The QPath Blog
QuantumPath® for multiple contexts: cloud, on-premise, hybrid
For more than a decade, organisations have been replacing their own classic IT infrastructures with flexible and decentralised classic infrastructures in the cloud and the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, in response to a globalisation where communications, high global availability and virtualisation technologies are a huge advantage to make the IT network and, therefore, the business of these organisations highly competitive.
Although this trend has continued to the present day, the need to comply with regulations and laws on data sovereignty, security requirements, information protection in certain activities, as well as the volume of information to be processed, etc., have led to a new approach to IT infrastructures that have to contemplate exceptions in the pure distribution of cloud services. In these cases of exception, the need arises to determine which services remain within the corporation’s private networks and which services can be distributed in the cloud, giving rise to hybrid IT infrastructures.
In the field of quantum computing the situation is similar, not only because access to quantum computers in the vast majority of cases is done through the Quantum-as-a-Services (QaaS) model -very few organisations can have a quantum computer and providers provide controlled access to continuous beta environments-, but also because access is done from classic IT infrastructures (which also have their on-premise or cloud contexts), but because the accesses are made from classic IT infrastructures (which also have their on-premise or cloud contexts), which undoubtedly adds a new layer to be considered in the distribution of services and their associated management (contracting, security, availability, etc. ).
Organisations working with quantum computing often have the utmost need to protect, in a very special way, their data and assets, as well as to process, package and transmit them as efficiently as possible in a secure environment, so they will also demand hybrid infrastructures for the quantum domain. To this end, specialized silos will be created where these assets will be located, either in IT cloud or IT owned by the same organization.
In response to this need, from the outset we have developed QuantumPath® so that the platform’s subscription model, in response to the specific needs of each organisation, can be naturally integrated into customers’ different infrastructures and can be deployed and operated in multiple contexts, providing support:
· Cloud
o Public
o Private (Private HUB)
· On-premise
· Hybrid
Illustration 1. QuantumPath® for multiple contexts
QuantumPath® in the cloud
For cloud services, the QuantumPath® platf+m is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and provides public and global access to any user and organization that wants to consume its services in an Out of the Box model. In this context, all services are fully managed, and the user only needs to access their work environment after completing the subscription process. Each subscription, depending on the level of licensing, will give rights to access part or all the services provided under initial conditions that can be extended at any time through the management services enabled and the different pay-per-use options. In this context, all features are offered and accessible globally.
QuantumPath® in the cloud offers two usage options to its users: public and private.
· Public cloud:
In this fully multi-tenant context (data spaces are isolated and encrypted for each organisation) the entire managed system will be maintained by the QPath® team. Scaling, backends, maintenance, upgrade control and platform optimisations will be carried out as part of the product’s own support in the cloud and for as long as subscriptions are maintained. In this context, access is available to developers who want to test the platform or exploit it in personal projects, universities and medium and large companies that want to outsource the service completely.
All QuantumPath® subscription types are available in the public cloud: Free Developer, Developer, Business and Enterprise.
Illustration 2. QuantumPath® as Software as a Service in the Cloud
· Private Cloud:
As part of the Cloud IT context, the concept of “Private Cloud” or “Private HUB” is also introduced. As a variation of the service operation without losing the advantages of the cloud, but under a special licensing in which the platform is hosted on a pre-agreed IT (Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS), such as AWS, specially deployed for the organisation that requires it. The nuance in this case is the totally isolated and physically separate data instance for each organisation, where the organisation’s information will be stored, as well as the configuration of the different layers of services that can be specifically adapted to the needs of the organisation or flexible if it can grow in peak loads. depending on demand.
Illustration 3. Organisations connected to QPath® as Private Cloud Hubs
As with the public cloud, backends, upgrades and optimisations will be fully managed throughout the duration of the subscription. It can even lend itself to additional parameterisations such as customising the corporate branding as well as further specialising the quantum providers you want to work with.
In this context, it is possible to customise QPath® to the needs of the organisation – governmental organisations that want to generate quantum hubs, medium-sized specialised companies as well as potential service resellers and large companies – with special attention to the security and reservation of resources best suited to their needs.
Only Enterprise subscription is available on QuantumPath® in the private cloud.
QuantumPath® On-premise
As mentioned at the beginning, it is no longer common to consider areas where software is installed in an On-Premise IT. Although this context is still largely in place today, it is not the trend when considering a new infrastructure, except in cases considered exceptional, such as: amortisation of IT already deployed that performs its function to perfection, as well as contexts where data ownership, security and control of the systems are a clear and explicit requirement of the project that justifies them. But we can add one more: a context of manufacturers requiring IT facilities close to the product under development – say hardware such as a new type of quantum computer, robots, etc. – and requiring having all the software and its resources on site to have control of the entire manufacturing process, even shielding upgrades to ensure that the entire production environment is controlled and approved.
In this context, QPath® can be deployed both using pre-configured and scalable appliances based on the necessary hardware resources, as well as in deployment packages that, assisted by product engineers, can support the user in the deployment tasks in already provisioned IT infrastructures. All this while ensuring that the minimum, supported and recommended requirements are met.
In this context, the responsibility for IT maintenance would be the responsibility of the organisation, with after-sales product support and service level agreements setting the parameters for product support, maintenance, and upgrades. Analogous to what happens in software distributed in the classical world.
Again, this context could include those discussed in the context of private hubs, highlighting the weight of ownership and security elements that justify the type of deployment, as well as pure product manufacturing or R&D companies that require strict control of production environments to be approved. Even organisations where data access control may be governed by regulations that require exceptional control measures.
Illustration 4. QuantumPath® in on-premise installations
At this point, it should be noted that this context may be subject to key parameters that must be taken into account, such as third-party dependencies when accessing quantum computing resources. If connections to third-party quantum resources are required, it will be important to know and accept the policies for connections external to IT in order to correctly homologate the deployments made. Again, at this point, it is important to emphasise the guarantee that QPath® collects and catalogues the results in such a way that all data exchanged with third parties can be collected in the production system and not in third party stores, as well as having been exchanged based on the most advanced standards in secure communications. This can be adapted to the policies of the organisation at the level required.
Finally, QPath® is a product that lends itself to extensibility. In the On-Premise distribution capabilities, the level of customization can be taken to any level of the product’s extensible architecture, being already part of specialized IT projects to develop and extend its features from new specifications that respond to third party needs.
Only Enterprise subscription is available for QuantumPath® On-premise.
Hybrid QuantumPath®
As the last context supported by QuantumPath®, the hybrid could not fail to be mentioned. Indeed, as introduced in this article, there are IT contexts that may not want to use 100% of the requirements implied in the previous contexts. For as many parameters as can be evaluated in the implementation of a software product, the hybrid context would come to supply those contexts where it is a business requirement to be able to distribute the layers in different IT contexts that meet their needs as specifically as required. Because QPath® is a modular and scalable product by design, it can be feasible to deploy it in hybrid IT contexts where each layer can be distributed in different IT environments, either cloud or in-house.
In this context, you can for example select which system module you want to deploy on which infrastructure to guarantee the desired functionality. Let’s say for example that an organization can host in-house the presentation services, development API layers, as well as the database, but does not have sufficient resources to host the execution layers or at least respond flexibly to the load it must support. In this case the execution layers could be deployed in the cloud under flexible scaling contexts of the cloud provider and support the load on demand of the organization.
Illustration 5. QPath® in hybrid deployment context
In this type of context, again, the level of service is similar to that proposed in the OnPremise case. These installations will depend on specialized product deployment contexts where the organization will mostly be responsible for selecting the context and the level of support required to address these IT architectures to be implemented.
Only Enterprise subscription is available for QuantumPath® Hybrid.
Summary
Of course, in all cases the product team can assist and advise in these processes to ensure best practices for configuration and protection of the different layers to ensure the highest possible security, performance, and stability.
Regardless of the QuantumPath® operating model chosen by organizations, they will all have access to different levels of QSaaS designed for users of the platform.
From the above, it is clear that the product supports multiple deployment contexts and forms of operation to easily adapt to the IT architecture strategies that organizations wish to apply. In these contexts, it is even possible to establish parameter levels and configurations that make possible the best installation of the product according to the specific requirements of an organization.
Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that, on top of that, QPath® software offers functionalities grouped in types of operating licenses (subscriptions), which can be parameterized to offer a complete product experience to the end user according to their requirements and business opportunities. Isolated deployments, team deployments, asset limitations, limiting or opening it to certain quantum technologies, licensing policies, redistribution of services in rental models… open a market of possibilities that take the product to its next level: being ready for the mrket.
Try QuantumPath® for free and get hands-on experience working with tools to create hybrid (quantum/classical) software solutions from a Quantum Software Engineering perspective.
