DUBAI, UAE, 15th June, 2015:
CIOs in the Middle East today face complexity on two fronts when it
comes to addressing problems that the network creates for the
organization - the complexity of the IT environment and the complex mix
of potential solutions to evaluate.
One solution may be
the adoption of cloud, but the issue of cloud control and connectivity
is a concern for the majority of CIOs today. Fayez Eweidat, regional
sales manager, MENA at Brocade provides his insights below on why cloud
procurement needs to start with the CIO.
Cloud, in its various
forms can deliver almost immediate, cost effective access to the level
of IT services required by a business or specific business unit. The
potential benefits for growing businesses, or for those seeking greater
cost-efficiencies, cannot be disputed. It is no wonder then that in a
recent global survey conducted by Brocade, over half of CIOs say their
organization uses public cloud services.
What is a concern
though, is when business units commission the cloud without involving IT
and without any formal guidance or policy around how to manage and use
the cloud. Over a third of CIOs admit that while cloud adoption without
IT’s involvement isn’t allowed in their organizations, there is a good
chance it might happen without them knowing. If deployed without proper
checks in place, the organization’s infrastructure could be impacted and
slowed by the unexpected usage, and managing the network becomes
increasingly difficult in the face of unpredictable demand.
Time for a New Approach
The issue is not so
much the cloud but rather the business’ attitude and approach to its
adoption. The ‘right’ cloud can greatly assist an organization or
business unit in achieving its goals. The ‘wrong’ cloud can accelerate
and intensify the very issues its adoption was designed to address.
CIOs need to address
cloud demands with the business unit leaders and become their ally in
the cloud. While over 80 percent of CIOs admit to having concerns over
their job security due to unsanctioned cloud, in reality the CIO’s role
is even more critical if cloud adoption is to be successful. Ensuring
that the organization can successfully connect to the cloud is a key
driver of success.
If CIOs understand
what drives each business unit to consider cloud, they can become
internal cloud consultants, rather than combatants. They can identify
the right services, with the right Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and
ensure the owned infrastructure can support cloud connectivity.
Public vs Private Cloud
CIOs probably already
know what their business unit leaders want from IT. The issue is how to
provide it to them in a way that best serves the organization as a
whole.
Cloud services may be
able to resolve some challenges, but security, legislation and
commercial sensitivities mean third party cloud is not the panacea for
all infrastructure ills. IT heads also need to ensure that the current
infrastructure can be optimized to ensure cloud connectivity.
Business-led networking means addressing the issues of the owned
network, as well as looking to cloud-based solutions.
Private (owned) cloud
solutions can provide a way of closing the gap between business unit
time-scales and deployment realities. They can also require a level of
investment the business may not be ready for, and a period of planning
and testing to ensure the right solutions are deployed.
To give organizations
the innovative, user centric and software-defined infrastructure it
needs, CIOs need to reconsider their entire network - from storage
through the data centre and out to the LAN and WAN requirements. Network
technology has evolved.
For example,
deployment of fabric network solutions, Software-Defined Networks (SDN)
and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) can ensure business needs and
goals are met while supporting cloud connectivity. These solutions can
also support any scale-out as part of a longer term transitional
approach, to meet the organization’s immediate needs as well as the mid
and longer term goals.
What Now
Taking control of
cloud investments while supporting business units’ requests for cloud is
an important first step. It will alleviate pressure on the IT
department and owned infrastructure, and reduce the risk of security and
legislative breaches. Importantly, it also helps provide a clear
picture of what is really required from the owned infrastructure to meet
the organization’s immediate and long term goals.
Cloud is one part of
creating the ‘New IP’ network - one built on transitional technologies
brought together to provide an infrastructure that is agile, affordable,
and automated. It is imperative for CIOs in the Middle East to get
ahead of the curve and build this New IP network. One that will scale
with the organization and not lag behind it.
