Top 7 Open Source Cloud Management Tools

What is Cloud Management?

Cloud management is a pivotal function that businesses need to address. As a result, better management of the cloud offers better management of the data.

Cloud Management is a process that develops and monitors solutions with the help of various tools and solutions. Hence, it deploys tasks to manage security, performance, and compliance.

Consequently, it make the operation more efficient. Moreover, aspects like resources, mechanisms, allocations, cost, compliance, etc. are monitored by the tools.

Benefits of Cloud Management for Businesses

• Cloud management provides faster delivery of solutions. Hence, businesses benefit from real-time access to various platforms that are quick and easy to use.
• Moreover, cloud management helps save costs. As a result, businesses trade employee costs with low-cost services and by reducing network maintenance costs.
• Above all, migrating to a cloud environment helps businesses remain relevant by using modern technologies and services. 
• Furthermore, it makes the processes more flexible and accessible. As a result, businesses can access solutions and data through various authorized devices.
• Moreover, it also provides security for unprotected and mismanaged data. Hence, mitigating the risks of intrusions and hacking while using cloud-based services.
• Most importantly, it uses a variety of software, solutions, and systems. Therefore, it can be integrated with different tools to obtain better results.
• Cloud management certainly provides agility to various networks and data centers. Hence, in case an issue arises, businesses can still run operations with minimum downtime.

Cloud Management and Tools According to Gartner

According to Gartner, “Cloud Management Platforms (CMPs) enables organizations to manage multi-cloud (i.e., private and public cloud) services and resources. This includes providing governance, life cycle management, brokering, and automation for managed cloud resources across most of seven functional areas.”

As a result, the following are the parameters to consider while choosing Cloud Management Tools:

• Above all, it should provide a self-servicing user interface.
• Moreover, it must offer provisions for system images.
• Consequently, it shall also include functions like metering and billing.
• Most Importantly, it needs to optimize and balance various workloads.

Why Choose Open Source Cloud Management Tools?

However, businesses want to avoid complexities and need more flexible solutions. Hence, it offer simplicity and flexibility.

Moreover, it help anticipate challenges. As a result, tools play an important role in mitigating risks.

Hence, here are the significant reasons for businesses to choose open source cloud management tools:

• Avoid Risks with Communities:

Open source cloud management tools leverage the contributions from communities. As a result, the communities help build the software and tackle challenges.

Furthermore, it is not owned by a company, individual, or organization. Hence, this allows businesses to freely develop solutions suitable for their objectives.

Moreover, it often supports and helps deploy cloud functions.

• Forking as an Option:

Forking is a process where developers pick up the source code and develop a customized solution. As a result, allowing businesses to create programs that would specifically cater to their requirements.

Moreover, it also allows businesses to benefit from features of multiple solutions. Hence, this helps streamline the process and reduces dependability.

Most importantly, forking helps entire it or a sub-system. As a result, this offers a plethora of options for businesses to work and develop on.

• Pre-empt Future Changes

Innovations and evolutions of open source cloud management tools are inevitable. Hence, when these tools evolve and expand so do businesses and their horizons.

Furthermore, understanding what changes may arise provides leverage. As a result, it also helps businesses be well-informed about the trends.

Here are the Top 7 Open Source Cloud Management Tools Businesses can benefit from:

Apache CloudStack

Apache CloudStack is one of the best open-source cloud management tools. Moreover, it is an IaaS platform that offers solutions for both private and public clouds.

Above all, it is a true cloud management tool. Hence, it offers management services, storage, and resource allocations for the Cloud.

Furthermore, CloudStack also orchestrates non-technical components. As a result, it also provides various APIs and integrates it with other platforms.

Mist.io

Mist.io is one of the simplest open-source cloud management tools. As a result, it offers solutions to prevent vendor and complexity lock-in.

Moreover, it provides functions like usage reporting, RBAC, provisioning, orchestration, etc. Hence, it plays an important role in monitoring and automating servers for public and private clouds.

Above all, it provides actionable alerts for any web-connected devices. Hence allowing businesses to address any operational issues.

OpenStack

OpenStack is a popular open-source cloud management tool. Consequently, it offers a variety of tools called projects, to help build and manage cloud computing environments.

Moreover, its projects work with core cloud computing functions. As a result, it monitors and manages computing, networking, storing, identifying, and imaging functions.

openQRM

openQRM is a free and open-source cloud computing and management tool. As a result, it manages heterogeneous data-centric environments.

Moreover, it offers a fully automated workflow engine for all bare metal and VM deployments. Hence, it also provides management and monitoring of various data centers and cloud capacities.

Also, openQRM orchestrates functions to execute multi-tier services as VMs. As a result, functions like storage, networks, virtualization, monitoring, and security are orchestrated by openQRM.

ManageIQ

ManageIQ is one of the top open-source cloud management tools for hybrid IT environments. As a result, it is a combination of tools that cater to both public and private clouds.

Moreover, it is written in Ruby and uses the Ruby on Rails framework to carry out tasks. Furthermore, it enables users to integrate with other virtualization platforms like OpenStack and VMWare.

ManageIQ mainly works on three variants namely Vagrant, Docker, and Public Cloud. As a result, it supports multiple technologies like VMs, containers, clusters, etc.

OpenNebula

OpenNebula is one of the most robust and flexible open-source cloud management tools. Moreover, it is a turnkey platform that builds private clouds and manages the data center virtualization. 

Moreover, it manages a data center and its virtual infrastructure. Hence, it helps build private, public, and hybrid Infrastructure as a service.

Above all, it provides features to help businesses develop simple, cost-effective, reliable, and open enterprise clouds. As a result, it offers solutions to manage and monitor storage, network, and virtualization technologies in the same IT infrastructure.

Cloudify

Cloudify is one of the top model-driven open source cloud management tools. Therefore, it works well for orchestrating, automating, and abstracting multi-cloud environments.

Moreover, it offers automation for features like deployment, configuration, and restoration. Hence, these features work well with application and network services across clouds.