Last week, I participated in a webinar with GoGrid’s partner, Appistry, that was titled: “Unlock the Power of Scalable, Agile Cloud Platforms.” To quote: “Cloud computing has grown from a little-known buzz word into one of the hottest topics in IT today. View this On-Demand Webinar to learn how to get started with this exciting new technology. More importantly, learn about the best practices for enabling your applications to scale and truly harness the power of cloud computing.”

Sam Charrington (Vice President of Product Management & Marketing at Appistry) and I (Michael Sheehan – Technology Evangelist of GoGrid) discussed not only what the Cloud currently looks like (especially as related to Cloud Infrastructure and Cloud Platforms) but also showed a demo of how the Appistry/GoGrid solution works through a live demo of the product.

Shown below is the Webinar in its entirety (complete with plenty of audio mishaps, dropped calls and scratchy voices).

Also, there were several questions related to GoGrid asked during the webinar that were quickly answered or not answered at all. I wanted to provide some responses to those questions within this post. (Note: not all questions that were asked have been answered.) So without further ado…

Q: What is GoGrid’s role in this partnership?
A: GoGrid provides the Cloud Infrastructure on which the Appistry Platform runs. Customers who wish to dynamically scale their application code and deploy across multiple cloud servers use Appistry to manage these dynamics and the application code is deployed and scaled across GoGrid servers within the GoGrid infrastructure.

Q: The “turn off the lights” option isn’t currently available on GoGrid without deleting the server, will it be available soon?
A: When you create a Windows or Linux Cloud Server on GoGrid, you are essentially reserving the infrastructure for use. This is true for RAM/CPU and Hard drive space. Because the storage is PERSISTENT within GoGrid, meaning, if you shut off an instance, your data as it is stored within that server is maintained, you are charged for that storage (just not for bandwidth). To this end and in order to maintain the data and machine integrity, you are charged for even those servers in a “stopped” state. However, we are looking as ways to “park” unused clouds. We expect to announce something in 2009.

Q: Does GoGrid charge for incoming bandwidth?
A: No, all inbound bandwidth is free of charge.

Q: Can I run VPNs on GoGrid?
A: Yes, you can configure VPNs on GoGrid. GoGrid also provides both public and private Network interfaces so that you can put Cloud servers on a private network (e.g., your database servers).

Q: Is GoGrid available internationally?
A: Yes, GoGrid is available to users world-wide and our global coverage including additional POPs (Points of Presence) will continue to expand over the coming years.

Q: Does the Cloud support database heavy applications?
A: Yes. GoGrid has several customers who use GoGrid for relatively heavy transactional environments. Also, GoGrid recently announced “Cloud Connect” which allows for the building of hybrid infrastructure between managed, dedicated servers and dynamically scaling web servers in the Cloud.

Q: Do you think Cloud Computing can present a reliable solution for a massively multi-user website, for live, multi-casting over the web, especially considering the virtualization and real-time CPU time issues?
A: Yes. Cloud Computing, in general, is robust enough to allow for large-scalable dynamic web content to be broadcast. GoGrid has many companies providing rich, dynamic, high-volume content delivery. And now, with Cloud Connect, the ability to provide data-intensive, high-CPU solutions are even more tangible.

Q: Can Cloud Computing be used as a disaster recovery option?
A: Yes, in fact this is a great use of the Cloud. If your full infrastructure is hosted in the Cloud, setting up a reliable failover is fairly straight forward. Similarly, full infrastructures can be mirrored within GoGrid to support dynamic failovers.

Q: What are other customers doing for security within the Cloud?
A: Apart from the Windows or Linux software-based firewalls, users can freely install other security software in their Clouds on GoGrid. Since all servers are enabled with Root or Administrator access, users can implement complex routings (e.g., using IPtables) or even through restricting traffic to and from various Cloud servers. Some GoGrid users have even deployed stand-alone Cloud servers in conjunction with the free f5 Load Balancers to create intricate infrastructures that are robust in terms of security.

Q: How interoperable are the vendor offerings?
A: GoGrid is committed to furthering interoperability between Cloud vendors and is an active member in various Cloud Computing Standards and Interoperability forums. Portability between Clouds is something that we understand is critical to providing seamless transactions across Public Clouds. Furthering open standards and compliance is critical to the success of Cloud Computing. For example, GoGrid’s API is based on many standards found in other Cloud API’s in the market.

Q: Does GoGrid support Oracle databases?
A: We have customers who have deployed Oracle databases across various ServePath products. Since Oracle DB’s traditionally have fairly high requirements, I would recommend using a “Cloud Connect” scenario.

Both GoGrid and Appistry are extremely excited about our new Partnership. If you have more questions or want to discuss the partnership (or how to sign up) in greater detail, please visit the Appistry partner page on the GoGrid site.

Today I read Mary Brandel’s article in Computerworld titled “Stormy Weather: 7 Gotchas in Cloud Computing” which discusses some of the possible issues related to turning to the Cloud for your application or site hosting needs. First, I agree (and actually like) the reference to “Cloud Computing” being like a pop song getting stuck in your head…it is a frequently (over)used buzzword swirling around the media and blogosphere. The article goes on to discuss about some hurdles or pitfalls surrounding this evolving technology. (I almost added “trend” to that previous sentence but then reminded myself, this is not a trend but rather a solid alternative to traditional IT technology.)

To briefly recap the 7 Gotchas that Brandel discusses:

1. Costs, Part I: Cloud Infrastructure Providers
2. Costs, Part II: Cloud Storage Providers
3. Sudden Code Changes
4. Service Disruptions
5. Vendor Expertise
6. Global Concerns
7. Non-Native Applications

So let’s quickly dive into each of these items from a Cloud Computing Vendor’s perspective, that of GoGrid.

Costs, Part I: Cloud Infrastructure Providers

At the end of this discussion of high CapEx via purchasing hardware infrastructures versus “pay by the drink” method of Cloud Computing, a hybrid approach was discussed. Putting all of your IT infrastructure physically in a datacenter that you manage, OR, hosting everything entirely “in the cloud” might not be the best option on their own exclusively. It does make sense from a cost perspective to put everything in the Cloud but there is a possibility (depending on the cloud provider) that the throughput of high I/O servers might not meet your needs. Thus, a hybrid infrastructure might be a more logical solution (put your high-performance DB servers in a dedicated, managed environment and your elastic or dynamic resources, such as web or app servers, in the Cloud). For example, take a look at GoGrid’s offering called “Cloud Connect” which give the ability to link dedicated environments with the Cloud.

Costs, Part II: Cloud Storage Providers

Some interesting points are brought up in this section, namely, alternative pricing models for Cloud Storage. While Amazon’s S3 service does offer tiered pricing based on the amount of storage used, some interesting ideas are presented around paying less for data that you don’t use frequently or that is very old. Having a “slower media delivery” method or reduced service level in exchange for less expensive storage costs is an intriguing idea. But before one jumps into this, be sure you weigh the costs of doing it yourself (via a dedicated solution) or simply archiving that old data onto physical media (e.g., DVD/BlueRay, Tapes, etc.). The Cloud is great for immediacy, convenience and redundancy but you do pay for that luxury sometimes. At GoGrid, we elected to have 2 tiers of pricing: FREE and paid (currently at $0.15/GB). Who knows if this will change, but for now, we chose to be one of the only Cloud Storage providers to give you some storage out of the box for free. Read more about it here.

Sudden Code Changes

Changes to the underlying code base of your Cloud provider can be devastating, especially if you are using a Cloud Platform provider like Google App Engine or even Force.com (SalesForce’s Development platform). If they change the way they architect or support something, you may suddenly be faced with having to update your code to support those changes. If you choose a Cloud Infrastructure provider (like GoGrid or Amazon’s EC2), you are less likely to run into these types of issues. With GoGrid, you have full root or administrator access to the Cloud Servers where you host your infrastructure or code. That means, if you want to install your own supporting software, you can do so if you want to. This is much safer and less prone to the problematic idiosyncrasies of Cloud Platforms.

Service Disruptions

Frankly, I don’t see why this is unique to Cloud Computing. Service Disruptions can occur with traditional hosting and especially with self-hosting (if not done properly). Computers do fail, power does go out, bad patches are released, you name it. There are plenty of things that can go wrong with any hosting environment. So, why the concern with disruptions in the cloud? Could it be that the Cloud is under more intense scrutiny than traditional data centers? I think so. But let’s think about it. Many Cloud Computing providers have numerous power and connectivity redundancies built in. They also have specialized, trained experts on-hand. There is more transparency in the hosting business (cloud or not) than the Finance sector it seems. Also look at the supplier’s Service Level Agreement (SLA). For reference, GoGrid has one of the most (if not THE most) comprehensive and robust SLA’s in the hosting industry in general. See it here.

Vendor Expertise

While I agree with the statement made in the article by Sr. VP of Serena Software Inc, Rene Bonvanie, that many of the Cloud Computing vendors are relatively new to the space, that doesn’t mean that they are inexperienced. Take Amazon EC2 for example. They trail blazed the way for the Cloud movement and now they are (one of) the biggest Cloud providers out there. A few years before that, they were selling merchandise via the web (and they still do). But their offering is managed by seasoned IT professionals who seem to really know what they are doing. GoGrid is a bit newer to the Cloud space, launching in March 2008; however the product was under development for several years prior to that. GoGrid also is built with hosting experience. Parent company, ServePath, has been in the managed hosting business for well over 7 years. So, building upon hosting and IT expertise, GoGrid directly contradicts Bonvanie’s statement about inexperience. Do shop around and look at the history of any provider.

Global Concerns

There is no better time than now for companies overseas to set up a US hosting presence for their business. The Dollar is weak and hosting is traditionally expensive overseas. European and Asian companies looking to establish an IT presence, whether it be for a US-based website or even a company IT infrastructure can now look more favorably at the US hosting market. Moving that structure into the cloud is also very cost effective. With the idea of “disposable IT,” satellite offices can be quickly built up (and torn down) using Cloud Infrastructure. Since the cloud is rather new, disparate networks or hosting facilities are new as well, but this will change over time. Of all of the “Gotchas” listed in the article, this one does seem to be the most significant though, especially around data and privacy concerns. Until the Cloud is established in the Enterprise however, there will still be some wiggle room around this concern.

Non-Native Applications

In my mind, this concern goes hand-in-hand with #3 above (“Sudden Code Changes”) and points to the limitations of Cloud Applications and Cloud Platforms. If you want a native environment for hosting web applications, developers and IT professionals should look to the lowest level of the Cloud Pyramid, specifically at the Cloud Infrastructure level where GoGrid and EC2 reside. With that layer, one has the most control and flexibility to create and maintain environments the way one wants them to be. The higher up the Pyramid one goes, the less control and more rigid, brittle and restrictive the environment. Also, with GoGrid, for example, one develops within a familiar environment (Windows or Linux cloud servers) which means that one pretty much knows what one is getting into. The higher up the Pyramid, the less sure one becomes about what you can or cannot do.

All in all, the article was a good read, however, it does already show its age. These “Gotchas” are more, in my mind, things to consider when evaluating your IT needs and requirements when moving to the Cloud. Use them more as a checklist to be sure you don’t get caught on the wrong side.

Have you been looking for the best of both worlds? I’m talking specifically to Hosting. There are some things that simply run better within a dedicated server environment and others that are much more optimized for running in the Cloud. When you have a background in Hosting (colocation, managed and the cloud), you have the ability to offer products that none of the other Cloud or Dedicated providers can provide. That is, the ability to connect across infrastructures: Dedicated Managed Servers (ServePath) and Cloud Infrastructure (GoGrid).

Shortly, we will be releasing a new service called “Cloud Connect” which essentially combines the elasticity of Cloud Computing with the customization of dedicated servers in one unified solution. Cloud Connect utilizes a secure megabit private network to connect your Cloud Web and Application servers (your front end environment) with customized dedicated database servers (back end environment).

Some benefits and uses on using a Hybrid Infrastructure using “Cloud Connect”:

• Cloud Servers give you the flexibility to quickly scale web and application servers to meet swings in demand
• Use a Secure VPN to administer your database servers
• Quickly deploy Web or Application Clouds to handle spikes in Internet traffic
• Dedicated Database servers ensure that you have the I/O (Input/Output) throughput needed to run a high performance database
• Cloud Storage allows you to have an infinitely scalable storage service for backing up critical data from your Cloud environment

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Well it is! This is something that no other hosting provider is currently offering that we know of. Of course, you can try your own solution using different providers, but that just adds time and complexity to your infrastructure build-out.

So for right now, we are looking for some current ServePath and/or GoGrid customers who:

• Have (or have the need  for) Web or Application servers running on GoGrid
  -or-
• Have (or have the need for) a high-end Database Server running at ServePath
• Want to be a showcase example of the power of Cloud Connect for configuring a Hybrid Hosting Infrastructure

If this fits your profile and/or your needs, we would like to hear from you. Please contact a Sales Representative at 1-877-946-4743 or fill out the blog Contact form.