Getting the Most out of Cloud Computing with the Self-service Interface

This blog entry was initially posted at the Service Catalog Community and Blog website. Rodrigo Flores, Founder and CTO of newScale, Inc., was kind enough to let me post a guest blog there. Check out that site for great information on service catalogs (of course!), self-service, and much more.

The role of self-service in cloud computing has become increasingly clear over the last year or two. It didn’t hurt, for instance, that the Draft Working Definition of Cloud Computing from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) specified “on-demand self-service” as one of the essential characteristics of cloud computing. Yet, more importantly, members of IT organizations that have taken the time to consider the benefits of cloud computing seem to have internalized the idea that cloud services provide greater control and agility.

For many, the unique economics of cloud computing will remain critical. However, more IT leaders and staffers are realizing that changing the flexibility, velocity and responsiveness equations in IT can be just as important or even more important. When it comes to getting the most out of cloud computing, the real leaders look at much more than potential cost savings. If you want to be a leader in cloud computing adoption – or more accurately a leader in deriving the greatest benefits from cloud computing – you need to go after control and agility as well.

Not surprisingly, the self-service interface has the potential to be a major source of both control and agility. At the same time, there are many types of cloud environments with equally many different approaches to self-service – some good, some not so much. So an interesting question becomes, “How can IT organizations be sure to get the good and avoid the bad?”

Let’s keep this simple and focus on cloud infrastructure services (a.k.a. infrastructure as a service or IaaS). By understanding some of the ways you may encounter self-service, you will be better prepared.

1. Interacting with public cloud services

a. Public cloud providers offer self-service portals that enable customers to purchase and manage services. Be sure to evaluate self-service capabilities as closely as you would cost and features of the cloud service. Some cloud service providers have not spent enough energy in this critical area. Most have not realized they can benefit from using commercially available self-service solutions. [Hint to public cloud providers: you need to think about how top notch self-service can become a key differentiator for your offerings]

b. IT organizations today utilize self-service interfaces for all kinds of internally provided services. This includes IT services (access to a new application, purchasing a laptop, etc.) as well as non-IT services (requesting a service from facilities, HR etc.). Leading organizations extend their self-service capabilities to external or 3rd party requests as well. Some commercial self-service solutions make this easy or may even provide built-in capabilities for interacting with public clouds. [Hint to IT organizations: there are other reasons to use this approach too, even if you like the self-service interface from your provider; think governance, policy driven control, automated approvals, etc.]

2. Building an internal cloud

Some IT organizations are also building their own internal clouds (often simply called private clouds, even though private clouds can also be offered by 3rd parties; confusing, I know!). If you are building your own internal cloud, do not underestimate what it would take to build an appropriate self-service interface. Even customers that purchase “cloud enabling software” or “cloud controller software” often find that the included self-service capabilities leave something to be desired. Whether you are building an internal cloud from just above the virtualization layer or leveraging some sort of cloud enabling software, keep in mind that commercial self-service solutions can save a lot of time and money as well as produce a better result.

If you want to get the most out of cloud computing, you need to incorporate the additional levels of control and agility afforded by a well chosen self-service interface. Keep each of the scenarios outlined above in mind so that you can have the greatest level of influence over your cloud computing experience.