Hybrid Cloud For Dummies

Understanding the Cloud Service Management Ecosystem

Because the hybrid cloud encompasses so many different services from so many different places, cloud management needs lots of attention. Secure, reliable, interoperable, and cost-effective cloud services require an underlying infrastructure that is highly tuned, well monitored, and well managed. Your level of responsibility for managing the delivery and operation of cloud services depends on your role in the cloud ecosystem.

You might be a consumer of cloud services, a provider of cloud services, or an organization that brings a variety of services together (such as a broker of cloud services). In hybrid cloud environments, the roles and responsibilities for management are complicated. An organization consuming Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Business Process as a Service (BPaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from different vendors may need to play multiple roles, including both as a cloud consumer and a cloud provider. Responsibilities for managing and securing these cloud services will overlap and often be shared across different participants.

With so many different players in the hybrid cloud environment, one thing is certain. At the end of the day, organizations are responsible for delivering the right service level for its customers. The primary goal of a well-managed environment is to ensure that end-user experiences are maintained and satisfy expectations. Therefore, it is beneficial ...