Enterprise Architecture and Storage Clouds

This SNIA tutorial will explore the impact storage clouds will have on existing enterprise architecture and also show ways that established enterprise architecture processes can help align Cloud deployments to business requirements. Enterprise architecture is a tool organizations leverage to ensure mapping of IT solutions to business or organizational requirements. Deployed too loosely an organization may not receive noticeable value and conversely if enterprise architecture is deployed too rigidly it can be actively avoided. If IT organizations do not alter existing enterprise architectures to allow for Cloud deployments internal users may choose to adopt services from Cloud providers independently of their internal IT and IT organizations without established enterprise architectures can receive benefits from not only exploring cloud options but also adopting established best practices. The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is one of the most popular enterprise architecture methodologies found in US IT end users and is also the basis for proprietary vendor and consultancy derivatives. Enterprise architecture’s should leverage vendor neutral standards such as SNIA’s Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI) that is designed to enable interoperable cloud storage and data management while allowing users to avoid lock-in by proprietary solutions.

Learning Objectives

Understanding the impact of emerging storage trends such as Cloud and Big Data on existing Enterprise Architectures
Understand why departments, lines of business, and end users are bypassing IT departments and contracting with Cloud storage vendors directly and what IT organizations can do about it
Actionable scenarios being faced by end user IT organizations