IBM Cloud Satellite Introduction

A Revolution in Hybrid Cloud Technology

Andrew Widjaja, Technical Leader — Software & Services at Sinergi Wahana Gemilang with Kian Sin Teo, Partner Technical Specialist — Cloud Platform at IBM

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way businesses develop and run applications, offering scalability, flexibility, and innovation. However, not all applications and data can be easily moved to the public cloud, due to various reasons such as latency, security, compliance, or cost. For example, some applications need to run close to the data sources or users at the edge, while others need to comply with strict regulations or data sovereignty requirements in their on-premises data centers.

How can businesses overcome these challenges and enjoy the benefits of cloud computing in any environment? The answer is IBM Cloud Satellite, a distributed cloud solution that enables businesses to deploy and run applications consistently across on-premises, edge computing, and public cloud environments from any cloud vendor.

Overview

Illustration-1: IBM Cloud Satellite overview

IBM Cloud Satellite allows businesses to consume a common set of cloud services, including toolchains, databases, AI, and more, in any location. These services are API-driven and operated as-a-service by IBM, so businesses do not have to worry about managing or updating them. IBM Cloud Satellite also provides security and compliance controls across all locations, so businesses can meet the regulatory standards of their industry.

IBM Cloud Satellite is built on an OpenShift platform, which allows users to build, deploy, and manage containerized applications across hybrid cloud environments. IBM Cloud Satellite enables users to extend IBM Cloud capabilities beyond its data centers while leveraging the same tools, security features, and automation capabilities that are available in IBM’s public cloud.

With IBM Cloud Satellite, businesses can leverage their existing infrastructure or purchase from IBM or IBM partners. They can also use compute infrastructure from other clouds (AWS, Azure, and Google) as IBM Cloud Satellite locations. This gives them the flexibility and choice to use the best infrastructure for their needs.

The solution makes it possible for users to manage all their cloud infrastructures under one platform, with a single dashboard to monitor performance, security, and compliance. IBM Cloud Satellite integrates with existing cloud services and applications, simplifying and accelerating the deployment of applications across multiple environments. This enables businesses to achieve the agility, scalability, and security of cloud computing while keeping costs under control.

Benefits

Illustration-2: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform managed by IBM Cloud Satellite

• You can run workloads where it makes the most sense, across on-premises, edge computing, and public cloud environments from any cloud vendor.
• You can improve audibility and accountability when data and workloads remain in place, meeting regulatory and compliance requirements.
• You can consume a common set of cloud services including toolchains, databases, and AI in any location, operated as-a-service by IBM.
• You can use a single dashboard to centralize observability and management across all locations and extend access policies, logging, monitoring, and other controls to all locations.
• You can use compute infrastructure from other clouds (AWS, Azure, and Google) as IBM Cloud Satellite locations.
• You can accelerate innovation with simplified “Day 2” operations across the cloud and on-premises, leveraging IBM’s managed services.

Another key benefit of IBM Cloud Satellite is that it brings cloud services closer to the end-user, providing faster access to applications, data, and services. IBM Cloud Satellite integrates with edge computing environments, enabling businesses to deliver low-latency actions and real-time insights at the point of action, making distributed environments a reality.

Illustration-3: Services designed for IBM Cloud Satellite

How can I manage my network traffic?

You can use the built-in IBM Cloud Satellite Link to control and inspect network traffic and communication flows between sites. You can also use IBM Cloud’s monitoring and logging service to consolidate logs, metrics, and alerts.

Do I need to purchase hardware in order to run IBM Cloud Satellite?

No, you don’t need to buy hardware, but you do need the infrastructure to support your IBM Cloud Satellite locations. Your infrastructure environment can be your on-premises data center, another cloud provider, or anywhere on a compatible edge device.

Okay, now let’s deep dive about the technology. There are 6 (six) important terms inside IBM Cloud Satellite.

Satellite location: a representation of an environment in your infrastructure provider, such as an on-prem data center or cloud. Locations are made up of compute sources, called hosts, from separate zones of your backing infrastructure environment. To get started with Satellite, consider your infrastructure and then create a location. After your location is created, you can utilize IBM Cloud services to run workloads in your environment.

Satellite hosts: a compute source that resides in your infrastructure provider or even locally. After you attach your hosts to a Satellite location, assign the hosts to the location control plane or to a Satellite-enabled IBM Cloud services to provide the computing power to run your service workloads.

Satellite-enabled service: an IBM Cloud service that you can set up in a Satellite location, such as a Red Hat OpenShift cluster. The service is managed from the IBM Cloud region that your location is managed from, but you provide the infrastructure hosts to run the service’s resources in your location.

Satellite Config: based on the Razee open source project, Satellite Config is a continuous delivery tool that you can use to consistently roll out versions of your apps across clusters in your Satellite location.

Satellite Link: securely connects your Satellite location to the IBM Cloud region that your location is managed from. Communication to and from your location is proxied by the Link tunnel server, and network traffic on this connection can be monitored and audited.

Satellite storage: uses Satellite Config to provide a convenient way to install various storage drivers in Red Hat OpenShift clusters across your Satellite locations, by using storage templates. The storage templates are provided and tested by the vendors. After you install Satellite storage, your cluster users can use Kubernetes persistent volume claims (PVCs) to order and save their application data in persistent storage.

How to set up IBM Cloud Satellite?

Prerequisites

• An IBM Cloud account. You can sign up for a free trial here: https://cloud.ibm.com/registration
• A computing infrastructure that meets the minimum requirements for Satellite hosts. You can use your own on-premises data center, other cloud providers (AWS, Azure, or Google), or edge networks. See https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/satellite?topic=satellite-host-reqs for more details.
• Knowledge of Kubernetes administration and deployment processes.
• Familiarity with Red Hat OpenShift management and administration processes.
• A Satellite subscription. You can purchase one from the IBM Cloud catalog: https://cloud.ibm.com/catalog/services/satellite

Steps to deploy IBM Cloud Satellite

Illustration-4: Satellite locations

1. Create a Satellite location. A Satellite location is a representation of an environment in your infrastructure provider. To create a location, go to the IBM Cloud console and navigate to Satellite > Locations. Click Create Location and enter a name and description for your location. Choose the IBM Cloud region that will manage your location. Click Create.
2. (optional) Install the Satellite CLI: Download and install the IBM Cloud Satellite CLI for your operating system. Use the CLI to configure and manage satellites, locations, and connected clusters.
3. Connect the Cluster to the Satellite: (a) Attach hosts to your location. A host is a computing source that resides in your infrastructure provider. To attach hosts to your location, you need to install the Satellite host attach script on each host. Go to the IBM Cloud console and navigate to Satellite > Locations > Your location > Hosts. Click Attach Hosts and follow the instructions to download and run the script on each host. You can also use automation tools such as Ansible or Terraform to attach hosts. (b) Assign hosts to the location control plane or a service. After you attach hosts to your location, you need to assign them to the location control plane or a Satellite-enabled service such as Red Hat OpenShift. The location control plane provides the core functionality of Satellite, such as managing locations, hosts, clusters, and services. A service is an IBM Cloud service that you can set up in your location, such as Red Hat OpenShift. To assign hosts, go to the IBM Cloud console and navigate to Satellite > Locations > Your location > Hosts. Select the hosts that you want to assign and click Assign Hosts. Choose whether you want to assign them to the location control plane or a service. If you choose a service, select the service from the list of available services. Click Assign.
4. Deploy IBM Cloud Satellite Services: IBM Cloud Satellite provides a set of services that you can deploy in your satellite locations, such as Cloud Object Storage, Databases, and Watson AI services. Simply navigate to the “Catalog” section in the Dashboard, select the desired service you would like to deploy, configure it, and deploy it.
5. Manage the Services: Once IBM Cloud Satellite services are deployed and running, they can be managed via the IBM Cloud Console or the OpenShift Console, giving you a unified view for managing applications and services in your hybrid cloud deployment.
6. Troubleshooting and Support: Any issues or problems regarding IBM Cloud Satellite can be fixed using diagnostic tools that IBM provides to resolve problems quickly. If you encounter an issue that cannot be resolved, IBM support engineers are available to help through various support channels, depending on the level of support you choose.

Illustration-5: Assigning hosts to a Satellite location

You have successfully deployed IBM Cloud Satellite and its services in your environment. You can now use the IBM Cloud console or CLI to manage and monitor your resources. You can also use Satellite Link to securely connect your location to the IBM Cloud region that manages it without special network configuration. You can also use Satellite Config to consistently deploy and manage your applications across clusters in your location.

Use Cases

Financial Services Industry

1. Encryption and Compliance: IBM Cloud Satellite enables financial services organizations to store their data locally and ensure that all regulatory requirements for data residency and encryption are met.
2. Hybrid Cloud management: IBM Cloud Satellite offers financial services organizations the ability to easily integrate their private and public cloud infrastructures, streamline IT operations, automate workflows, and deploy applications across hybrid infrastructure.
3. Data Analytics: IBM Cloud Satellite allows financial service providers to perform complex analytics on huge data sets and to fine-tune their infrastructure to unlock better insights.
4. Security and Resilience: IBM Cloud Satellite offers built-in security and resilience features that allow organizations to safeguard sensitive data and ensure that their infrastructure and services remain available even in the face of outages or cyber-attacks.
5. Customer Experience: IBM Cloud Satellite enables financial services organizations to analyze vast amounts of transaction data to personalize services and better meet customer needs.
6. Edge computing: IBM Cloud Satellite enables financial services organizations to deploy workloads and services closer to users, improving response times and reducing latency.
7. Disaster Recovery: IBM Cloud Satellite offers disaster recovery solutions that can help financial services organizations maintain business continuity and protect against data loss in the event of an emergency.

Manufacturing

1. Smart factory: A manufacturing company can use IBM Cloud Satellite to run applications that monitor and optimize the production process at the edge, where the factory machines and sensors are located. This can reduce latency and bandwidth costs, and improve operational efficiency and quality. The company can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to consume public cloud services such as AI, analytics, and IoT in their on-premises data center, where they can meet their security and compliance requirements.
2. Supply chain optimization: A manufacturing company can use IBM Cloud Satellite to connect and synchronize data across multiple locations, such as warehouses, distribution centers, and retail stores. This can enable real-time visibility and insights into the inventory, demand, and delivery status of their products. The company can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to leverage cloud-native technologies such as containers and micro-services to modernize its legacy applications and improve their agility and scalability.
3. Product innovation: A manufacturing company can use IBM Cloud Satellite to accelerate the development and testing of new products and features. The company can use IBM Cloud Satellite to create a consistent and portable environment for their developers and testers across different infrastructure providers, such as on-premises, public cloud, or edge. The company can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to access a rich catalog of cloud services and software that can enhance its product capabilities, such as AI, blockchain, and 5G.

Telecommunication

1. Distributed Core Networks: With the proliferation of 5G, edge computing, and IoT devices, IBM Cloud Satellite provides a distributed cloud platform that enables telecommunications providers to deploy core network functions closer to the edge, delivering low latency, and better user experiences.
2. Edge Computing: IBM Cloud Satellite allows telecommunication companies to deploy cloud services and applications closer to the end-users to deliver low-latency actions and real-time insights at the point of action, enhancing speed, and performance.
3. Network Optimization: IBM Cloud Satellite enables telecommunications companies to analyze vast quantities of network data to optimize network performance, detect vulnerabilities, and identify new revenue streams.
4. Security and Resiliency: IBM Cloud Satellite is designed with built-in security features that offer effective data and network protection while maintaining compliance with industry regulations.
5. Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness: IBM Cloud Satellite enables telecommunication providers to easily scale their infrastructure up or down depending on customer demand while keeping costs predictable and manageable.
6. Edge Computing Ecosystems: IBM Cloud Satellite facilitates the development and management of rich multi-cloud environments, enabling communication service providers to offer new digital services and ecosystems that leverage multi-cloud environments.
7. Open Source Opportunities: IBM Cloud Satellite is built on an open-source platform (Red Hat OpenShift), ensuring that telecommunication companies have access to hybrid technologies beyond IBM products, further increasing their technical capabilities

Banking

1. Core banking modernization: A bank can use IBM Cloud Satellite to modernize its core banking system and leverage cloud-native technologies such as containers and microservices. The bank can use IBM Cloud Satellite to deploy and run Red Hat OpenShift clusters on its infrastructure, where it can meet its security and compliance requirements. The bank can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to access a rich catalog of cloud services and software that can enhance its core banking capabilities, such as AI, blockchain, and 5G.
2. Data analytics and AI: A bank can use IBM Cloud Satellite to analyze data and apply AI models where the data resides. The bank can use IBM Cloud Satellite to set up IBM Cloud Pak for Data as a Service in its on-premises data center, where it can meet its data sovereignty and privacy standards. The bank can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to consume other cloud services such as IBM Watson and IBM Cloud Databases in its data center, where it can reduce latency and egress charges.
3. Customer service and engagement: A bank can use IBM Cloud Satellite to improve its customer service and engagement by delivering personalized and real-time experiences at the edge. The bank can use IBM Cloud Satellite to run applications that interact with customers at the point of service, such as ATMs, kiosks, or mobile devices. The bank can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to leverage cloud services such as chatbots, voice assistants, and video analytics at the edge, where it can provide low-latency and high-quality interactions

Public Sectors

1. Disaster response: A public sector organization can use IBM Cloud Satellite to deploy and run applications that support disaster response efforts at the edge, where the affected areas and people are located. This can enable faster and more reliable communication, coordination, and assistance. The organization can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to consume public cloud services such as AI, IoT, and analytics in their on-premises data center, where they can meet their security and governance requirements.
2. Citizen services: A public sector organization can use IBM Cloud Satellite to improve its citizen services and engagement by delivering personalized and real-time experiences at the point of service, such as kiosks, mobile devices, or smart city devices. The organization can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to leverage cloud services such as chatbots, voice assistants, and video analytics at the edge, where they can provide low latency and high-quality interactions.
3. Data privacy and sovereignty: A public sector organization can use IBM Cloud Satellite to analyze data and apply AI models where the data resides. The organization can use IBM Cloud Satellite to set up IBM Cloud Pak for Data as a Service in its on-premises data center, where it can meet its data privacy and sovereignty standards. The organization can also use IBM Cloud Satellite to consume other cloud services such as IBM Watson and IBM Cloud Databases in its data center, where it can reduce latency and egress charges.
4. Healthcare: IBM Cloud Satellite provides a platform for governments to modernize healthcare services, boost patient care, manage healthcare records, and enhance healthcare research capabilities.

In summary, IBM Cloud Satellite brings flexibility, security, and transparency to hybrid cloud environments. It enables businesses to easily deploy and manage workloads across multiple clouds while providing them with the versatility and control they need to comply with regulatory requirements. By bringing cloud services closer to the end-user, IBM Cloud Satellite provides faster access to applications and services, boosting efficiency, and productivity. IBM Cloud Satellite is a game-changer for businesses looking to leverage hybrid cloud capabilities, providing them with the agility, scalability, and security they need to thrive in today’s digital world.