Cloud Management - Deploying and Managing a Cloud Infrastructure - page 116

For example, how do we know that the one logging into the virtual machine is the actual
employee and not his kid who happened to be playing with the device, or worse, a thief?
There are a lot of creative ways to do this using a series of identification challenges or even
biometrics. But one thing is for sure, the setting “keep logged in” should not be a feature.
Enterprise Cloud Solution
One solution is the enterprise cloud, which can link all devices of various kinds with a
single enterprise platform. Email, applications, security, and file storage can be managed
at the user level and not at the device level. IT does not have to worry about the security
of a device at the other end because all the processing is being done right in the cloud; the
device merely acts as a control unit for the application in the cloud
The enterprise cloud can become a closed environment where data is virtually passing
from app to app without ever passing through a single external device. There will be no
downloading of sensitive files that need to be processed by the employee. The employee
will be directly manipulating it through his smartphone or tablet without ever touching
the data, and there will be no data to transport because only control signals back and
forth are being transported.
This will prove to be the safest and most secure way of working remotely. No data leaves
the enterprise cloud, but the employees can work from anywhere.
Summary
The rapid evolution of business and technology creates complexity that needs to be man-
aged, and it has become the job of CIOs to ensure that an organization does not get lost in
the confusion. This requires equally complicated IT systems that tie up different portions
of the organization, with each part seemingly appearing quite different to its counterparts,
leading to confusion and maintenance problems. Thankfully, cloud computing has arrived to
take the edge off a bit and make things in the world of IT and business a bit more coherent
and simpler, not to mention more affordable.
At the forefront of this battle against complexity are cloud management platforms.
They allow different cloud systems to be integrated and managed as a single coherent whole,
making it possible for an organization to benefit from using different cloud systems from
different service providers to fill their needs yet avoid the complexity that comes with it. The
management platform is built on a layer above these separate silos as an umbrella that man-
ages them all from a single point. For service providers, cloud management platforms allow
integration of different geographical locations and different systems because of different
product offerings. As a consumer, you can integrate all of your different cloud subscriptions
and monitor and manage them from a single point.
The cloud is undoubtedly big business now, so service providers are quickly trying to mon-
etize on this. The most straightforward way to do this is by creating solutions that appeal to