1. How to Get Cloud Architecture
and Design Right the First Time
David S. Linthicum
Blue Mountain Labs
david@bluemountainlabs.com

2. Abstract
So, what are the proper ways to design, build, and leverage cloud
computing systems? What are the steps to success? What are the
emerging best practices? How does SOA fit in? In this session we’ll
answer these questions, and more, covering the right and wrong ways
to leverage, design, and build cloud-based systems and infrastructure.
Going beyond the hype, this includes advice from those currently in the
trenches who make cloud computing work for the Global 2000 and
government. The audience is anyone who will soon fight to make cloud
computing work for their clients, employers, and/or investors, and need
to knock it out of the park the first time.

3. Where To Find Out More
Slides available:
Bonus Content: How to architect a hybrid cloud computing solution.

4. Where to find me.
• @DavidLinthicum
• david@bluemountainlabs.com
• www.bluemountainlabs.com
• www.davidlinthicum.com
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlinthicum
• Grab a card after the presentation.

5. Geek Level for this Presentation
Your Grandparents that Systems Programmer and
are Still Using AOL Dialup Dungeon Master

6. Why You Should Care

7. Most Cloud-Based Systems are Lacking Architecture

8. Thus, many clouds are not meeting expectations.

9. The results:
• Inefficient utilization of resources.
• Resource saturation.
• Lack of elasticity and scalability.
• Lack of security and governance.
• Frequent outages.
• Bad or no tenant management.
• Other very bad things.

10. Common Mistakes
• Not understanding how to make architectures scale.
• Not dealing with tenant management issues.
• Not understanding that security is systemic.
• Not understanding the proper use of services.
• Tossing technology at the problem.
• Listening to the wrong people.
• Managing-by-magazine.

11. The Multitenant Thing
• No two multitenant
architectures are alike.
• Needs to be effective in the
context of the problem.
• Needs to leverage best
architecture practices.
• Needs to practice isolation
and protection.
“With a multitenant architecture, a software application is
designed to virtually partition its data and configuration so
that each client organization works with a customized virtual
application instance.”
Source: Wikipedia

12. You have some choices
Source: http://vikashazrati.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/multi-tenancy-explained/

13. ABCs of Multitenancy
Amazon Machine Images
Source: Steve Bobrowski

14. Virtualization is Not Always a Requirement

15. Types of Cloud Architecture Patterns Emerging
• Migration to a Cloud
• Business Systems
• Infrastructure
Complexity
• Building on a Cloud (PaaS)
• Building a Hybrid Cloud
• Building a Cloud
• IaaS
• SaaS
• PaaS

16. General Architecture Patterns to Follow

17. Enterprise Vulnerabilities Assess your Risks
1. Governance
2. Regulatory Compliance
3. Security & Identity Management
• RISK TO ORGANIZATION
4. Business Continuity
2
5. Process and Services 1
6. Data Management 4
9 3
7. System Integration 6
5
8. Resource Skills & Knowledge 7
9. Application Readiness 8
10
10. Network Readiness
COMPLEXITY OF MITIGATING RISK
Assess your vulnerabilities and mitigate your risks.
•

18. Architecture Roadmap Where to begin
Build a solid foundation:
• Determine business drivers
• Understand: data, services, business
processes and system integration points
• Design a “cloud-friendly” enterprise
architecture roadmap that leverages
Services Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• Determine an integration strategy for
internal and external systems
• Outline a migration path for legacy systems
to the new architecture
Leverage SOA to build a sturdy and agile foundation for the Cloud
•

19. “as-is”

20. “to be”

21. deploy

22. General Rules and Guidelines
• Focus on the primitives.
• The best clouds are sets of low level services that can
be configured.
• Data services
• Transaction services
• Utility services
• Leverage distributed components that are centrally
controlled.
• Build for tenants, not users.
• Don’t lean too much on virtualization.
• Security and governance are systemic.

23. Use Case: General Business System
Migration to the Cloud

24. The General Idea
• Break the system down to it’s component parts,
understanding each part.
• Rethink the database, it’s typically a mess.
• Rethink the system as sets of services/API, watch the
granularity.
• Data services, transaction services, utility services
• Create a security and governance plan.
• Consider the user interfaces.
• Consider device interfaces.
• Migrate only the components to the cloud that will
provide the best value.

25. Good New/Bad News
• Good News:
• Most cloud platforms provide the tenant management
features for you.
• Most cloud platforms manage the resources for you.
• The cloud platforms are getting better.
• Bad News:
• Security is still your problem.
• Application and service design is still your problem.
• Testing can be a hassle.

26. Reference Architecture
Monitoring and Management
Management & Service Governance
Process Management
Rules Management Composites/Portals
Security & Identity
(BPMS)
Transactional Services
Data Services/Abstraction
Data

27. Create the Information
Model
Legacy Ontologies
Legacy Ontologies
Metadata Understand Ontologies
Metadata
Data
Data
Dictionary
External Dictionary
External &
Metadata Understand the Data &
Metadata Metadata
(B2B) Metadata
(B2B)
Data
Data
Catalog
Catalog
Catalog the Data
Information
Information
Model
Model
Build Information Model

28. Reference Architecture
Data Services/Abstraction
Data

29. Create a Service Model
Data Candidate
Data Candidate
Catalog Services
Catalog Understand Services Services
Services
Services
And
Information And
Information
Information
Model
Model
Information to Services Information
Service
Service
Model
Model
Build Service Model

30. Reference Architecture
Transactional Services
Data Services/Abstraction
Data

31. On Premises
Cloud Provider
December 17, 2010 DRAFT Page 31

32. On Premises
Cloud Provider
December 17, 2010 DRAFT Page 32

33. Create a Process Model
Data Candidate
Data Candidate
Catalog Processes
Catalog Understand Processes Processes
Services
Services
to
Information to
Information Processes
Model
Model
Services to Processes Processes
Process
Process
Model
Model
Service Build Process Model
Service
Model
Model

34. Reference Architecture
Process Management
Rules Management Composites/Portals
(BPMS)
Transactional Services
Data Services/Abstraction
Data

35. On Premises Cloud Provider
December 17, 2010 DRAFT Page 35

36. Create a Governance Model
Process Defined
Process Defined
Model Policies
Model Define Policies Policies
Policy
Policy
Designs
Information Designs
Information
Model
Model
Design Policies
Governance
Governance
Model
Model
Service Implement Policies
Service
Model
Model

37. Reference Architecture
Monitoring and Management
Management & Service Governance
Process Management
Rules Management Composites/Portals
Security & Identity
(BPMS)
Transactional Services
Data Services/Abstraction
Data

38. Policies
Policies
Runtime
Governance
Monitoring
Repository Logs
December 17, 2010 DRAFT Page 38

39. Test SOA using Cloud
Architecture
Process Test
Process Test
Model Plan
Model Create Test Plan Plan
Black Box
Black Box
Testing
Information Testing
Information Results
Model
Model
Black Box Testing Results
White Box
White Box
Testing
Testing
Results
Service White Box Testing Results
Service
Model
Model
Governance
Governance
Model
Model

40. Assigning Candidate Data,
Services, and
Processes for the Clouds
Process
Candidate Process
Assignments
Candidate
Processes Analyze Candidate Processes
Assignments
Processes
Service
Service
Assignments
Assignments
Candidate
Candidate Analyze Candidate Services
Services
Services
Data
Data
Assignments
Assignments
Data Analyze Candidate Data
Data
Dictionary
Dictionary
and
and
Metadata
Metadata
Governance
Governance
Model
Model

41. Select Platforms and Deploy
Processes, Services, and Data
to Platforms.
Candidate
Candidate
Platforms
Process List Candidate Platforms Platforms
Process
Assignments
Assignments
Test
Test
Results
Service Results
Service
Assignments Analyze and Test
Assignments
Candidate Platforms
Target
Target
Platforms
Data Platforms
Data
Assignments
Assignments Select Target Platforms
Deploy to
Target Platforms

42. Stepping to the Clouds

43. Q&A

44. The shift to Cloud
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