Authors Andi Mann, Kurt Milne and Jeanne Moran have written an IT Process Institute publication, Visible Ops Private Cloud: From Virtualization to Private Cloud in 4 Practical Steps. This book is short, easy to follow and engaging. It not only is worth reading, but essential for any IT leader considering virtualization or private cloud technologies.
Information gained from over 30 interviews with organizations that have implemented private cloud solutions along with ITPI research data provides the basis for the book's analyses and conclusions, although the footnotes reflect many other studies and sources as well. The 60 plus years of combined author IT process management experience is evident in their ability to take a very complex topic and distill it down to an easily digestible format.
The book starts off defining a private cloud and how it differs from a fully virtualized data center. It also discusses the three primary advantages that private clouds have over public clouds. While it should be fairly obvious that a private cloud enables a level of security and control not easily matched by a public cloud provider, much more surprising is the authors' contention that a well executed private cloud is around 30% less expensive. Private clouds also enable a degree of customization that public clouds are unable to match.
The remainder of Visible Ops Private Cloud provides a four-phased approach for implementing a private cloud:
Phase 1: Cut through the cloud clutter
Phase 2: Design services, not systems
Phase 3: Orchestrate and optimize resource
Phase 4: Align and accelerate business results
The first Appendix dives into Virtualization impact on audit and compliance, and the second covers Reducing private cloud security risks. Noticeably absent are references to specific technologies by leading private cloud companies such as VMware, Cisco and Computer Associates.
While 107 pages (including appendixes and glossary) is only enough to provide a general overview to the topic of private cloud, the four phases constitute a realistic high-level guideline for a successful implementation. I especially like the way each phase starts off with a matrix describing both the issues that are addressed along with narrative from an IT organization staff member that actually had to deal with the particular issue. The layout in general is done really well for a technical book and includes both figures and highlight emphases written with monotony-breaking cursive. Occasional cloud-based Dilbert cartoons help to further make the reading enjoyable.
Despite the book's conciseness, redundancy shows up in places such a repetition of the four implementation phases in Appendix A. It stretches a bit at times in order to provide an adequate number of bullets, and it lacks a consolidated section extolling the benefits of private cloud. The authors repeatedly insist that not all servers are appropriate for a private cloud, but they don't explain what workloads should be excluded.
These very small drawbacks, however, pale in comparison to the positives of Visible Ops Private Cloud. While I've been writing for almost two years about the issues around the phenomenon that Andi Mann coined as VM Stall, this book was particularly useful to me in providing greater insight into both the cause and remedy. Unfortunately, it was written was written too late to incorporate the CA-sponsored 2011 study, The State of IT Automation, which shows that 45% of organizations take a week or longer to provision a virtual machine, but it nonetheless gives plenty of reasons as to why the statistic should not be surprising. Adopting a private cloud not only has the capability to fulfill enterprise virtualization objectives, but to enable true data center transformation.
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Steve Kaplan
Must read for INX leaders considering virtualization or private cloud
Reviewed in the United States on 14 April 2011Verified Purchase
Lee Evans
The Visible Ops Cloud - Sound Practical Advice
Reviewed in the United States on 6 October 2014Verified Purchase
Neckbone Deisgins
finally a good cloud book
Reviewed in the United States on 15 September 2013Verified Purchase
M Chapp
Left wanting...
Reviewed in the United States on 1 August 2013Verified Purchase
Niklas
I really liked the approach and at least for me the content ...
Reviewed in the United States on 26 September 2014Verified Purchase
