1 Comprehensive Cloud Plan Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor’s Name Due Date 2 Comprehensive Cloud Plan Executive Summary Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that can provide storage, networking, analytics and computing services. Therefore, its implementation can help an organization meet its goals and manage challenges due to its capability to support multiple tools. The cloud computing forms offered by Azure include saverless, platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). When implemented, an organization will be charged for using Azure platform on a pay-as-you-go framework, implying that the charges will correspond to the specific resources utilized each month. For successful implementation of an Azure platform, there are a few system requirements that should be considered by an organization. In this case, it is crucial to examine the environment the desired Microsoft Azure cloud platform is going to be deployed. However, requirements vary depending on whether the platform is deployed by express or distributed framework. When an express deployment method is preferred, Microsoft Azure cloud can only be tested on a single virtual or physical machine with at least 8GB random access memory (RAM) and 40GB disk space. However, when a distributed deployment method is chosen, Microsoft Azure cloud should be installed on several virtual or physical machines within the targeted environment. Under the distributed deployment type, a minimum of 8 physical or virtual machines is needed and at least 2 central processing units (CPUs) with a RAM capability and disk space of 8GB and 40GB respectively. Additionally, before Microsoft Azure cloud is implemented, software requirements such as Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016 are needed. Upon complying with such requirements, a distributed deployed or an express deployment of Azure cloud can be adopted by an organization. This comprehensive cloud plan will outline the benefits out using Azure and 3 explain different deployment models of Azure cloud. Besides explaining the need for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, the plan will also propose an implementable Azure governance model. Benefits of Using Azure Microsoft Azure is the leading provider of platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). By implementing Azure cloud, an organization can efficiently manage, deploy and build apps easily and quickly without incurring the expense of maintaining or buying the underlying cloud infrastructure. Besides meeting critical compliance and security requirements, Microsoft Azure can also be customized to suit the unique needs of a company. Moreover, Azure can also be fully incorporated with major Microsoft products. It can complement the existing applications and software for the case of a company with an existing Microsoft infrastructure. Microsoft Azure has established itself as the preferred cloud solution for organizations aimed at growing and staying ahead of the competitors. Moreover, Azure is suitable for both established and small enterprises. Given that it is designed to accommodate any enterprise size, a company can effortlessly scale an Azure cloud infrastructure to meet its information technology (IT) demands. In this regard, in-house IT costs such as maintenance and hardware requirements can be saved since an organization can store and launch its external and internal applications in the cloud. Additionally, Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure allow the personnel to focus of core business duties without worrying about underutilization or maintenance of equipment. As such, a company can easily deploy its current apps with minimal downtime. This also enable scalability in accordance with the company growth, thus allowing it to incur the expenses on what it needs to operate. 4 Microsoft Azure prioritizes security. The cloud infrastructure is designed to competitively help an organization protect its data from unauthorized access. This is evidenced by many compliance certifications needed, thus making it a priority choice for many high-risk industries such as government organizations and healthcare. When an Azure cloud infrastructure is deployed, both the end users and the platform are protected. Such security is enhanced by multifactor authentications needed to access stored data. Azure Cloud Types and Deployment Models Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure provides multiple services for imagined and unimagined scenarios. Such services are categorized in terms of PaaS, IaaS and SaaS. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Microsoft Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) enable organizations using it to rent information technology infrastructures such as virtual machines, storage, servers, networks and the operating system on a pay-as-you-go basis. As a basic cloud computing category, IaaS gives an organization control over the running of critical infrastructures. For instance, an organization deploying IaaS is responsible for operating systems, load balancing and antivirus. Deployed IaaS enables an organization to customize the needed computing power, storage and networking for smooth running of operations. In this case, an entity is free to access the needed information technology environment suitable for the prevailing business needs. 5 Figure 1: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) PaaS is another type of Azure cloud computing utilized for supplying the needed software application delivery, testing, development and management. For this reason, Azure Platform as a Service is specifically designed to help developers create web and mobile applications without having to incur the inconveniences of managing the underlying storage, networks and databases infrastructure. PaaS enable an organization to build its products and services cheaply and comparatively fast. It also enable organizations to scale their resources without incurring a significant capital cost. The needed resources are purchased on a pay-as-you-go basis, thus promoting efficient utilization of resources. 6 Figure 2: Platform as a service (PaaS) Software as a Service (SaaS) Microsoft Azure SaaS facilitates the provision of software products being demanded over the Internet. In this case, demanded software products are offered on a subscription basis. This implies that the Azure SaaS manages and hosts the underlying software applications and the corresponding infrastructure for smooth operation. Azure SaaS also carries out key maintenance works such as software upgrades and security patches on behalf of the users. In such a case, users can use various software products without incurring the cost of building them. 7 Figure 3: Software as a Service (SaaS) Deployment Models There are various deployment modes to be considered when configuring a cloud computing solution. Notable deployment models include private cloud, public cloud and hybrid cloud. Public Cloud Microsoft Azure can be deployed as a public cloud. This implies that the respective cloud computing resources are operated and owned by Microsoft Azure and delivered to the target customers over the internet. In such a case, all supporting infrastructure, software and hardware are managed and owned by Microsoft Azure. Under public cloud deployment model, organizations share similar storage, network and hardware devices. Web browsers are used to manage and access the needed services. Private Cloud 8 Microsoft Azure can also be deployed as a private cloud whereby the computing resources are strictly used by one organization. Unlike public cloud, the infrastructure and the services in a private cloud are mostly maintained on a private network. In such a case, the software and hardware resources are strictly meant to be used by one organization. Private cloud is desired when security and privacy are needed as evidenced by the case of financial institutions and government agencies. Hybrid Cloud Microsoft Azure can be deployed as a hybrid model by combining both the public cloud and private cloud. In such a case, applications and data can seamlessly navigate between private and public environments. It is preferred in cases where sovereignty and regulation are mandatory. Definition of Terms Tenant In cloud computing, a tenant is a group of users sharing common access a software infrastructure. A tenant plays a fundamental role in a SaaS environment. Given that SaaS provides usually build applications and avail them to the customers who need to sign up to access the needed resources, such customers will be depicted as tenants of such SaaS systems. Management Group In cases where there are many subscriptions within an organization, there may be need to adopt a framework to manage compliance, policies and access to such policies. For the case of Microsoft Azure, management groups provide the needed scope to undertake such subscriptions. Therefore, am organization organizes its subscriptions into management groups to enhance the application 9 of necessary governance conditions. Therefore, management groups help companies organize their subscription and resources. Subscription It is a pricing model used in different cloud computing infrastructures. In this case, cloud computing customers are required to make an upfront payment being granted an access to a desired cloud service. The charged subscription prices are based on the length of the period. Resource group In Microsoft Azure, resource groups refers to an approach of grouping an asset collection for easy monitoring, provisioning and access control. This is crucial for effective management of costs. Resource groups are used to improve business efficiency by streamlining various assets. Resources It includes software applications, artificial intelligence, networking, databases, processing power and storages deployed in a cloud computing environment. The Significance of FedRAMP In cloud computing, it is mandatory for cloud service providers holding federal data to be authorized by FedRAMP. When planning to roll out a cloud computing plan, FedRAMP authorization is a crucial component of the adopted security plan since it ensures consistency in monitoring and evaluation of security. All cloud computing providers and government agencies are legally expected to adhere to the spelt out set of standards. FedRAMP authorization cannot be underestimated. It boosts the security credibility of a cloud service provider beyond the FedRAMP marketplace. For FedRAMP certification to be effected, a provisional authority to 10 operate is issues by the Joint Authorization Board (JAB). This is a vital process appropriate for cloud computing service providers facing both moderate and high risks. Besides the issued provisional authority, the authority to operate is also significant in FedRAMP authorization. In this case, a service providers is mandated to establish a relationship with a corresponding federal agency to issue it with an operating letter. Azure Governance Model References
