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Is cloud computing a technology or an IT service or both?
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Defining Cloud Computing
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- Othman Kharaz
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7 Answers
Othman, I see cloud computing as an evolution in the way we build and manage IT systems. However, it is also an IT service model. In order to effectively utilize the benefits of cloud you must adapt your organization (IT & Biz) to a more agile operating model. In traditional IT delivery models your steps to respond to a request could be measured in days and your delivery upon approval could be measured in quarters or longer. The long delivery times were created for a combination of reasons:
- attempts to prioritize and capture potential work
- gain approval for changes, & new costs
- manage risk
- etc.
In an agile or "cloud operating" model you need to build your processes into the tool. In effect, your change management, purchasing strategy, and business risk assumptions should be a fundamental part of how new IT resources are identified and allocated and they should be provided in near real time.
Cloud computing embodies a set of technologies that enable flexible business and IT services.
It is not "a" technology, but a set of technologies. While many marketing statements suggest otherwise, no one can sell you "a cloud". Vendors can help you build a cloud, connect to a private or public cloud, or offer you services within a cloud, but cloud computing is not a product, but a comprehensive solution.
-ASB: http://XeeMe.com/AndrewBaker
Simply put, in technical circles the term "Cloud" initially referred to anything beyond the desktop/notebook/tablet/smartphone. Today it is used as a reference to the Internet/World Wide Web.
More recently, the Cloud Computing has emerged as a reference for using hardware and software delivered via the Internet. Thus, Cloud Computing is a broad term that encompasses both the technologies and the services that are accessed by the Internet.
There are several business models and delivery methods available under the broad concept of cloud computing. Simple examples of cloud computing include Google Search, YouTube, Facebook, and even Focus. Business models providing more complex services include SaaS, IaaS, etc
Cloud computing is both a technology and an IT service. Cloud computing is a technology for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Cloud computing model is composed of three service models - Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
http://www.myrealdata.com/cloud-computing.html
While I am not an IT services professional, I am using cloud software (Saas) to run my business, and if it were in my budget, I would have my entire infrastructure in the cloud. I see it as both...it's a technology, because without the technology we couldn't make working, storing, backing up, etc in the cloud possible. It's also a service because doing it yourself is not always that easy. You still have to know how much RAM, hard drive space etc that you need to handle your organization's system, data, and applications. You have to know how to set it up in a way that you know you are safe from disasters (or as safe as humanly possible).
As cloud computing becomes more affordable and mainstream, you are going to see most, if not all, of the IT service providers switching from server-based services to cloud-based services. Managed services will still be needed to make sure the cloud infrastructure is working properly, etc.
It is a service that you rent or pay-as-you-go from a Cloud provider. The Cloud provider provides the physical/logical IT infrastructure. You still need a roboust connection from your business or mobile users to the Cloud.
I think the best way to look at cloud is as an IT solution that combines services and technology in new ways that make the technology more available and affordable, particularly to smaller businesses.
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