In the Cutting Edge Podcast, Ep. 8, Leonard Lee explains the term “cloud-managed” and explains the risks and benefits of cloud-managed solutions.
Highlights
0:44 – “Cloud-managed” is a term gaining in popularity among hardware and infrastructure vendors as it relates to their services. Leonard says this term means a solution that is not hosted or delivered from the cloud, but rather, these solutions are administered by a cloud-based management software
01:46 – Leonard says that vendors that provide cloud-managed software try to attach themselves to the cloud premium by representing themselves as such, which can be confusing for customers.
02:11 – Cloud-managed solutions are popular among Internet of Things (IoT) platforms and network platforms alike. These tools allow administrators to manage the entire lifecycle of devices and hardware —specifically, device and system provisioning, configuration, security, and software, says Leonard.
Join us on October 27, 2022 for Acceleration Economy’s Data Modernization Digital Battleground, a digital event in which four leading cloud vendors answer questions on key considerations for updating data strategies and technology. Register for free here.
02:47 – Leonard says there are many benefits for cloud-managed system users such as ease of deployment and central control and visibility. He says this is helpful for administrators who are looking to manage a “number of geographically distributed sites.” Additionally, cloud-managed systems do not require software installation or maintenance, which means administrators can get the tools they need working with “reduced deployment-related configurations,” he says.
04:09 – Leonard says the risks of cloud-managed systems mostly relate to security. When an administrator is a tenant of a cloud-managed service management platform, they can become a “collateral victim of a scale-out hack of a rich, multi-tenant target.”
Key Takeaways for the C-Suite
05:09 – Leonard says that cloud-managed will continue “to be a thing moving forward,” as vendors will continue to push these solutions offerings to cater to the convenience of their customers. He says it is important for buyers to recognize that cloud-managed is not the same as a cloud-hosted service.
06:02 – Buyers should consider the benefits of cloud-managed systems and take a tiered approach to exposing infrastructure and providing access to these environments.
06:25 – Leonard says the “cloud is not more secure than many scenarios at the edge, especially industrial ones.” He says exposing the environment to the internet poses security risks across many levels.
06:39 – Cloud-managed solutions are up to the organization to adopt and implement zero-trust solutions and other security measures — not the vendor — says Leonard. To administrators of cloud-managed systems, Leonard says, “don’t assume, do your homework, and best of luck.”
