The Internet is an area of business that has been growing exponentially since the late 1960s. The industry took on new significance in 2020, when the world was hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. Deprived of physical contact, the Internet has become the only way for humans to maintain the social interactions necessary to pursue personal and professional activities.
This period is a catalyst for the adoption of the Cloud, which has become the dominant use of the Internet as the basis of our communications.
The Internet is an area of business that has been growing exponentially since the late 1960s. The industry took on new significance in 2020, when the world was hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. Deprived of physical contact, the Internet has become the only way for humans to maintain the social interactions necessary to pursue personal and professional activities.
This period is a catalyst for the adoption of the Cloud, which has become the dominant use of the Internet as the basis of our communications.
What is a Cloud?
From a pragmatic point of view, a Cloud designates a set of computer servers on which software and databases run. This Cloud is then accessible via the Internet, directly as an operational service for its users.
These computer servers that physically constitute a Cloud are located in one or more data centers that can be spread around the world. Thanks to the Cloud, companies and other users no longer need to have their own servers on their premises or even to install their own software applications on these servers.
The Cloud is an attractive solution because it has several advantages:
From a pragmatic point of view, a Cloud designates a set of computer servers on which software and databases run. This Cloud is then accessible via the Internet, directly as an operational service for its users.
These computer servers that physically constitute a Cloud are located in one or more data centers that can be spread around the world. Thanks to the Cloud, companies and other users no longer need to have their own servers on their premises or even to install their own software applications on these servers.
The Cloud is an attractive solution because it has several advantages:
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Resilience: All data can be accessed from any terminal and in theory cannot be lost even if the hardware storing it is damaged.
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Scalability: Cloud-based services can scale and expand at will with mechanisms that automatically adapt additional infrastructure resources to the need in real time.
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Speed Access: to data stored in the Cloud is instantaneous from anywhere in the world.
That's why, according to Gartner, the public Cloud, which refers to Cloud services whose use is shared among a multitude of users from different organizations, is growing at an annual rate of nearly 20% worldwide through 2021. Gartner also predicts that by 2026, public Cloud spending will account for 45% of enterprise IT budgets, up from 17% in 2021.
That's why, according to Gartner, the public Cloud, which refers to Cloud services whose use is shared among a multitude of users from different organizations, is growing at an annual rate of nearly 20% worldwide through 2021. Gartner also predicts that by 2026, public Cloud spending will account for 45% of enterprise IT budgets, up from 17% in 2021.
The Challenges of the Cloud
If all our data, and all our exchanges are thus destined to transit through a Cloud, this raises many important questions:
If all our data, and all our exchanges are thus destined to transit through a Cloud, this raises many important questions:
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Ecology : The Shift Project (Lean ICT) points out that emissions from the digital sector are expected to reach 7.5% of global emissions by 2025, or 3 billion tCO2e, if the sector follows the current trend.
In this context, is the Cloud you use virtuous? Aqua Ray's mission is to address this issue by designing the greenest data centers in the world. That's what our Kalgan project is all about: an innovative data center that recycles waste heat by producing micro-algae, which help capture CO2 from the atmosphere.
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Security : Is your data that is stored or processed by a Cloud durable? Is it at risk of being altered, modified, deleted following a catastrophic failure? If they are sensitive, how can you guarantee that the operator you trust will be able to protect them and trust will be able to protect them and will seek to protect your secrets?
Aqua Ray addresses this issue by organizing its services in accordance with the ISO 27001 normative reference. *$Multiple redundancies are in place, our procedures are adapted and we regularly re-evaluate the whole, in an approach of continuous improvement of continuous improvement** transparent to our customers.
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Sovereignty : Is your Cloud operator in control? Is it independent throughout the entire production chain? Otherwise, how can it verify and guarantee the answers to the various problems?
To this question, the French government answers that it is not necessary to control the whole chain, but that we can simply « trust » industrial partners, even if they are foreign and perhaps partly opaque. At Aqua Ray, we consider that this is insufficient.
Control of the production line
What is this production chain? These services rely on each other to build the solid edifice of the sovereign Cloud, on which all end-user uses will be based.
What is this production chain? These services rely on each other to build the solid edifice of the sovereign Cloud, on which all end-user uses will be based.
This diagram represents the technologies and infrastructures that make up the Cloud, some of which are often managed by foreign entities.
The network (Internet)
Actually made up of a multitude of different and interconnected networks. It allows to connect the users to the Cloud service. All data will transit through this network.
Aqua Ray operates its own network.
Actually made up of a multitude of different and interconnected networks. It allows to connect the users to the Cloud service. All data will transit through this network.
Aqua Ray operates its own network.
Data centers
These are robust, physically secure, disaster-proof buildings in which the computer servers that make up the Cloud are stored. In Europe, data centers are overwhelmingly owned by American operators: Equinix and Digital Realty.
Aqua Ray has chosen to build its own data centers rather than rent theirs.
These are robust, physically secure, disaster-proof buildings in which the computer servers that make up the Cloud are stored. In Europe, data centers are overwhelmingly owned by American operators: Equinix and Digital Realty.
Aqua Ray has chosen to build its own data centers rather than rent theirs.
Electricity supply
In France, the public electricity network is common to all operations. The electricity consumed by data centers, which are connected to it, is therefore mostly of nuclear origin and therefore relatively carbon-free. However, data centers must have their own production capacity to be autonomous in the event of damage and to relieve the networks during peaks in consumption. This is known as load shedding.
Aqua Ray is contributing to this effort and plans to produce its electrical energy during load shedding phases in a 100% decarbonized way by using hydrogen fuel cell generators. This is one of the challenges of the Kalgan project.
In France, the public electricity network is common to all operations. The electricity consumed by data centers, which are connected to it, is therefore mostly of nuclear origin and therefore relatively carbon-free. However, data centers must have their own production capacity to be autonomous in the event of damage and to relieve the networks during peaks in consumption. This is known as load shedding.
Aqua Ray is contributing to this effort and plans to produce its electrical energy during load shedding phases in a 100% decarbonized way by using hydrogen fuel cell generators. This is one of the challenges of the Kalgan project.
Computer servers
This concerns the machines themselves, the micro-processors providing computing power, the storage systems, the random access memory, the flash memory and the hard disks. **While waiting for the reconstruction of a sovereign offer on this point, it is necessary to choose its partners carefully, to trust them, and of course, to control the deliverables which will constitute an essential element of the Cloud
This concerns the machines themselves, the micro-processors providing computing power, the storage systems, the random access memory, the flash memory and the hard disks. **While waiting for the reconstruction of a sovereign offer on this point, it is necessary to choose its partners carefully, to trust them, and of course, to control the deliverables which will constitute an essential element of the Cloud
The lower infrastructure layers : Virtualization systems and operating systems
This is the first layer of software, which will allow the exploitation of hardware resources by higher level applications. The skills exist in Europe and Open Source is an opportunity because it allows, in all cases, the sharing of knowledge and an opportunity for real control. This layer, combined with the previous ones, can be used to create a Cloud IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) service.
This is the first layer of software, which will allow the exploitation of hardware resources by higher level applications. The skills exist in Europe and Open Source is an opportunity because it allows, in all cases, the sharing of knowledge and an opportunity for real control. This layer, combined with the previous ones, can be used to create a Cloud IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) service.
The services
These are the applications that will communicate with users, process and transform their data. This layer is called Cloud SaaS (for Software as a Service). Many quality European operators are specialized in the design of this type of software for all sectors of activity.
These are the applications that will communicate with users, process and transform their data. This layer is called Cloud SaaS (for Software as a Service). Many quality European operators are specialized in the design of this type of software for all sectors of activity.
At Aqua Ray, we offer both IaaS Cloud services that will be complemented by applications developed by our customers, in order to constitute their own finished service. But also, SaaS type services that can be consumed directly by users in the form of operational products. This is the case of our productivity suite [The French Cloud]((/en/blog/posts/the-french-cloud).
Aqua Ray's vision is to offer a true Sovereign Cloud, that is, to rely for each of the above layers on a good or service produced internally, without recourse to outsourcing. This aspiration has not yet been achieved since we remain at least partially dependent on some of them: energy production, hardware construction, microprocessors and storage systems, operating systems or virtualization.
Abroad, some companies share this vision and have almost achieved it. This is the case of Google or Microsoft for example. In Europe, no company has yet succeeded.
Policymakers have set aside this goal and renamed the Sovereign Cloud to the « Trusted Cloud ». It's about determining an acceptable level of trust when using a third-party service for any part of the production chain. So who should we trust? Some say trust the big foreign leaders like Amazon, Alibaba, Google, Huawei or Microsoft, but there are other alternatives.
At Aqua Ray, we offer both IaaS Cloud services that will be complemented by applications developed by our customers, in order to constitute their own finished service. But also, SaaS type services that can be consumed directly by users in the form of operational products. This is the case of our productivity suite [The French Cloud]((/en/blog/posts/the-french-cloud).
Aqua Ray's vision is to offer a true Sovereign Cloud, that is, to rely for each of the above layers on a good or service produced internally, without recourse to outsourcing. This aspiration has not yet been achieved since we remain at least partially dependent on some of them: energy production, hardware construction, microprocessors and storage systems, operating systems or virtualization.
Abroad, some companies share this vision and have almost achieved it. This is the case of Google or Microsoft for example. In Europe, no company has yet succeeded.
Policymakers have set aside this goal and renamed the Sovereign Cloud to the « Trusted Cloud ». It's about determining an acceptable level of trust when using a third-party service for any part of the production chain. So who should we trust? Some say trust the big foreign leaders like Amazon, Alibaba, Google, Huawei or Microsoft, but there are other alternatives.