Thursday, December 12

5 Essential Tools for Efficiently Managing Cloud Infrastructure

managing cloud infrastructure

YouTube gets a ton of video uploads. According to some sources, about 720,000 hours of new video gets uploaded to the site every day. That’s about 30,000 days, or 82 years.

As far as cloud computing goes, this is chump change in the grand scheme of things. Cloud systems for years now have been passing back-and-forth eye-watering amounts of data like it was nothing. When it comes to managing cloud infrastructure of that size, what tools does tech support have at their disposal?

Today, we take a look at just five tools cloud support needs to handle its cloud computing systems.

1. Managing Cloud Infrastructure with a Terminal

Command-line interface (CLI) is the way humans have been interacting with computers ever since they’ve had screens. A hacker in a movie starts typing text into a black box, and what you’re seeing is CLI. This is also known as the terminal, and was the default interaction method until GUI (graphical user interface) came around.

Think of the terminal as a more direct, more efficient means of communicating with a computer. It can look daunting at first glance, but it’s much easier than you might think once you learn its ins and outs. Knowing CLI via the terminal is a must.

2. Package Manager

Packages, or programs, to put it simply, need a streamlined way to get updates. Package managers allow you to see what’s on the system, manage permissions, delete unnecessary programs, and get updates.

In a world where zero-day viruses can be the difference between digital life and death, programs need updates ASAP. A good package manager ensures everything stays current from trusted sources.

3. Port-Knocking Tool

A port-knocking tool is, effectively, a simple way to gauge server responsiveness without further interaction. This is most helpful to ensure services are up and running. If your server is down for any reason, a port-knocking tool can usually diagnose that in a heartbeat.

Take a look at the NetSuite ACS Cost for similar affordable server tools.

4. Port Sniffing Tool

Port sniffing is an entirely different affair. Think of a port sniffer as a port authority that’s observing everyone – and everything – that passes through their port. Just as it’s critical to maintain security at a country’s ports, the computer needs to know what data is coming through – and with whom.

A port sniffing tool is most useful for knowing which servers and services an application is connecting to. Especially to determine if it’s connected to something it shouldn’t be.

5. Predictive Analytics

Computer nerds will be well familiar with Google Analytics always running in the background of every website. Though questionable because of Google’s privacy track record, analytics are necessary for cloud systems to function and improve. Having an open-source, zero-knowledge analytics tool is essential.

Learn More About Cloud Computing

Managing cloud infrastructure often requires many of the same tools you would use to manage a typical server. Aside from a trusted CLI interface, you need port analysis tools for packet sniffing and port knocking. Tie it up with a bow by getting a solid package manager and predictive analytics suite.

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