Would you build your house from a Visio diagram?

June 8, 2015 / G C Network / Comments Off on Would you build your house from a Visio diagram?

Leading Federal Integrators Address Tactical Cloud Computing

By G C Network | October 7, 2009

Yesterday during the first annual Government IT Conference and Expo, tactical cloud computing was cited as a critical component within this new paradigm. Joining me to address the issue were:…

Carpathia Creates Government Solutions Business Unit

By G C Network | October 6, 2009

In a strong statement of focus, Carpathia Hosting has announced the formation of Carpathia Government Solutions, a unit dedicated to providing solutions specifically for federal civilian and defense agencies. This…

INPUT FedFocus 2010

By G C Network | September 30, 2009

Please join me at the 7th Annual FedFocus Conference, November 5, 2009, at the Ritz Carlton in McLean, VA. This conference has been designed to provide crucial information on upcoming…

Dataline, Lockheed Martin, SAIC, Unisys on Tactical Cloud Computing

By G C Network | September 25, 2009

I’m proud to announce that representatives from Lockheed Martin, SAIC, and Unisys will join me in a Tactical Cloud Computing “Power Panel” at SYS-CON’s 1st Annual Government IT Conference &…

GSA, DoD and NCOIC to Collaborate on Government Cloud Computing

By G C Network | September 22, 2009

Yesterday, during the NCOIC Cloud Computing Workshop, collaboration seemed to be the focus as Katie Lewin, GSA Cloud Computing Initiative Program manager, and Dan Risacher, DoD Cloud Computing Storefront project…

FederalNewsRadio Highlights Government Cloud Computing

By G C Network | September 20, 2009

Last week’s Apps.gov announcement was the latest steps in the government’s “at the quick step” march into cloud computing. FederalNewsRadio, a Washington metro area media fixture, highlighted the event with…

NCOIC Officially Launches Cloud Computing Working Group

By G C Network | September 14, 2009

On Wednesday, 9 September 2009 the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) Technical Council formally approved the creation of a Cloud Computing Working Group (CCWG). Organizationally this new working group…

1 Billion Mobile Cloud Computing Subscribers !!

By G C Network | September 10, 2009

Yes. That’s what I said! A recent EDL Consulting article cites the rising popularity of smartphones and other advanced mobile devices as the driving force behind a skyrocketing mobile cloud…

NCOIC Holding Full-Day Cloud Computing Workshop

By G C Network | September 4, 2009

The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium will be holding an all day Cloud Computing Workshop on September 21, 2009 in Fairfax, VA. Open to the public, this workshop will focus…

Pentagon Reviews Unisys Stealth

By G C Network | August 31, 2009

According to a Newtworkworld.com article, the United States Joint Forces Command (USJFC) is currently evaluating Unisys Stealth technology at the Joint Transformation Command for Intelligence (JTC-I) in Suffolk, Virginia. “Unisys…


Would you even hire an architect that highlighted hand drawn diagrams and spreadsheets as their design tools of choice? Of course you wouldn’t. Not using computing aided design (CAD) as a primary architectural tool today is just laughable. So why do multimillion dollar companies invest millions into building and deploying cloud computing solutions that are basically architected using not much more than diagrams, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations? Cloud computing CAD is now a business requirement. Cloud solution architects are integral to the ideation, creation and deployment of new business models and CAD is the right tool for optimizing their solutions. This is why the use of cloud computing solution computer aided design today will determine the future profitability of billion dollar corporations
To be a successful business partner, cloud solution architects must think differently than the traditional information technology (IT) architect. Traditional IT solutions are often architected from the viewpoint of horizontal specialists, separately focusing on compute infrastructure, storage infrastructure, datacenters and networks. Cloud computing architects must explicitly abandon this horizontal view and embrace a vertical design approach that integrates IT infrastructure (aka IaaS), the application development environment (aka PaaS) and the overlying business logic (aka SaaS) into an integrated product or service delivery platform. Traditional IT architects also tend to see solutions
as the linking of physical components and boxes together in way that addresses the organization’s needs. With this mindset, they focus on specific technical characteristics and capabilities. While these aspects still remain crucial to a successful deployment, the cloud solution architect must instead, visualize solutions as the linking together of compatible and interoperable services. With this viewpoint, the actual physical components are less of a concern and the service levels and service “-ilities” (maintainability, usability, portability, sustainability, etc.) rise in importance. They also must quantify the business economics of any delivered design. Many times economic aspects alone will define the difference between a new service launch and a new idea left on the shelf.

Figure 1– Burnstorm cloud solution modeling software use
The complexities of cloud computing design are also magnified by the tight coupling of these solutions to modern business models and operations. This linkage forces an increased responsiveness and a level of dynamic change onto IT platforms that was incomprehensible less than a decade ago. Business agility and an offerings relevance to the targeted customer set is directly dependent on how efficient and effective a company’s IT platform is in matching their customer’s interactive demands. The cost of failure in the implementation and deployment of these new business models is exorbitant. This clearly implicates that its way past time to move beyond using just pencil, paper and PowerPoint to build these solutions. The use of cloud computing CAD tools is especially important when the organization is designing hybrid solutions or consuming services from cloud computing marketplaces. Cloud solution architects must transition to using CAD and this transition is actually happening right now.
According to cloud computing CAD software provider Burstorm, cloud computing solutions modeling activity is increasing globally. The first quarter of 2015, in fact, saw a 20% increase in the use of their cloud solution design software , primarily in Mexico, India and the United States. Burstorm gathers data from hundreds of cloud service providers in thousands of locations around the world. The software maps, matches and optimizes the best provider solution to solution architect provided design scenarios. Summarizing and anonymizing the data enables the development of a very accurate snapshot of how automated design tools are being used to design, build and deploy cloud computing solutions. 
We as an industry must move away from the status quo of manual design processes and embrace the use of modern design tools. Decision makers should take note of this trend and revisit their organization’s cloud solution design capabilities. In doing this they should remember that a professional is only as good as the tools that they use. Think about that the next time you or your cloud solution architects finalize a multimillion dollar cloud computing deployment based on a bunch of diagrams and spreadsheets.

Figure 2– Interactive solution design comparisons

( This content is being syndicated through multiple channels. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of GovCloud Network, GovCloud Network Partners or any other corporation or organization.)

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