Cloud computing, most generally defined as using third party services to deliver applications, significantly alters the location of critical computing resources, the data paths for accessing these resources and many operational IT procedures in a significant way. In fact, many compare the shift towards cloud computing to the introduction of the centralized electric grid more than a century ago that displaced local power generation for factories and farms.
It is clear that this fundamental shift in computing will have repercussions on how IT systems and networks are managed and maintained. One general perception is that cloud computing will lead to the demise of network analysis. Is this true? What truly changes when an enterprise begins to leverage cloud computing?
Before we’re able to refute or confirm the premise, we must agree on what network analysis is and the goals it helps IT professionals achieve. Network analysis can be thought of as network monitoring plus intelligence. While network monitoring and network analysis are often lumped together (and at times fulfilled by the same solution), each has distinct goals and methods to achieve those goals. Network monitoring, a field which has grown tremendously with the widespread availability of flow-based data from network devices, NetFlow and sFlow, for example, focuses on reporting and trend analysis, providing alerts when flow-based data indicates trouble, but leaving out the details of the root cause. This is where network analysis comes in. Network analysis typically involves the collection of more detailed data, usually at the packet level, providing the data necessary for detailed, root-cause analysis.
To learn more and to read the entire article at its source, please refer to the following page, Will Cloud Computing Lead to the Demise of Network Analysis?- Virtual Strategy Magazine
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