Part of the complexity in the cloud comes down to how the data is managed within a cloud computing environment.
But even a bigger challenge is how to move applications to the cloud. How is all the data associated with an application moved to a cloud computing environment? And can you get it out?
The cloud computing world is still a bit like the Wild West. No standards exist for moving applications, much less data, which opens opportunities for companies like CloudSwitch.
CloudSwitch is a drag and drop service for the cloud. According to the MIT Technology Review, CloudSwitch provides an intermediary layer between the data center and the cloud.
It’s a service designed to simplify the process for moving to the cloud but it still comes with its complexities. CloudSwitch requires virtualization software to port the customer applications to a cloud environment.
With the virtualization software in place, the customer installs the CloudSwitch technology. CloudSwitch takes the data from the customer’s virtualized environment and places it on the cloud platform using a “cloud fitting” algorithm. The algorithm compares the two environments to determine how the application runs on the CloudSwitch platform.
CloudSwitch should thrive in this world, where the complexity for moving applications can make it seem not worth the trouble to make the switch.
This is a huge market opportunity. It’s not exactly a priority for cloud computing providers. Cloud computing services would prefer that a customer move its data to the cloud and keep it there. If it’s as easy to move data to the cloud, it should mean that CloudSwitch can provide a service that allows for the application to move out of the cloud, too.
We find it troublesome that vendor lock is emerging as an issue in cloud computing. It’s why we need more standards based initiatives like what is proposed by the Open Cloud Consortium.
