Thanks to cloud computing, many system administrators rarely see the physical servers they use to host websites, run applications, store customer data, and support other facets of their employers’ operations. More often than not, web-based control panels are their only window into the servers they manage, and those interactions occur over the public internet.
Accessing cloud resources over a public internet connection presents a couple of problems, security being one of them. Those challenges should prompt sysadmins to utilize dedicated internet access (DIA) services if their single source for cloud solutions offers such provisions.
Advantages of dedicated internet access
In short, DIA enables enterprises to access cloud solutions through a network line owned, operated and optimized by their cloud provider. This isn’t the same as using a virtual private network or a leased line, both of which offer limited control.
There are many advantages to using DIA (a few of which you can read about in our latest white paper). Here are three that stand out to us:
- Stable connectivity: Public internet connection speeds are often quite variable, and employee activities can cause sudden drops, especially during peak seasons. Businesses that run core operational resources over the cloud can encounter serious problems when this variability comes to fruition.
- Better security: Public connections are the medium through which hackers initiate DDoS and man-in-the-middle attacks. However, if sysadmins use dedicated lines with no openings to the public internet, they can prevent these threats from disrupting operations.
- Customization: Dedicated lines to the cloud provide enterprises with options. Bandwidth and capacity aside, organizations may tailor their DIA plans according to their operations.
To expand on the latter point, customization options apply to an organization’s physical parameters. If a company has multiple branches that require direct cloud access, the organization has two options.
One approach involves establishing a direct line between headquarters and the cloud provider, utilizing a hub-and-spoke architecture to establish connections to other branches. Another strategy entails running dedicated lines to each branch from the cloud provider, which acts as the hub in this instance.
Is it feasible to pay for DIA?
IT professionals are relying more on the cloud for production, according to a study from OpenStack. Conducting interviews with 1,111 organizations that use the open-source cloud platform, the project found 79% of respondents used the cloud to increase their ability to innovate and deploy applications at a faster scale.
What about the near future? According to 451 Research’s "Voice of the Enterprise: Cloud Transformation survey of IT buyers," 60% of enterprise workloads will run in some kind of public or private cloud by 2018, indicating investment in hosted resources is only expected to rise.
With these statistics in mind, it will make more sense for companies to invest in DIA. This is especially the case for enterprises that run the majority of their workloads in the cloud.
