Some more about cloud technology: Azure and AWS monitoring

From personal experience

First time I heard about cloud computing, it wasn't so popular. In Europe, for instance, it began years ago when phone companies hold data in the cloud. This is not a new technology as many people say. What is new is the way we currently use this technology. Being very common these days, more and more small and medium companies stock data into private, public or hybrid cloud services.

Today, everywhere you look you hear more and more about cloud computing. Big companies have always used cloud for security reasons, now they are using it for public purposes, not only for their private needs. Apple, for instance, has done a good job serving up the AppStore and iTunes for the mobile devices and few years ago announced that they will replace MobileMe with iCloud and they kinda did it, its popularity considerably increased.

Another important aspect is the fact that in case of calamity, having backups is crucial. I saw how important backups are and I found out the hard way, when I lost a hard drive containing hundreds of family related files: documents, videos, photos etc. As a result, I began to store data separately, I created snapshots to hold important files to different hard drives and computers just to make sure it doesn't happen again. It took me about two months to recreate some important documents including charts and functions which I needed for my job.

In order to make sure this doesn’t happen again, I used Glacier Storage from AWS which costs me 0,007 dollars per GB per month, which I believe is affordable, right? The first backup took two days, but the following ones took only few minutes or even less. So, changing and updating files will get done quickly in your case too, but after the initial backup which takes longer. Creating backups worked well for me so far.

Accessing AWS and also Azure is very easy. Amazon and Microsoft are constantly improving this is why you will see a friendlier dashboard, reduced costs and better security for your files. You will probably say that it is normal to improve their offers and I believe it is too, but not all cloud providing companies offer such a wide area of cloud related services and I wouldn’t name those which in my opinion are not that good, I believe clients can make their own choices because it is all about your needs and priorities.

From Google.com

As you probably heard, from your IM to your email service provider, most of the world’s biggest companies are running or going to the cloud and that’s a fact.

We can get deeper into details as for instance: prices, features of each cloud services providing company, types of clouds such as private, hybrid or public cloud, but what really matters and what will remain unchanged is its utility.

Also, if you are an IT service provider and you have several clients using cloud technology for their businesses, some of them probably use Azure others use AWS, things will get even more complicated and you will need a tool to make your life simpler, such as for instance an app which will alert, monitor and report for both AWS and Azure infrastructures. From what I read, and cloud industry is one of my hobbies, there are few handy solutions for this situation. I don’t like changing the tools I use, especially if they work and provide accurate results and I think this is not uncommon, so I would probably use a new and already popular AWS and Azure monitoring tool named Unigma. The cloud monitoring product has it all in a single pane of glass, it provides customized reports, policy driven alerts and integration with specific tools like ConnectWise, Kaseya or Autotask. I don’t know about you, but for me saving time is like saving money and I need both.

Conclusion

Cloud computing will stick with us, evolve and gain even more popularity in the next few years. With this worldwide increased exposure, will also appear the need of more online tools to make cloud a better solution for both IT providers and individuals.