overall functionality. Finally, power to access, control and perform tasks as the remote administrator should be a factor. This entails the power to perform configuration audits, perform scans and overall administrative tasks. Since the data centre is dynamic and continually evolves, the environment will take up new workloads as well as new infrastructure components. As such, it is critical to comfortably control this environment as needed.
SLA management refers to contractual obligations that are made between the service provider and clients. With Video Dev having a customer focused approach, delivering value to clients as well as positive customer relationship is the top priority. Each parties’ responsibility must be formally explained as well as the description of service. It should also include the Quality of Service commitments that must be clearly outlined and defined. Service Level Agreements are comprised of; the group of services that are made available by the cloud host, clearly outlined terms of service and measurement thereof for evaluating service delivery points and a way of monitoring these measurements. Finally, a means of decision making should a disagreement arise as a result of not meeting the Service Level Agreement terms(R. El-awadi and M. Abu-rizka, 2015).
A top factor to consider in Service Level Agreement management is . Clients should be assured that data will be kept under tight security and that strict confidentiality standards will be maintained when systems are moved to the cloud. Data encryption to keep clients’ information safe should meet the threshold requirements (Talib, 2015). On maintenance and back up, scheduled downtimes should be promptly communicated to clients and if possible, should not conflict with business hours. There should be established defined contact points and escalation of support tickets. The level of support and guaranteed response time is important since clients should know the turnaround time expected should they run into any obstacles as well as the support they should expect from Video Dev. Delivering back up and restoring procedures is one of the main reasons Video Dev chose cloud solutions. Therefore, back up and restore routines should be a top consideration. Data ownership should also be a factor consideration in terms of ownership of the data during and after termination of service. Clear policies need to be formulated in order to cover the ownership of both client and company data on the cloud. Finally, given that natural disaster can occur at any time, a clear understanding of who is liable in case such a disaster occurs and how the company is safe guarded against such an event is a critical requirement in Service Level Agreements.
Resource management involves hosting large computing systems and services with focus on the efficient sharing of the cloud resources among many users.Cloud provides a tool geared aimed to attaining high efficiency in resource management with low service provision cost. Resource management ensures that cloud providers serve a high number of demands without violating terms of Service Level Agreement with the main objective of resource management being minimization of costs and time related to that service. Multi tenancy is an important aspect of cloud computing services and this shared infrastructure may lead to leaking data to other users or could expose the data or make the data vulnerable to attacks. Important factors to consider include strong isolation for multi tenant by implementing security best practices for installation and configuration. Checks should be put in place for environment monitoring and for any unauthorized changes or activity. VideoDev should have in place mechanisms to enforce Service Level Agreement for patching and vulnerability as and when the need arises. Regular vulnerability scans and configuration audits should also be conducted, in line with the Service Level Agreement. Force Majeure Events No matter your climate or geography catastrophic events can occur at any time. You need a clear understanding of who is liable in the event of a disaster and how your company is safe-guarded against such an event. Scheduled Downtime and Notification Requirements All systems need maintenance and backup, but the good news is your cloud provider maintains the system for you. But you need to know that scheduled downtime will not conflict with your business and includes downtime notification policies that fit your needs. Responsibility and Reimbursement for SLA Non-Compliance You know nothing is perfect especially where IT is concerned, but in the event that your provider is unable to meet the uptime guarantee, you need to know that guarantee is backed by financial reimbursement to your organization. Support Severity Levels and Guaranteed Response Times If you are struggling to perform a task on your system for any reason, you need fast solutions to the problem. Make sure your software as a service provider includes support responsibilities and response time guarantees that meet your company’s requirements. Backup and Restore Routines (Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective) The cloud’s ability to deliver backup and restore procedures is one of the major values businesses hope to gain by adopting cloud solutions. So in order to gain the full benefit of moving to the cloud, your provider’s backup and restore routines must be a priority. Data Ownership Policies Today’s business market is driven by data. You need to know that your provider’s data ownership policies do not overstep your company’s policies. Be sure that data ownership policies after termination of service also meet your company standards. Data Encryption and How it is Monitored Data encryption keeps your data safe as it moves through cyberspace. This includes customer, client and patient data, so you need to know that your provider’s standards meet your company’s security requirements. Annual Increases, Notifications and Increase Limitations One of the major advantages of cloud hosting over licensing on-premises solutions is the ability to avoid unexpected costs and fees associated with updates, maintenance and service packs. You need a predictable cost structure in order to receive a healthy return on your investment in the cloud, so hidden costs and unexpected price increases from a hosting provider are unacceptable.
In conclusion, various requirements need to be fulfilled as the company considers moving some of its computer infrastructure into the Cloud. However, the overall benefit far outweighs the costs and demands to be met as systems shift to the cloud.
References
Berg, W., Kroodsma, R., Kummerow, C., & McKague, D. (2018). Fundamental Climate Data Records of Microwave Brightness Temperatures. Remote Sensing, 10(8), 1306. doi: 10.3390/rs10081306
IEEE Cloud Computing Call for Papers: Special Issue on Cloud-Native Applications House Advertisement. (2016). IEEE Cloud Computing, 3(6), 23-23. doi: 10.1109/mcc.2016.123
Linthicum, D. (2018). Approaching Cloud Computing Performance. IEEE Cloud Computing, 5(2), 33-36. doi: 10.1109/mcc.2018.022171665
Talib, A. (2015). Ensuring Security, Confidentiality and Fine-Grained Data Access Control of Cloud Data Storage Implementation Environment. Journal Of Information Security, 06(02), 118-130. doi: 10.4236/jis.2015.62013