In an email interview with the WHIR, Anthony Foy, group managing director of data center operator Interxion, describes his company’s take on cloud computing, following his session at the recent Tier 1 Research Datacenter Transformation Summit.
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Skim the agenda at any of this year’s major hosting, data center or infrastructure conference events, and you’ll see a clear indication of the significant position cloud computing occupies in the collective conscious of the business.
Case in point – Anthony Foy, group managing director at data center operator Interxion (www.interxion.com) , who presented at last week’s Tier 1 Research (www.t1r.com) Datacenter Transformation Summit, in a session called “where the cloud lives – the carrier neutral data center.”
The Datacenter Transformation Summit, notably, wasn’t focused on cloud computing to the exclusion of other information. But the subject has dominated the programs at events like the Parallels Summit and Microsoft’s Hosting Summit, a front-of-mind concern in the hosting community.
There are a variety of opinions, and a variety of perspectives, on the nature of the cloud. Interxion’s – and Foy’s – perspective is perhaps a departure, a step upstream, from the more common service provider- or customer-focused perspectives we tend to hear.
In an email interview with the WHIR, Foy discussed his company’s colo-based perspective on the cloud.
[Note: by way of clarifying the first question, the title of the session was changed between the composing of the questions and the delivery of the presentation.]
Web Host Industry Review: The title of your presentation asks if cloud computing is “the future of computing or a flash in the pan.” I think we’d both agree it’s not the latter. But how much of the future is it for a company like Interxion, for whom (unless I’m totally mistaken) a lot of your business is colocation and connectivity?
Anthony Foy: Ultimately, a reliable and robust infrastructure, which can deliver secure and reliable connectivity and security, will be vital to the success of cloud computing, and to those wanting to take full advantage of its benefits. Outsourcing to carrier independent data centers is one way to make the most of the transition to cloud computing, as they leverage a shared resource that is optimized for efficiency and performance. The availability of multiple connectivity partners at these data centers allow organizations to drive down the cost of bandwidth while enhancing the network resilience, this kind of environment is better suited to support and deliver cloud computing applications successfully while minimizing any associated risks.
WHIR: I get the sense from the presentation that Interxion’s role in the market for cloud computing offerings is a step upstream from the service provider that will actually be developing and providing the services. Is that accurate, and what makes you suited to provide that?
AF: Interxion’s role in cloud computing offerings can be classified as “layer zero.” Interxion provides the foundation for cloud computing offerings in the form of large data centers that can scale and benefit from enhanced connectivity and operational excellence.
According to the University of California at Berkeley’s report from February of 2009, Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing , large data centers are far more cost effective than mid-sized facilities in terms of network (7.1x less expensive), storage (5.7x less expensive), and administration (7.1x less expensive) resources due to the benefits of economies of scale. Furthermore, cloud computing is five to seven times cheaper compared to traditional in-house computing, but in order for these benefits and savings to be worthwhile, it must be deployed within the most effective environment.
By outsourcing your data center to the experts, instead of keeping it in-house, the cloud capacity is able to fluctuate with the demand for resources instead of provisioning for spikes in demand, which is costly and wasteful during low demand times. Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing also highlights how under-provisioning is costly as well because it poses the risk for losing revenue and users. With Interxion’s facilities, this can be monitored and avoided all together. Interxion expects there to be a notable increase by 2012 in cloud services as opposed to on-premise services, and with in-house facilities costs outstripping overall IT spend at twenty percent to six percent, Interxion is well suited to provide the resources to help companies transition to the cloud and cut in-house costs while boosting efficiency.
WHIR: Is there a lot of room, in your opinion, in the cloud computing services market for smaller companies that are looking at building their own things now, alongside the larger companies like Amazon, Google or Microsoft, where part of the model seems to be having a huge existing infrastructure?
AF: Absolutely, by colocating to a multi-tenant data center environment, smaller companies are able to adjust the scale of their resources on an as-required basis. For instance, Interxion’s large existing infrastructures are leased out and space is allocated to customers as they need it. They also benefit from working alongside larger companies who require the larger infrastructure since this provides the smaller companies with access to the newest, fastest, highest-capacity technologies.
Whether the company is large or small, private or public, cloud computing needs a reliable and scalable infrastructure as well as resilient, scalable connectivity achieved through multiple service providers, without which cloud computing has limited potential. This is all available through carrier-neutral data centers. Interxion assists customers in enabling scalable private and public cloud computing environments that can provisioned to meet market demand while reducing total cost of ownership.
WHIR: Assuming your customers should be building their own cloud computing services, and assuming they will, are there ways in which Interxion will be participating, or is equipped to participate, in that process? Is helping them build it part of your plan?
AF: Helping companies build their own cloud computing services is not expressly part of Interxion’s plan. Interxion’s role is to support the cloud computing environment by providing large data centers with reliable infrastructures and superior connectivity across multiple fail-safe networks. Cloud computing helps further utilize the power and capacity of infrastructure already deployed, especially when transactions can be completed across multiple networks. Interxion’s carrier-neutral data centers give companies the choice of 500 networks. Taking advantage of cloud computing while outsourcing your data center needs can generate enormous cost savings on things like network, storage, and administrative costs, which are five to seven times more effective in large data centers, according to Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing, as mentioned before.
WHIR: Being as you’re a European company, and a lot of the input I get on cloud computing is US-based, do you think there’s a European approach to cloud computing, either among the providers or the consumers? Are there issues specific to geography?
AF: Cloud computing is not geographically specific; it is a growing global trend for both the provider and consumer. Cloud computing is still an evolving paradigm that will take many years to fully mature its value proposition and be understood by industry influencers, providers, and end users. Until it does, traditional methods of IT infrastructure provisioning with proven reputations will remain the norm. However, with improvements in understanding will come awareness of how clouds can deliver secure computing environments while saving valuable resources such as space, power and cooling. This kind of awareness is where the tipping point will occur.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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