The Bridge Across Cloud Computing Worlds - IT Management Tools

With the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) 2011 conference fast approaching in March I wanted to touch on the role that IT management tools play in cloud computing including Private Cloud, Windows Azure public cloud, or solutions which span both worlds. If you’re not familiar with MMS, it is the premier Microsoft conference for IT staff interested in first-hand information on Microsoft’s management offerings, with the sessions delivered by Microsoft and industry experts. MMS is an excellent opportunity for IT staff to be educated directly by Microsoft on the products their companies are currently using so they can continue to learn how to maximize the value they’re getting from those tools as IT evolves.

This year MMS will include sessions such as monitoring Windows Azure applications with System Center Operations Manager and a variety of Private Cloud management sessions. The beauty is that the solution for managing these different cloud implementations is the same one that customers have been using for years to manage their traditional server and application infrastructures – Microsoft System Center – meaning little to no learning curve.

As you’re taking a look at cloud computing solutions consider the fact that Microsoft provides customers with the most comprehensive choice and approach to cloud computing, offering on-premise and off-premise solutions or a combination of them. You don’t have to choose one or the other and you can select the workloads, applications and services you want to move and when you want to. Whether customers are looking for an Infrastructure (Iaas) or Platform (PaaS) as a Service solution, they can select from the Private Cloud offerings available built on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V with the System Center management suite, or Public Cloud offerings available from partners using this same technology as a Private Cloud solution or offered directly from Microsoft with Windows Azure. There’s some good aggregated technical information on Windows Azure fundamentals located at this site on MSDN too.

I recently came across a couple videos including this IT as a Service conversation with Brad Anderson, Corporate VP with the Microsoft Management and Services Division, which talks about systems management and the various cloud infrastructures:

Additionally there’s a free webcast created for business decision makers which talks about server and cloud infrastructures and roles of System Center, Windows Azure, and the Private Cloud.

The webcast speaks to the broad choices Microsoft can provide you with for your cloud computing needs, while letting your IT staff take advantage of the skills they already have in using Microsoft System Center to manage IT infrastructures, helping to reduce your costs.

I hope you find this information helpful and that you check out some of the additional pointers to information on understanding the relationship of IT management and cloud computing. Also keep the MMS conference I mentioned in mind as an excellent opportunity to have your IT staff trained and educated directly by Microsoft on these topics. For information on Microsoft’s enterprise cloud offerings be sure to check out the Cloud Power web site too.

Thanks for your time and let me know if you have questions or comments - larry