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What is OpenStack?

What’s inside?

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OpenStack is an open-source platform for deploying Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) in public and private cloud environments. It virtualizes cloud infrastructure, managing and providing access to distributed compute, networking, and storage resources. With OpenStack, organizations can manage their own cloud infrastructure and apply it to various use cases, such as web hosting or containerized deployments.

How OpenStack Works

OpenStack is a collection of modules and tools designed to support an IaaS cloud environment. Some of the key components include:

  • Keystone: Keystone handles identity management, authentication, and authorization for cloud resources.
  • Nova: Nova is OpenStack’s compute management tool, creating, scheduling, and terminating virtual machines (VMs) and providing access to scalable compute resources.
  • Neutron: Neutron provides network connectivity as a service (NCaaS) within OpenStack, managing network infrastructure and IP addresses.
  • Cinder: Cinder is a block storage service within OpenStack that can create and attach volume-based storage to VMs.
  • Swift: Swift provides scalable object storage for unstructured data with support for backups 
  • Glance: Glance controls virtual machine disk images within OpenStack.
  • Horizon: Horizon is a web-based user interface for managing OpenStack deployments.

These components provide all of the capabilities needed to implement cloud infrastructure. OpenStack also integrates with other solutions to provide additional features or customization.

How Does OpenStack Enable Virtualization?

OpenStack builds on top of existing hypervisors, such as Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware V-Sphere, or KVM, providing it with access to various resources available from the host systems.

OpenStack then manages these resources as pools that can be allocated to various systems upon request. By abstracting away the details of where resources are located, it simplifies resource management for cloud apps and enables improved scalability, resiliency, and availability in the cloud.

OpenStack Deployment Models

As an open-source platform, OpenStack can be used, modified, or packaged into an organization’s product or service offering.. Some common deployment models for OpenStack include:

  • On-Prem Distribution: OpenStack is most commonly used by companies looking to implement a private cloud on their own infrastructure. This permits a high level of customization but requires subject matter expertise.
  • OpenStack for Public Cloud: OpenStack can also be used to manage the underlying infrastructure for a public cloud offering. This provides the functionality and features of OpenStack with public cloud scalability and availability.
  • Hosted Private Cloud: Organizations can deploy private clouds via OpenStack with a third-party hosting provider, reducing overhead and resource demands.
  • Managed Deployment: This deployment model offers access to an OpenStack-based cloud as a service. In this scenario, the service provider is fully responsible for hosting, configuring, and managing the solution for the organization.

Different OpenStack deployment models have various benefits for the organization. For example, an on-prem distribution offers more control but requires more resources and specialized knowledge. In contrast, managed deployments provide the benefits of OpenStack with minimal effort by the organization.

Common Use Cases for OpenStack

OpenStack can be used for various purposes, including both internal and public-facing solutions. Some common applications include:

  • Private Clouds: OpenStack provides companies with the tools needed to implement private cloud environments on-prem or in a hosted environment.
  • Big Data: OpenStack can be used to implement scalable infrastructure for large-scale data processing.
  • Public-Facing Services: Companies may build cloud environments with OpenStack for web hosting or other elements of their infrastructure that need to be flexible and scalable.

Advantages of Using OpenStack for Businesses

Using OpenStack to implement cloud environments provides various benefits for an organization, including:

  • Cost Savings: OpenStack offers free, open-source options for all of the components needed to implement cloud infrastructure. This can dramatically decrease the costs associated with building a private cloud.
  • Configurability and Adaptability: OpenStack is implemented with a modular architecture and integrates with third-party solutions. Companies can configure their systems to meet their needs and adapt these settings as the business evolves.
  • Scalability: OpenStack enables organizations to implement highly scalable cloud infrastructure. OpenStack environments can scale both horizontally and vertically, allowing them to grow with the business.
  • Improved Control: OpenStack allows organizations to build their own cloud environments. This has significant benefits for customization, security, and regulatory compliance.

Secure Your Cloud Network With Cato SASE Cloud Platform

OpenStack enables organizations to build flexible, scalable, and configurable cloud environments under various deployment models. However, organizations must ensure secure and high-performance connectivity to their OpenStack cloud environments, especially for remote and distributed teams.
To maximize the effectiveness of its cloud infrastructure, a company also needs to ensure high-performance, reliable connectivity to it. This is where Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) enters the picture. With converged security and SD-WAN capabilities running on Tier-1 network links, Cato SASE Cloud Platform ensures secure, high-performance connectivity forcorporate WAN and cloud environments. To learn more about the benefits of Cato SASE Cloud for your organization, request a demo.

Cato Networks named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Single-Vendor SASE

Get the report

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