Definition of Cloud Broker
A Cloud Broker is an intermediary entity that manages the selection, negotiation, and usage of cloud services on behalf of clients. These brokers assess the requirements of their clients and recommend the best cloud service providers, while ensuring seamless integration. They also help manage the relationship between the client and the cloud service provider, handling performance monitoring, cost optimization, and support.
Phonetic
The phonetic pronunciation of “Cloud Broker” is: /klaÊŠd ˈbroÊŠ.kÉ™r/
Key Takeaways
- Cloud Brokers act as intermediaries between businesses and cloud service providers, simplifying the process of selecting, integrating, and managing cloud services for the clients.
- They can aggregate various cloud services, allowing customers to customize their experience and achieve cost savings by negotiating better deals and managing resources effectively.
- Cloud Brokers provide value-added services such as data transfer optimization, additional security measures, and cloud service management to enhance the overall efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Importance of Cloud Broker
The term Cloud Broker is important because it refers to an essential intermediary in the cloud computing landscape, responsible for simplifying the process of selecting, purchasing, and managing cloud services for businesses or individuals.
As the industry rapidly evolves and the number of cloud service providers continues to increase, it becomes more challenging for clients to identify the right mix of cloud offerings that cater to their specific requirements.
Cloud Brokers address this issue by providing a one-stop shop for clients to compare various services, evaluate costs, and streamline contractual proceedings.
Moreover, they can manage, secure, and integrate solutions from multiple providers, enhancing service efficiency and flexibility.
Thus, Cloud Brokers play a vital role in the seamless adoption of cloud services and contribute significantly to the overall cloud computing ecosystem.
Explanation
The purpose of a Cloud Broker is to offer organizations and businesses a way to manage and optimize their use of multi-cloud environment more effectively. Cloud Brokers function as intermediaries between end users and cloud service providers, helping enterprises choose and manage the best possible cloud resources and services for their specific needs.
The primary goal of a Cloud Broker is ensuring that users can get the most out of their cloud infrastructure investments by reducing costs, improving performance, and ensuring compatibility with existing applications and workflows. One of the main uses of a Cloud Broker is assisting in the process of selecting the most appropriate cloud services from various providers.
They do this by evaluating the diverse offerings based on factors like cost, features, performance, reliability, and security, matching those features to the enterprise’s unique needs. Furthermore, Cloud Brokers handle the integration and deployment of these services into the company’s infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity and interoperability between multiple cloud platforms.
By offering expert guidance and support, the Cloud Broker simplifies the complex world of cloud services and makes adopting and managing a multi-cloud environment more efficient and user-friendly for the organization.
Examples of Cloud Broker
A cloud broker is an intermediary between organizations or individuals and cloud service providers, helping users to choose the most suitable cloud services and manage them efficiently. Here are three real-world examples of cloud brokers:
RightScale (now part of Flexera): RightScale is a multi-cloud management platform that connects enterprises and SMEs to a wide variety of cloud service providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud. With its cloud broker services, RightScale helps organizations manage, govern, and optimize their cloud environments, offering functionalities such as cost management, service discovery, and workload automation. RightScale also helps its clients with workload migration and orchestration using its platform.
Gravitant (acquired by IBM): Gravitant, now part of IBM Cloud, was a brokerage platform that enabled users to select, provision, and manage cloud services from various providers. Gravitant’s cloudMatrix platform facilitated a single point of access and control for cloud resources, streamlining resource management, and reducing costs. The platform offered an integrated marketplace of cloud services and provided end-to-end visibility on cloud usage and spend across multiple providers.
CloudSwitch (acquired by Verizon): CloudSwitch was a cloud broker platform that simplified and secured the process of migrating applications and data between data centers and public cloud services like AWS and Microsoft Azure. Their solution offered a point-and-click console for managing cloud resources and enabled secure, high-performance connections between users’ on-premises environments and cloud infrastructure. CloudSwitch was acquired by Verizon in 2011 and has since become part of Verizon’s Enterprise Solutions portfolio.
Cloud Broker FAQ
1. What is a Cloud Broker?
A Cloud Broker is an intermediary service that helps businesses or individuals find the most suitable cloud service providers according to their unique needs, requirements, and budgets. Cloud Brokers analyze and compare multiple cloud providers and assist in choosing the best option for clients.
2. What are the benefits of using a Cloud Broker?
Some benefits of using a Cloud Broker include cost optimization, seamless cloud migration, management of multiple cloud providers, improved security, and technical support services to ensure smooth operations of the chosen cloud services.
3. How does a Cloud Broker help with cloud security?
A Cloud Broker can assess the security measures provided by different cloud service providers and recommend the most secure options to clients. They can also help clients design and implement additional security policies that meet their specific requirements.
4. Can a Cloud Broker help with the negotiation of contracts with cloud service providers?
Yes, a Cloud Broker can help clients in negotiating contracts with cloud service providers. They can bring their expertise in the field to assist clients in getting the best value and favorable terms for their business needs.
5. How to choose the right Cloud Broker for your business?
To choose the right Cloud Broker, you should consider factors such as their industry experience, technical expertise, available services, and customer reviews. You can also consult industry peers for recommendations and insights about working with different brokers.
Related Technology Terms
- Cloud Services Integration
- Multi-cloud Management
- Cloud Services Aggregation
- Cloud Migration Assistance
- Cloud Cost Optimization
