Visible Ops Private Cloud: From Virtualization to Private Cloud in 4 Practical Steps

Visible Ops Private Cloud presents a four-phased approach for managing the development and rollout of a private cloud. It was written with and created for enterprise IT executives and data center managers who are responsible for the success of private cloud initiatives. The book is based on the study of enterprise IT organizations that have implemented private cloud solutions. It includes ITPI s in-depth analysis of the key competencies these organizations have in common. It is also grounded by the authors more than 60 years of combined experience in systems management, virtualization, and IT process management. Phase 1 Cut through the cloud clutter Plan and communicate objectives, manage initial proof of concept efforts, and develop competency roadmaps. Phase 2 Design services, not systems Design business optimized cloud services, enable one-touch service ordering, and implement a repeatable approach for build and deploy. Phase 3 Orchestrate and optimize resources Update monitoring and alerting, deploy a policy engine to codify response, automate resource changes and workload moves. Phase 4 Align and accelerate business results Complete transition to a resource rental model, reshape consumption behavior, and streamline response to changing business needs.

Visible Ops Private Cloud is a worthy addition to the Visible Ops series, taking it to a new level of usefulness and relevance. This book captures and extends the spirit of the original work by tackling virtualization and cloud computing head on, providing practical methods that make the successful creation and management of competitive private cloud computing environments achievable. Based on research, rather than hype, this valuable guide book covers both the risks and the rewards of cloud computing. But of even greater usefulness is solid guidance on how to navigate the risks and maximize the rewards inherent in virtualization and private clouds. Building on the basic tenants of the original Visible Ops book (that rock solid configuration, change, and release controls are the keys to High Performing organizations) the authors point out that those controls are more critical than ever in virtualized environments because the risks of losing control in these crucial areas are exponentially higher in a virtualized environment than in a physical environment. But this book offers far more than a rehashing of the original Visible Ops book as it applies to virtualization. It provides both a clear vision of cloud computing and practical guidance for IT organizations seeking to stay relevant and competitive in a new era of IT which is no longer about the computers IT manages, is increasingly simply about the services IT can provide. While services have always been the result of IT s endeavors (as we move from dedicated infrastructure, to virtualized infrastructure to cloud computing) infrastructure becomes more and more abstracted and less important to the business. What is important now is simply how cost effective and agile your service delivery is. In other words, the clear message is, IT is not about the computer! Cloud computing has turned the traditional world of IT upside down, and is forcing every major assumption of IT to be re examined and re invented; from how it is sourced, governed, built, and run, to how, most importantly, it is consumed. Visible Ops Private Cloud focuses on what IT organizations need to know in an IT world that is being turned upside down by cloud computing. It provides guidance both on what to do and how to do it; it s a roadmap into private cloud computing. --Steve Darby, Vice President of Engineering, IP Services

The Visible Ops Private Cloud Handbook both identifies and navigates through the obstacles to implementing a private cloud within the enterprise. It contains a compilation of best practices from top-performing IT organizations which will be of benefit to anyone on their journey to the private cloud. --Joel Kehle, Cloud Architect, Qualcomm

This book is one of the few things I ve seen that can directly help IT managers transform their data center from a partially virtualized computing environment into a much higher level organism, the private cloud. --Charles Babcock, Editor-at-large, InformationWeek