What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud Computing is a term you will have heard of. You will also have heard that it brings flexibility into IT but also brings in some security issues and integration issues.
So what is Cloud Computing? What are its benefits and costs, and what concepts and models are current best practices?
Definition
What is the definition of Cloud Computing? Cloud Computing literally means having optional extra computing power available on short-term notice via a computer network, often via the internet.
Generally, Cloud Computing refers to various computing concepts that involve many computers connected through a real-time communication network such as the Internet.
Cloud Computing is a synonym for distributed computing over a network and means the ability to run a program or application on many connected computers simultaneously.
Cloud Computing could be defined as a concept for organizations to provide scalable / pay-per-use IT Services. It then is no longer an IT concept but a business concept.
Usage
In Dragon1, the concept of Cloud Computing is, as an IT Infrastructure concept, part of the generic conceptual reference metamodel for Technical architecture / IT architecture.
Scalability. If an organization wants to have scalability, increase continuity, decrease costs, have control-ability of extensions of IT services, and compose new IT services, more and more often,n Cloud Computing is a generic concept taken for that.
Private IT Services. There are several specialized Cloud Computing concepts, such as the public and private cloud, but also several concepts to publish IT services via Cloud Computing, such as SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS.
Which type of cloud and which type of IT services best fits your issue or your solution is subject to be studied by IT architects.
Virtual Desktop. A simple example of a Cloud Computing client concept is having only Virtual Desktops for your employees. You are offered a real-time generated desktop environment when you log in as an employee. Your desktop environment (the set of applications, databases, and information services/subscriptions) is no longer installed physically on your client's computer hardware.
Common Misunderstandings and Issues of Cloud Computing
1. World Wide Standard. The biggest misunderstanding in cloud computing is that there are worldwide international standards for what cloud computing is and what it is not. Or that there are best practices everyone agrees upon. In different countries, communities are trying to define a nationwide or economic area standard for Cloud Computing. But because many of these bodies are in a hurry, vendor-driven, or based on standards purely on vendor-independent best practices, these self-proclaimed standards could lead to vendor lock-ins. This causes Cloud Computing to be an IT push instead of a business-driven push.
2. Security. The 2nd biggest misunderstanding in Cloud Computing is that security issues make it too risky for some businesses. This results in not going on the path of Cloud Computing now. But actually, as an organization owner, you will have those security issues to manage anyway. Such as knowing where your data may or may not be stored physically because of policies and laws.
3. Cheaper. The third biggest misunderstanding is that Cloud Computing is cheaper. But, in the end, that is a myth. Free Open Source Software is not any cheaper in the end than proprietary software from vendors. It may even be the other way around. When talking about costs, you have to be honest with yourself and take hidden and ignored-up-to-now costs into account.
4. Quality. Another cost of cloud computing is that you lose some control of IT services, and some think you lose some quality. However, a great benefit is the higher quality of the IT services because the IT services provider focuses on innovation and continuity of IT services as a specialist.
5. Ease of Integration and Management. Introducing cloud computing is also introducing complexity. If not all software applications are put in the cloud or even if there will be more than one cloud because of various initiatives (a cloud jungle), the complexity of your IT environment has grown more complex. It does not have to be bad or wrong to have complexity. It does need to be managed, and some integration standards (to connect on-premise/legacy apps with cloud apps) are badly needed. There is a big issue or challenge for cloud computing to become a successful practice.
6. It is an IT Concept. Cloud computing is NOT an IT concept. It is a business concept. Cloud computing is often about providing IT Services from one organization to another. The technical delivery of the IT services is just a part of Cloud Computing.
Symbol
For Cloud Computing, we use the symbol of an internet cloud with a server in it and the cloud linked to a network.
Cloud Computing Examples
Examples of Cloud Computing are:
Cloud Computing Elements and Building Blocks
- Public Cloud
- Private Cloud
- Cloud Provider
- IT Services
- Cloud Sourcing
- Elastic Scaling
- Usage Based Accounting
- Apps - Web-based Applications
- SaaS - Software as a Service
- IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service
- PaaS - Platform as a Service
Standards and Strategy in development
- http://cloudcomputing.ieee.org/standards
- http://cloud-standards.org/wiki/index?title=Main_Page
- http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/european-cloud-computing-strategy
- http://www.defense.gov/news/dodcloudcomputingstrategy.pdf
- http://www.cloudconference.eu/media/filer_public/2013/11/05/ken_ducatel.pdf
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0529:FIN:EN:PDF
- http://www.surf.nl/binaries/content/assets/surf/nl/kennisbank/2013/SURF_Regie_in_de_cloud_i-strategie.pdf (in Dutch)
Further reading
Are you interested in reading more about this?
Read a page about Cloud Misunderstandings and Cloud Computing definition here.
If you have a suggestion for us to improve this page on Cloud Computing, please get in touch with us via info@dragon1.com.
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