Weak points in the 'pipeline' of the cloud |Technology |Computerworld

The cloud promises a lot.Much of what the large Cloud platform companies offer is as real, attainable, flexible and as powerful and expansive as it has always promised the reason for being of cloud computing and its technological proposal.

But not everything that evangelists, futurists and cloud defenders tell us is always fulfilled in the perfect way.Beyond the inconvenience, nuances and more basic incompatibilities of the implementation of any project in the cloud, there are some broader gaps in terms of what can be achieved in practice in many cases.

Are these implementation lagoons the three greatest lies of cloud computer science?The American company Cloudbolt Software points out where there are some of these shortcomings.This company is a Cloud Management Services provider for companies that try to offer its customers viable and efficient cloud orchestration systems that work with self -service, safety and automation.The latest report by this company on the sector, The Truth About Devops in the Hybrid Cloud Journey (the truth about hybrid cloud development operations), highlights the deficiencies of the model, as a prelude, that yes to its offerof solutions.

Cloudbolt highlights what could be some of the most important problems that are experienced in the basis.In particular, this photo of Devops leaders in the cloud in considerable size companies (at least 1.000 employees) suggests that there is a lack of self -service, a crack in the test processes and an unwanted weakness in the tension we need so that the true continuous computing of CI/CD occurs on a 24x7 base.

Missing self -service

Self -service in terms of cloud describes a deployment in which daily operations are executed without the improper need to resort to the services of the cloud service provider (CSP).This means that the self -service cloud is executed with a minimum effort in relation to tasks such as daily processing and performance, and then with the preparation of reports, the update and maintenance of patches, self -escalation tasks and, ultimately, ultimately, the provisioning of new or modified instances of the cloud.

From Cloudbolt they affirm that the lack of self -service (which, of course, its professionals, indicate, can help solve) is difficult because manual processes and incoherence plague the processes of application and data in the cloud.

Although the objective of CI/CD is to deploy applications quickly and continuously, the survey suggests that only 15% of cloud customers make deployments once a day.One of the main problems is cloud plumbing;The configuration of the components of the cloud channeling infrastructure requires a large amount of manual coding and heavy work by software engineers.The promise of cloud automation (the "we take care of everything") can have some lagoons.

Continuous cracks

Fissures are found in the test processes.There is a lack of perceived reliability (and often real) in CI/CD infrastructures.The Cloudbolt report states that, so that the CI/CD works efficiently, developers must be able to display infrastructure pipelines and reliably try their applications as they develop as they develop.

Although 85% of those surveyed by Cloudbolt claim that they continuously prove their infrastructure, only 11% consider it reliable.

Weakness

Regarding the last factor mentioned by the company, weakness, it is clear that the continuous continuity of CI/CD has to be narrow and not weak.The company states that there is a real and present need to put the "continuous" in Ci/CD again.

To advance the vision of what CI/CD should always offer and make it viable, Cloudbolt suggests that between one third and three quarters of business organizations they want faster access to infrastructure for their pipelines (70%), but alsoThey want the ability to continually detect the infrastructure problems of the pipelines (for example, unexpected changes in computing, storage, configurations, passwords, etc..) before they occur (62%), thus improving reliability.

"The report reveals that, although the key Devops processes and tools, such as continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) and infrastructure such as Code (IAC) have taken significant steps in generalized adoption, there are still notable improvement opportunities", according to Jeff Kukowski, executive director of Cloudbolt Software.

Kukowski points out that there are "notable lagoons" in the infrastructure provisioning speed, tests and general reliability that hinders the progress in CI/CD in modern cloud modern environments.Infrastructure such as Code (IAC) should be used to allow non -technical equipment to take advantage of their benefits and enjoy better governance and visibility.These are key ways to create a competitive advantage for users, "he adds.

"Be the cloud"

The director of Technology of Cloudbolt, Rick Kilcoyne, has written his own opinion on this topic at the entrance of a blog entitled if it is not self -service, it is not a cloud.With a fun reference to the Caddyshack scene, a 1980 film in which Chevy Chase urges a young man to "be the ball", Kilcoyne's intention is to suggest that modern IT teams should "be the cloud," issay that everything should be natural and function without complications.

Kilcoyne refers to the definition of computing in the cloud of the National Institute of Standards and (NIST) and states that any good instance of Cloud must have these five essential characteristics: broad access to the network, rapid elasticity, measured service, group groupingand self -service on demand.

"For the last one, self -service on demand, the cloud test is simple.If users can request systems or applications and obtain them immediately (without directly involving the IT department) is that they achieve a self -service on demand.If you have to send a ticket and wait for an intermediary to review and satisfy your application, it is not a cloud, "according to Kilkoyne.

No more ci-no

Although we have indicated the infrastructure pipeline tests, continuous loop failures and the exact way of displaying infrastructure as a code as key points, the self -service element is probably the most tangible.

The idea of the unpleasant cio that says not to the new deployments of you (these profiles are called ci-no) because the IT management function cannot approve the change with sufficient speed is not a model that fits into thePostcovid world of the native cloud.With self -service and automation accelerators that work within safe systems already approved, equipment can take more cloud benefit without creating a shadow or shade technology.

In short, if done well, the cloud becomes a good business.