Cloud bursting

Definition

Cloud bursting is a hybrid cloud strategy that allows an organization to dynamically scale its computing resources by offloading workloads from a private cloud to a public cloud during peak demand periods. This practice enables businesses to efficiently manage resource allocation and costs by utilizing additional public cloud resources without needing to maintain excessive on-premises capacity.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Cloud bursting helps organizations respond quickly to unexpected spikes in demand without incurring the costs associated with permanent infrastructure expansion.
2. This approach allows businesses to leverage the scalability of public clouds while maintaining control over sensitive data in their private cloud.
3. The integration of cloud bursting requires effective orchestration and management tools to ensure seamless workload transfer between environments.
4. Security and compliance considerations are critical when utilizing cloud bursting, as sensitive data may be temporarily stored in the public cloud.
5. Successful cloud bursting strategies often involve defining clear policies and thresholds for when workloads should be offloaded to the public cloud.

Review Questions

• How does cloud bursting enhance resource management in organizations that utilize both private and public clouds?
  • Cloud bursting enhances resource management by allowing organizations to dynamically allocate additional resources from a public cloud during peak demand while primarily relying on their private cloud. This flexibility means companies can avoid over-provisioning resources for anticipated peaks, which can lead to wasted capacity. By only using external resources when necessary, organizations can optimize costs and maintain operational efficiency.
• Discuss the challenges and considerations organizations must address when implementing a cloud bursting strategy.
  • Implementing a cloud bursting strategy presents several challenges, including ensuring seamless integration between private and public cloud environments. Organizations must consider data security and compliance risks, as sensitive information may be transferred to the public cloud temporarily. Additionally, effective orchestration tools are needed to manage workload transitions smoothly, along with clear policies outlining when and how resources should be burst to avoid potential issues during high demand periods.
• Evaluate the potential impact of cloud bursting on an organization's overall IT strategy and business performance.
  • Cloud bursting can significantly influence an organization's IT strategy by promoting agility and flexibility in resource utilization. By enabling dynamic scaling, businesses can enhance their responsiveness to market changes and customer demands, ultimately improving service delivery. Moreover, it can lead to cost savings since organizations only pay for additional resources as needed. However, careful planning and risk management are crucial, as reliance on external public cloud services could introduce vulnerabilities affecting business performance.

Related terms

Hybrid Cloud: A computing environment that combines a private cloud with one or more public clouds, allowing for data and application portability.

Load Balancing: The distribution of workloads across multiple computing resources to ensure no single resource is overwhelmed, improving application performance and reliability.

Elasticity: The ability of a system to dynamically allocate and deallocate resources as needed, enabling it to adapt to varying workloads and demands.