To the cloud my friend!
State of Wyoming
Department of Environmental Quality
Why Georgia has its node
in the cloud
Steve Alison – Georgia EPD
Simon Watson – Windsor
Session Purpose
In 2011 Georgia EPD decided it would be beneficial
to their organization to relocate their exchange
network flows from an internally hosted
OpenNode2 instance to a new cloud based instance
“OpenNodeC”.
This session discusses why the choice was made, the
solution provided and whether hosted solutions are
viable for other EN participants.
Topics
The challenge
◦ goals
◦ approach
◦ future
The solution
◦ architecture
◦ choices
◦ conclusion
Questions
The Challenge
The challenge
Costly support contract in place at the state level.
 Lengthy turnaround in resolving issues
 Lack of skilled resources that understand the node
architecture.
 Difficulties in utilizing contracting mechanisms.
 EPD lacked an affordable infrastructure and sufficient
skilled resources to support the EN environment.
 Rapidly evolving
technology stacks.

Vision
State Supported Infrastructure Dependence – removed
 Node Upgrade – included
 Flow Support – included
 Reliability - maximum
 Infrastructure – provided
 Technology Currency - included
 Technology Platform - indifferent
 Need for own EN skilled staff – gone
 Peace of mind – in the cloud

the pictorial view
Approach

Georgia has taken the bull by the horns.
◦ Implemented OpenNodeC instance within Amazon’s EC2
environment.
◦ Five flows TRI, WQX, Beaches, SDWIS and EIS
◦ Established a Cloud Node support contract

Now
◦ We don’t worry whether the node is up and running anymore.
◦ We simply have a periodic check-in with our vendor to review
status and issues (rare).
◦ We are able to focus more on the data and business of the
agency rather than the technology that supports it.
Future

So what does the future hold
◦ Georgia’s EPD commitment to the cloud.
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Waste Water Permits
SDWIS Web
Water Withdrawals Permitting
Current Application Migration
Next up
◦
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Environmental Warehouse then FRS data flow.
ICIS data flow
Electronic Permitting, Reporting, and Fee Collection
The Solution
Architecture – the “Cloud”
Wikipedia Definition:
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service
rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software,
and information are provided to computers and other
devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network
(typically the Internet).
Architecture – the “Cloud”
Essentially, “Internet-based hosting of application(s) and/or
service(s)”.
We are all likely to use some cloud based services
 Back up (iCloud, Mozy, Carbonite)
 Email / Calendaring (Gmail)
 Collaboration / Social (Picassa, Pandora, DropBox)
 Hosting Services (RackSpace, Amazon, Microsoft)
Architecture - Georgia
Windsor Cloud
Node
Georgia Hosted Node Flows
· WQX
· Beach Monitoring
· Beach Notification
· SDWIS
· EIS
· TRI
DNR
EPA
OpenNodeC
• Amazon EC2
• SaaS model
• Periodic pull
• Cached data in Node
• Node DB services all queries
Choices
What does all this mean to the EN?
 Why should I consider the cloud?
 What challenges still exist?
 What should you do?

Cloud & EN
Another viable alternative.
 Cost effective option.
 A hosted node could form an integral part of a cloud
based strategy.
 Opportunity to remove some technical aspects of the
EN and return focus to protecting the environment .

Reasons to consider the Cloud
Massive uptake in cloud deployments as organizations
see benefits.
 Less dependence on a particular technology stack.
When its in the cloud it really is software in a box or
Software as a Service (SaaS).
 Big use of Amazon and more players available.
 Best practices promised in order to provide cloud
security peace of mind.
 Protection of sensitive data.

Reasons to consider the Cloud
Factors driving others to choose a cloud option
 Scalability
 Overall Cost Savings
 Easier Management
 Redundancy
 Greater Flexibility
 Elasticity/Ability to adjust to fluctuations in resource
demands
 Improved Hardware Utilization
 Security
Reasons to be careful
Still some challenges ahead. In particular building
confidence and trust.
• Network Lag
• Security
• Availability
• Costs
• Trust
• Control
The conclusion
Is a hosted node, or even a hosted solution the right thing
for you:
•
•
•
•
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Maybe, but develop a cloud strategy / approach first.
Understand your in-house ability to support the business need
Understand value of a hosted environment (cost / benefit)
Understand the migration effort to make the transition
Pilot before you go full bore
Questions
Contact Information
Steve Allison
Georgia EPD
404-463-0077
steve.allison@dnr.state.ga.us
Simon Watson
Windsor Solutions, Inc.
503-675-7833
simon_watson@windsorsolutions.com