Cloud computing appliance that accesses a private cloud and a public cloud and an associated method of use

A cloud computing appliance, comprising:

• at least one chassis with storage capacity to hold hardware components to operate at least one private cloud and provide electronic communication to at least one public cloud;
• a plurality of servers mounted on the at least one chassis and capable of hosting a private cloud operating system, a plurality of software applications and data storage, wherein the plurality of servers include a system management server that utilizes system management software for managing the cloud computing appliance, the at least one private cloud and the at least one public cloud, and the software applications;
• an electrical connection capable of being in electronic communication with a remote interface device that allows a system administrator to interact with the at least one private cloud and the at least one public cloud, wherein the remote interface device provides guidance to the system administrator to create and administer the at least one private cloud that is connected to the plurality of servers as well as being in electronic communication with the at least one public cloud in order to exchange data with the at least one public cloud, wherein at least one software application of the plurality of software applications on the at least one private cloud was migrated to the at least one private cloud through the remote interface device;
• at least one firewall mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication with the private cloud and the public cloud;
• at least two network switches mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication between the plurality of servers and the at least one firewall;
• and
• at least one power supply circuit capable of distributing power to the plurality of servers, the at least two network switches, and the at least one firewall, wherein the cloud computing appliance is a self-contained, stand-alone unit.

A method of migrating software applications to a cloud computing appliance, the method comprising:

• utilizing a remote interface device to allow a system administrator to invoke a software application migration system for the cloud computing appliance that is in electronic communication to at least one public cloud and at least one private cloud hosted on at least one server mounted on a chassis and capable of hosting a private cloud operating system, a plurality of software applications and data storage, wherein the at least one server utilizes system management software for managing the cloud computing appliance, the private cloud, the public cloud, and the software applications, wherein the chassis includes storage capacity to hold hardware components to operate a private cloud and provide electronic communication to a public cloud in order to exchange data with the public cloud;
• searching for software applications that are available to be migrated to the at least one private cloud through a remote interface device that allows a system administrator to interact with the private cloud and the public cloud, wherein the remote interface device provides guidance to the system administrator to create and administer the private cloud and is electrically connected to the at least one server as well as being in electronic communication with the public cloud;
• presenting a list of software applications that are available to be migrated to the at least one private cloud through the remote interface device;
• selecting a software application from the list of software applications that are available to be migrated to the at least one private cloud through the remote interface device, the selected software application becoming the migrating software application;
• resourcing the correct virtual server configuration for the at least one private cloud to accommodate the migrating software application through the remote interface device;
• migrating the migrating software application to the at least one private cloud;
• and
• migrating any software application data of the migrating software application to the at least one private cloud, wherein the at least one server mounted on a chassis that is transportable and a stand-alone unit that includes at least two network switches mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication between the at least one server and at least one of the private cloud and the public cloud, at least one firewall mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication with the at least two network switches and at least one power supply circuit capable of distributing power to the at least one server, the at least two network switches and the at least one firewall.