Peer to Peer Magazine

20 PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ILTA | SPRING 2017 BEST PRACTICES The Evolution of Cloud Connectivity Solutions The Evolution of Cloud Connectivity Solutions Rapid Expansion Firms that have implemented successful solutions recognize that a strategy must include sound network planning and the ability to evolve as the needs of the firm evolve. Cost management is a concern, but the presenters at the ILTACON session and I agree that the variables have changed and there is no clear apples-to-apples comparison between cloud strategies and on-premises solutions. It is hard to quantify cost-benefits (or cost-avoidance) associated with an always on, ubiquitously accessible and fully redundant environment. Evaluating a cloud infrastructure strategy is atop any CIO's list. One of the sessions that stood out at ILTA's 2016 ILTACON conference was about cloud strategies. That session and other evidence indicate most firms either have an existing cloud strategy or are starting to build one. Where is your firm in the cloud integration evolution? Earlier this year, technology research and advisory firm Gartner predicted public cloud services would grow to $246.4 billion in 2017, with the largest growth percentage coming from infrastructure as a service (IaaS) at $34.6 billion. In October 2015, the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicted that cloud IT infrastructure will grow at an annual rate of 15.1 percent and reach $53.1 billion by 2019, accounting for 46 percent of total spending on enterprise IT infrastructure. The IDC cited multiple factors for this, including the agility of a cloud-based IT infrastructure, financial reasons and the plethora of "next-generation applications born and run in the cloud." Infrastructure Progression As IT organizations look to migrate to cloud infrastructures, they need to ensure the robustness of their cloud connectivity solutions. The abundance of cloud connectivity options leaves firms scratching their heads on what strategy to follow. Enterprises have gone through an evolution in how they build connectivity and access to their new cloud infrastructure. » Secure Virtual Private Network (VPN): With more and more organizations shiing to cloud- based environments, enterprises look to secure VPN solutions (Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), internet protocol security (IPsec), etc.) for their early deployments of cloud infrastructure. A secure VPN connects the firm securely across an existing public internet connection, so the cost benefits are great. You are simply managing a new node securely. » Dedicated Access: Once firms have tested their new cloud environment, they might look to deploy dedicated secure connections as opposed to going across the public internet or worrying about the load associated with encryption or decryption (on both ends of the link). They might deploy one or more basic Layer 2 solutions (point-to-point (PTP) or virtual private LAN service (VPLS)) for a single high-bandwidth connection. If a firm is seeking redundancy they might deploy more than one to different cloud provider points of presence (PoP). » Optimized Private Network Routes: Most carriers offer optimized private network routes: private connections to cloud providers across an existing multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) by Sameer Hilal

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