What is OpenStack? (Part 1)
What is Open Stack?
Cloud management technology looks vastly different than it did back in 2010, when Rackspace headed up development of an open source management system called OpenStack. It’s wildly transformed how hosting companies operate and because of the diverse nature of cloud computing, has grown into a primary player on the landscape of cloud powered hosting an network services.
Still the technology of OpenStack and what it does exactly is still fairly unknown for most people. Webmasters or network design engineers are quickly catching on however, but the familiar questions still remain; “What is OpenStack?” or “How is OpenStack used?”
There are several moving parts to Openstack and together they help found a base of scalable network infrastructure. Primarily responsible for the main host of services, Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS is a way to eliminate your in-house networking and host your complete network in the cloud.
By renting capacity through the cloud, any company can offload the resources and hardware for a scalable, secure solution that will grow with your company, instead of restrict it. In this most companies already know what to use the open source operating system for, to host and migrate their existing infrastructure.
Rackspace together with NASA created the Openstack project, and it’s been a huge part of their hosting business since then. Empowering small businesses to enjoy the benefits of open source cloud computing, it’s evened the playing field significantly.
But that’s not all that Openstack can do for your business, because Software as a Service or SaaS is a way to provide software solutions through your company. Being able to offer a service through a dedicated cloud computing solution, your company can benefit greatly from this aspect of Openstack cloud computing.
This may include software solutions such as your CMS or even your email, and the ability to combine corporate access and streamline data acquisition is vital to the day to day grind of your company. Openstack is the perfect way to free yourself from the shackles of maintenance, while installation and deployment are handled for you.
If you are operating a hosted website or hosting your CMS through a third-party host, chances are you already use OpenStack technology to improve your business. Tomorrow we take a look at some of the many services within this open source software, and how OpenStack can change and revolutionize the workflow of your business.
