IT Briefcase Exclusive Interview: Bluelock CTO Pat O’Day on Improving the Cloud Computing Experience

There is no question that Cloud Computing is a hot topic today. Still, with all of the wonderful benefits the Cloud can offer, certain challenges arise as well.

In the below interview, Bluelock’s CTO Pat O’Day outlines how to traverse some of these Cloud Computing roadblocks, and which applications are key to improving the user experience.

Q. Why, in your opinion, do you think people are overspending on cloud computing and not getting the optimal user experience?

A. Cloud computing is a great way to introduce more efficient technology and accelerate agility within a business.  However, once it’s adopted or more thoughtfully considered the realities emerge.

We hear these questions too frequently:
How much capacity does my application need? What if things change suddenly? Am I spending the right amount of money? What happens if I run out of capacity? Will my end customers have a bad user experience?

While there are a lot of public and private cloud IaaS solutions to choose from, they really aren’t helpful in addressing these issues and aren’t providing their customers the visibility, control and business alignment that is necessary to truly be successful in a cloud environment.

Q. What applications do you feel are crucial in helping companies get the most out of cloud computing, and why?

A. For many, improving agility is the goal.  For others, it’s more about being more efficient with spending.   The best fit is when you have applications that need both.

For new applications, the cloud can be the fastest way to get deployed, which is great, but after the launch it needs to run as lean as possible without disrupting the user experience.   Legacy applications can also run in the cloud and frequently for a lower cost.  Agility is valuable with those as well because being able to turn down or off an application along with any associated resources or costs as it starts to wind down is extremely powerful.

Q. How can the use of multiple virtual data centers help companies save both time and money?

A. Not all applications are created equal, even if they are based on the same technology.  Applications have different requirements including uptime and security at the platform level as well as cost  and workflow at the business level. This application diversity drives the need for choices when working with a cloud provider. The use of virtual datacenters in the cloud allow businesses to place applications inside of virtual datacenters that are governed by the business rules appropriate for those types of applications and data.  It also allows business units to have autonomy by owning their own VDC but still having oversight and centralized governance from the core IT group.

Q. Can you please explain a little about how Bluelock’s recent stratified virtual data center offering can help companies improve their cloud efficiency?

A. In response to the issues our clients were having and that we were seeing in the market, we did stratification and portfolio.   Our engagement approach means we work harder to determine what success means for each user instead of simply providing infrastructure resources.   We focus just as hard on the desired outcome as we do on delivering our services to ensure that our clients achieve their business objectives.   When our clients are successful, we all win.

BIO:

Pat O’Day, Chief Technology Officer, Bluelock
As Bluelock’s Chief Technology Officer, Pat is responsible for commercializing and making the company’s “Infrastructure as a Service” (IaaS) cloud computing model a business reality. With more than 15 years of experience as an information technology professional, he defines Bluelock’s services, spearheads its strategic vendor alliances and oversees the solution strategy.

After starting his career in network management and systems integration and then transitioning into managed IT services, data center outsourcing and disaster recovery, Pat is uniquely qualified to develop and continue to grow Bluelock’s innovative Virtual Datacenter services.

He is currently serving on the advisory council for the School of Information Technology at Harrison College as well as the CIO council for NPower Indiana.
He is also the co-founder and former president of the local Association of Internet Professionals, a former board member of the technology peer group for TechPoint, Indiana’s only statewide information technology association and has served on the board of Directors for both the Zionsville Boys and Girls Club and NPower Indiana.