Hybrid Cloud Podcast

Hybrid Cloud Podcast

A seasonal podcast that looks at the evolution of hybrid cloud computing.

Episodes

  1. 03/29/2023

    Hybrid Cloud 012 – Observability, Fluentd and Fluent Bit with Calyptia

    In this episode, Chris chats to Anurag Gupta, co-founder at Calyptia about the requirements for system observability, specifically using Fluentd and Fluent Bit. Fluentd is a data collection tool, written in Ruby and C and used to collect data from multiple system types. Fluent Bit is a log collection tool written in C with an emphasis on efficiently collecting data from embedded Linux systems, including the IoT market. In this discussion Anurag explains the background to observability versus monitoring and how modern SaaS applications also need data to be collected and analysed. Data collection needs to be secure, filtered and obfuscated where necessary, to ensure PII or other sensitive data isn’t leaked inadvertently. Calyptia manages Fluentd and Fluent Bit deployments, providing a SaaS portal to establish rules and policies on data sources, filtering and storage. For more information, check out https://calyptia.com/ and https://www.fluentd.org/. Elapsed Time: 00:41:02 Timeline 00:00:00 – Intros 00:02:40 – Microsoft loves Linux! (Now) 00:04:13 – What is Fluentd and Fluent Bit? 00:06:23 – Modern app complexity requires a greater depth – observability 00:08:30 – A filter system is required to highlight important metrics 00:09:16 – What data are customers typically collecting? 00:11:30 – SaaS applications also have observability requirements 00:13:58 – Why Fluentd and Fluent Bit? 00:16:08 – How much overhead does observability add? 00:19:12 – Fluentd/Fluent Bit are light touch solutions 00:19:40 – How are policies applied to data collection? 00:22:00 – Calyptia adds on enterprise-class management functionality 00:25:15 – Log data needs to be treated securely and safely, with “zero trust” 00:28:45 – Are there any gaps in log data collection? 00:32:15 – Calyptia supports Lua rules 00:33:30 – How is collected data visualised? 00:39:00 – Wrap Up Copyright (c) 2016-2023 Unpacked Network. No reproduction or re-use without permission. Podcast episode #hg5t.

    41 min
  2. 01/27/2023

    Hybrid Cloud 011 – Devising Strategies for Hybrid Cloud Adoption with Seagate

    In this podcast recording, Chris talks to Manjusha Gangadharan (VP of Customer Engagement) and Kshitish Soman (Head of Product and Operations), both from the Lyve Cloud division of Seagate. The discussion centres around the state of hybrid and multi-cloud adoption, specifically covering both the challenges and opportunities of a multi-cloud strategy. Seagate has researched and authored a multi-cloud maturity report, referenced as part of this discussion. It can be found here: https://www.seagate.com/resources/multicloud-maturity-report An interesting aspect of this discussion is whether IT organisations need Super Architects, individuals or teams that are capable of viewing all clouds and delivering consistent strategic usage across the landscape of platforms. The conversation concludes with a look at how end users and IT teams should approach the process of creating a hybrid cloud adoption strategy. As mentioned during the podcast, Seagate has solution called Lyve Cloud. Learn more here – https://www.seagate.com/services/cloud/storage/ Elapsed Time: 00:38:37 Timeline 00:00:00 – Intros 00:01:30 – How does Seagate define hybrid and multi-cloud? 00:04:15 – What adoption profiles have we seen with hybrid/multi-cloud? 00:06:45 – How can end users avoid a multi-cloud sprawl? 00:08:15 – IT departments tend to focus on infrastructure platforms, not data 00:11:15 – We need to consider data security and observability requirements – and cost 00:12:45 – What strategies do customers use for cost efficiency? 00:15:40 – Can organisations really apply consistent policies across multiple clouds? 00:17:30 – Platform choice is highly dependent on cloud capabilities 00:19:45 – Silos have always been a problem since the mainframe days 00:20:40 – Do we need Super Architects? 00:23:00 – When does the Starbucks purchase become an in-house coffee machine? 00:25:45 – Constraints should deliver efficient use of new technology, not hamper innovation 00:26:25 – How should IT organisations build a strategy for hybrid cloud? 00:29:15 – We must measure and quantify goals and plans 00:30:30 – Lyve Cloud is Seagate’s object storage solution 00:32:16 – One size doesn’t fit all when creating a strategy 00:37:00 – Wrap Up Manjusha’s Bio As the vice president of customer engagement for Seagate Lyve Cloud, Manjusha is responsible for every aspect of the customer’s journey with Lyve Cloud—business development, professional services, and cloud customer experience.   Manjusha has over 20 years of experience in tech, with exposure to a broad range of program management, pre-sales, sales, and marketing experience. Prior to joining Seagate in 2021, Manjusha served as the global head of strategy for Wipro Limited’s technology business unit, where she was responsible driving the transformation of the business mix towards digital, incubating a culture of innovation and diversity, and driving profitable growth.   Manjusha holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in architecture from the National Institute of Technology Calicut.  Kshitish’s Bio As the head of product and operations for Seagate Lyve Cloud, Kshitish is responsible for the product and operations teams of Lyve Cloud.  Kshitish has over 25 years of experience in tech with exposure to organizations of every size. He has led global technology organizations for both large and small companies as well as founded startups that have given him a wide lens on everything that makes modern digital organizations tick. Kshitish brings an ability to balance strategic and tactical goals with a mindset of curiosity-driven product development that has made his work successful.   Kshitish holds a Bachelor of Engineering in computing from University of Mumbai, India.  Copyright (c) 2016-2023 Unpacked Network. No reproduction or re-use without permission. Podcast episode #f4e3.

    39 min
  3. 12/09/2022

    Hybrid Cloud 010 – Engineering the Private Cloud with SoftIron HyperCloud

    In this Hybrid Cloud episode, Chris talks to Andrew Moloney, CMO at SoftIron. SoftIron recently announced HyperCloud, a bespoke hardware and software package for building scalable private clouds. In this conversation, Chris starts by discussing what private cloud means, over and above the immediate assumption of existing HCI solutions. Customers should expect, for example, self-service, multi-tenancy, tiered permissions and service catalogues. What, exactly, has SoftIron developed? HyperCloud evolves the technology created by the company over the last ten years, including bespoke storage and networking. The unique features of HyperCloud manage hardware installation, maintenance and upgrades in place, enabling businesses to deploy infrastructure with IT generalists rather than specialists. To learn more about HyperCloud, visit https://softiron.com/hypercloud/ and/or listen to episode #167 with SoftIron CEO Phil Straw and episode #223 on task-specific storage with Danny Abukalam. Elapsed Time: 00:51:42 Timeline 00:00:00 – Intros 00:01:30 – HCI is not Private Cloud 00:03:30 – Self-service, multi-tenancy, tiered permissions all form a private cloud 00:05:00 – Private (and public cloud) has significant internal integration already done 00:06:15 – What is HyperCloud? 00:08:00 – We reached a point in the industry where hardware became too generic 00:09:30 – IT has pushed itself into a corner with the evolution of computing 00:10:45 – SoftIron built a private cloud solution from scratch 00:12:30 – AWS Outposts is an example of private cloud (but extends AWS core) 00:14:00 – What does the HyperCloud physical infrastructure look like? 00:16:15 – Networking is just “pass the parcel” (hot potato if you prefer) 00:19:00 – HyperCloud nodes are optimised for their specific purpose 00:21:00 – Operating systems are too device-support heavy 00:24:20 – Infrastructure should be optimised for management 00:27:45 – AWS developed Nitro to engineer better hardware 00:29:30 – Making power savings will become a critical decision making point 00:32:45 – Hardware removal can be risky! 00:34:00 – What happens when the system boots up? 00:38:30 – HyperCloud can integrate with the Public Cloud 00:42:00 – How does HyperCloud maintenance work? 00:43:40 – HyperCloud supports mixed x86 & Arm compute servers 00:47:00 – Infrastructure shouldn’t be like a swan below the surface 00:51:00 – Wrap Up Copyright (c) 2016-2022 Unpacked Network. No reproduction or re-use without permission. Podcast episode #y6t5.

    52 min
  4. 10/21/2022

    Hybrid Cloud 009 – The Hype of the Supercloud

    In this episode, Chris chats to Gina Minks, independent marketing consultant with Digital Sunshine Solutions. The latest buzzword to hit the technology world is “supercloud”, a term that is meant to encompass more than hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. What does the term actually mean, and are we at risk of being sucked into yet another marketing term that ultimately is a rehashing of what IT has done for years? Listen to Gina explain her view of the industry and how we should be focused on delivering what’s right for the business. Following up on some housekeeping points, a cape is indeed a partial covering, whereas a cloak entirely covers the wearer. We also note that the @gina twitter handle is already taken (boo). Follow our Gina at @gminks or check out https://digitalsunshinesolutions.com/ Elapsed Time: 00:41:08 Timeline 00:00:00 – Intros 00:03:45 – What is a “Supercloud”? 00:07:40 – Isn’t cloud diversity just the new version of hardware diversity? 00:10:20 – Kickstart & Anaconda – flaky software! 00:13:00 – Is the Edge a real thing? 00:14:45 – Shim layers are to be avoided 00:17:00 – Prod/UAT/Dev, all can be divided into separate clouds 00:19:45 – Tactical use of multiple clouds already exists in business 00:21:00 – The data is the value, compute is ethereal 00:22:15 – Cloud economics is huge challenge for enterprises 00:27:15 – DevOps, DevSecOps, is there a DevFinOps? 00:30:15 – Gina has never seen a chain printer 00:31:30 – What should we do? Is there Cloud FOMO? 00:35:00 – Cloud definitions – is VMware Cloud a cloud? 00:37:30 – Maybe we need Super Architects with capes! 00:38:40 – What conclusions have we reached? 00:40:00 – Wrap Up Copyright (c) 2022 Unpacked Network. Post #fr3e. Do not reproduce without permission, in part, or whole.

    41 min
  5. 07/27/2020

    S02E03 – Hybrid Cloud Storage Choices – Rent or Buy?

    On the face of it, public cloud seems like a great place for long-term retention of unstructured data. However, as volumes of data stored rise, the cost of exiting the cloud cloud become prohibitively expensive. What’s the right strategy to follow? In this discussion, Chris chats to Matt Starr from Spectralogic on how to build out a model of public/private cloud storage and the pitfalls to avoid in the process. Timeline 00:00 – Intros 01:40 – How do we choose between cloud or on-prem? 03:00 – The initial attraction of public cloud is strong 06:00 – Is AWS S3 a long-term solution for data archive? 09:00 – What happens when you stop using Spotify? 10:40 – Don’t Pay?  They’ll take your data away 11:30 – What happens if cloud storage costs become excessive? 13:48 – Where should the “root” copy of your data be? 15:15 – Some vendors allow daily fractional downloads 19:00 – Is the new world of architecture about building spreadsheets? 23:30 – Tape customers are declining but using more capacity 25:10 – Tapes will move to erasure code across multiple tape drives 28:00 – What is the right approach to take in managing cloud data? 30:00 – Wrap Up Matt’s Bio Matt Starr is the Chief Technology Officer at Spectra Logic. Matt brings more than 24 years of technology experience to his role. As CTO, Matt is responsible for helping to define Spectra’s technology roadmap and execute on Spectra’s technology strategy. As the company’s executive voice of the market, Matt leads Spectra’s efforts in high-performance computing, private cloud and other vertical markets, and currently directs Spectra’s Federal and APAC sales efforts. His work experience includes management roles in service, hardware design, software development, operating systems and electronic design. Matt previously served as the lead engineering architect for the design and production of Spectra’s family of enterprise-class tape libraries. Under Matt’s direction, Spectra Logic secured more than 50 patents, establishing the company as an innovative technology leader in the data storage industry. Matt holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Copyright (c) 2020 Brookend Limited, no reproduction in part or whole without permission. Episode S02E03.

    31 min
  6. 06/30/2020

    S02E02 – Hybrid Cloud Storage Adoption and Disruptive Business Models

    The public cloud offers new ways to consume IT resources, but what does it mean for the way in which businesses look at the cost of IT? On-premises vendors need to get more flexible and creative in the way they offer services to their customers. In this podcast episode, Chris talks to Eran Brown, EMEA CTO at Infinidat about the challenges of aligning on-premises and public cloud consumption from a financial, business and technical perspective. Timeline 00:00 – Intros 02:00 – What does hybrid cloud storage mean? 03:00 – Cloud storage looks different in public cloud 05:00 – New features mean data mobility is required 07:00 – Avoid egress charges by using cloud-adjacent storage 08:00 – Standardise – or abstract? 12:00 – Pricing and internal procurement affect cloud usage 16:00 – Infinidat architecture allows flexibility to seed data centres 20:00 – Fast cars don’t need a 5 litre engine 24:00 – How do SMBs, mid-market and enterprises use hybrid? 26:40 – Does the Innovator’s Dilemma impact cloud adoption? 29:00 – Are MSPs at an advantage with hybrid cloud? 35:00 – What will Enterprises do for hybrid adoption? 38:00 – Wrap Up Eran’s Bio Eran Brown is CTO, EMEA, at INFINIDAT.  With over 15 years in the storage industry, Brown has an extensive technical background in networking, security, virtualisation, Big Data tools and other critical infrastructure components. Having gained broad experience as a Pre-Sales Engineer at NetApp to a Senior Product Manager at INFINIDAT, Brown has proven results in leading technical sales activities and delivering new products to market. In addition to this, he has familiarised himself with the multiple verticals throughout his career including the financial sector, oil & gas, telecoms and software industry – assisting in the planning, design and deployment of scalable infrastructure to support business applications. Copyright (c) 2020 Brookend Limited, no reproduction in part or whole without permission. Episode S02E02.

    39 min
  7. 12/11/2019

    S01E04 – Datrium and Cloud Mobility

    Datrium provides application and workload mobility through tools and solutions that protect and migrate data between public and private clouds. In this episode, Chris talks to CEO Tim Page and CTO Sazzala Reddy about the realities of implementing hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. Tim provides some details on customer use-cases and the potential cost savings that arise from simplifying primary storage, backup and DR into a single solution. Timeline 00:00 – Intros 01:05 – How real are hybrid & multi-clouds? 03:20 – It’s all about data, not infrastructure 04:00 – Are workloads really dynamic? 04:45 – Virtual machines are still the primary deployment model 07:15 – What is the mix of containers and VMs in the real world? 08:30 – Does operational process hamper container adoption? 10:45 – Developers want speed to develop quickly – seconds or less! 14:00 – Are customers worried about complexity of implementations? 16:00 – Storage is stil hugely complex and cumbersome 18:10 – SANs will shrink to a minimal footprint as systems transition 20:30 – Applications & workloads need to look consistent across clouds 23:15 – Datrium now offers full DR for the enterprise 27:00 – If your entire IT department was wiped out, could DR still be done? 28:45 – Datrium’s goal is converged Primary, Backup & DR in a single platform 31:30 – Other benefits – workload migration & consolidation 36:00 – Wrap Up Copyright (c) 2019 Brookend Limited, no reproduction in part or whole without permission. Episode S01E04.

    37 min

About

A seasonal podcast that looks at the evolution of hybrid cloud computing.