Tips: How to determine the bottom line of cloud computing ROI

How to determine accurate http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/5368.html "> ROI

Most storage experts know that it is difficult to accurately determine the ROI of cloud computing. In a pay-as-you-go model for many cloud storage, figuring out which metrics are most needed is often a challenge when trying to determine the actual cost of spending on cloud computing, including determining the benefits of saving local costs. Although there is no simple formula to calculate the return on investment (ROI) over the next few months or years, storage administrators can accurately calculate their ROI by following some steps.

"There is no such thing as a one or two-parameter input," said Taneja Group's founder and consulting analyst Arun Taneja, "and I certainly don't think it's that simple." ”

In fact, Taneja recommends a series of steps to determine an accurate ROI.

"Take a full look at the infrastructure you need if you want to achieve your goals," he explains. This can start by asking yourself some key questions.

Where do you store the data now?

Is this a new project? What backup system do you need to store the data?

What kind of storage do you need?

What kind of de-duplication technology do you need?

You need to list the construction and operating costs of your own system in order to compare with the corresponding cloud computing costs. "This is the biggest difference when considering cloud computing centers and data centers separately." In the Cloud Computing Center, you only have operating expenses, no need to consider construction costs. In the data center, you need to think about it. Taneja explained.

For example, assuming you're preparing to put backup data in the cloud, you need to focus on some cost items related to backups, including:

The overall architecture of the backup

System upgrades and the final cost of purchasing new equipment

Any possible future construction expenditures, including the additional costs required for upgrades

Any future operating expenses that may occur, including the additional cost of migrating to the new system

These cost factors no longer exist when switching to cloud computing. For example, a large cost of upgrading to a new backup server, and no need to consider the cost of a disk system.

"It's a good start," Tanaja said. The next step is to contact the cloud service provider to find out what you need to store the data, and to figure out the monthly cost per GB of data. Taneja recommends selecting multiple services for comparison, which is one of the steps he mentioned that can be relatively simple compared to calculating the cost of construction and operating costs.

Ted Rtter, a leading research analyst at Nemertes Consulting, a company based in Illinois State Mokena, says it is often easier to calculate construction costs. But before coming to a conclusion, it will be found that it is challenging to figure out the actual operating expenses.

"The tricky part is operating expenses--for example, how much labor work is saved if you don't need to manage your storage devices, and if the device doesn't need to be added, it doesn't generate heat, and you don't need a cooling charge." "These cost items are difficult to estimate, which is not a simple formula that can be answered," he explains. ”

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)