Cloud-Based Virtual Machines and Offices

Abstract

Cloud-based virtual machines and offices are provided herein. Methods may include establishing a cloud-based virtual office, by providing selections, corresponding to backups of servers of a computing network, to a user interface, establishing a cloud gateway for the virtual office, virtualizing a backup for each server using a virtualization program to create the cloud-based virtual office that includes virtual server machines networked with one another via the cloud gateway, and providing a workload to the cloud-based virtual office.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for managing a cloud-based virtual machine, comprising:
 receiving a selection of at least one of one or more backups of a computing device;   virtualizing the at least one of the one or more backups using a virtualization program to create a cloud-based virtual office having configuration details;   dedicating computing resources to a cloud-based virtual office that corresponds to the computing device;   establishing dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving one or more domain names and one or more DNS server Internet protocol address associated with the domain names via a DHCP user interface;   applying the DHCP settings to the cloud-based virtual office; and   providing access to the cloud-based virtual office to a remote user.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising establishing a cloud gateway for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving gateway information and netmask information for the cloud-based virtual office. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein providing access to the cloud-based virtual office to a remote user comprises establishing at least one client Internet protocol address and at least one set of VPN access credentials. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving network settings for the cloud-based virtual office that comprise any of VPN information, DHCP information, port forwarding information, or any combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the network settings are received via a user interface that allows an end user to any of enable VPN access to the cloud-based virtual office, enable port forwarding for the cloud-based virtual office, enable inbound/outbound connections for the cloud-based virtual office, enable DHCP for the cloud-based virtual office, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 updating the network settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving updated gateway and netmask information for the cloud-based virtual office; and   applying the updated gateway and the netmask information to the cloud-based virtual office.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising managing Internet connectivity of the cloud-based virtual office by enabling or disabling inbound or outbound data transfer relative to the cloud-based virtual office. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising establishing virtual network computing (VNC) access to the cloud-based virtual office by specifying one or more Internet protocol addresses that are to be used when an Internet protocol address of a cloud gateway is unavailable. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising establishing port forwarding settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving an external port number, an internal Internet protocol address, and an internal port address from an end user via a port forwarding user interface; and applying at least a portion of the port forwarding settings to the cloud-based virtual office. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising establishing dynamic host configuration protocol settings for the cloud-based virtual office by receiving one or more domain names and one or more DNS server Internet protocol address associated with the domain names from an end user via a DHCP user interface; and applying the dynamic host configuration protocol settings to the cloud-based virtual office. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising assigning at least one of the one or more DNS server Internet protocol address of the cloud-based virtual office to a virtual machine by associating a media access control address of the virtual machine with the at least one of the one or more DNS server Internet protocol address. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising establishing site-to-site virtual private network settings for the cloud-based virtual office by:
 establishing a local machine that will execute a VPN endpoint image;   defining an endpoint name for the local machine within the cloud-based virtual office;   establishing network settings for the local machine;   downloading the VPN endpoint image to the local machine;   executing the VPN endpoint image using a virtualization program to create a virtual machine; and   adding the virtual machine to a network routing table of the cloud-based virtual office.   
     
     
         13 . The method according  claim 1 , further comprising executing a virtual machine for each server in the cloud-based virtual office by:
 receiving a selection of a backup for the virtual machine;   receiving a selection of CPU core settings for the virtual machine;   receiving memory allocation settings for the virtual machine; and   rendering the virtual machine.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising providing a virtual office user interface to an end user that comprises any of selectable network configuration tabs for the cloud-based virtual office, virtual machine information for each virtual machine within the cloud-based virtual office, a current status for the cloud-based virtual office, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the selectable network configuration tabs comprises any of VPN information, DHCP information, port forwarding information, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating backups for the cloud-based virtual office; and   populating a failover appliance with data included in the backups.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising providing a user interface that allows an end user to control any of the cloud-based virtual machine, a non-cloud-based virtual machine, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the user interface comprises representations of a backup status for each computing device, a current status for the cloud-based virtual machine that corresponds to the computing device, a visual representation of a status for the cloud-based virtual office, and any combinations thereof. 
     
     
         19 . A method for establishing a cloud-based virtual office, the method comprising:
 providing selections, corresponding to backups of devices of a computing network, to a user interface;   establishing a cloud gateway for the cloud-based virtual office;   virtualizing a backup for each selected device of the devices using a virtualization program to create the cloud-based virtual office that includes virtual server machines networked with one another via the cloud gateway; and   providing a workload to the cloud-based virtual office.   
     
     
         20 . A system providing a cloud-based virtual office executing within a computing environment, the cloud-based virtual office comprising virtual server machines that correspond to servers of a physical network, each virtual server machine being virtualized by a virtualization program from a backup of a primary server, the backup of the primary server being stored within memory of the computing environment, the virtualization program being executed by a processor of the computing environment, the processor further establishing a cloud gateway that networks the virtual server machines together. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 20 , wherein the computing environment comprises an intermediary node between the physical network and a backup node that stores backups for at least a portion of the servers of the physical network. 
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 21 , wherein the computing environment comprises a failover appliance that is disposed locally to the physical network.