Q1- Why the word “Cloud”?
A: Because the computing resources (IT Hardware and Software) are in Datacenters somewhere. As opposed to the traditional IT, this “somewhere” could be anywhere in the globe and it has not to be necessarily on organizational premises. However there are Cloud services providers who offer to select the exact Datacenter location while others don’t.
Q2- What is Cloud Computing?
A: While almost each supplier provides its own definition, the most agreed on definition is the one provided by NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology, US department of Commerce. The key word of NIST’s definition is “Model”. And when we look at all the Cloud Computing aspects, we come to the conclusion it’s a “Business Model”.
Specifically, according to NIST, Cloud Computing has 5 Characteristics, 3 Service models and 4 Deployment models.
Q3- What is Cloud Computing from the business perspective?
A: From the business perspective, Cloud Computing is a form of Outsourcing which allows to:
1- Reduce the capital expenditure considerably
2- Reduce the TTM “time to market” duration
Q4- What are these “Stuff as a Service”?
A: Generally it’s a need provided as a service. In other words, instead of owning something, you get it “as a service” through a subscription. Nowadays, we see many functions provided as a service, such as “Business Process”, “Load Balancing” or even “Security”. But according to NIST Cloud Computing definition there are 3 service models:
IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service. It allows provisioning of Servers, Storage, Networks devices and appliances. The clients here are the IT operation staff
PaaS: Platform as a Service. It allows access to libraries and development tools. The clients here are the IT developers.
SaaS: Software as a Service. It allows access to applications. The clients here are the Business units’ users.
Q5- What is Private, Public & Hybrid Clouds?
A: These are 3 out the 4 deployment models as per NIST. The 4th model is Community Cloud.
Private Cloud: The infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization comprising multiple consumers, such as business units. The infrastructure may be owned, managed, and operated by the organization and/or a third party. The infrastructure may exist on or off organizational premises.
Public Cloud: The infrastructure is provisioned for open use by the general public. The infrastructure may be owned, managed, and operated by a business, academic, or government organization. The infrastructure may exist on or off organizational premises.
Hybrid Cloud: The infrastructure is a composition of Public and Private cloud models (seldom Community cloud). Hybrid Cloud is becoming popular recently because companies start capitalizing on their existing infrastructure by turning it into a private Cloud model while provisioning from public clouds such as Salesforce for example.
Community Cloud: The infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a specific community of users from organizations that have shared concerns. The infrastructure may be owned, managed, and operated by one or many organizations in the community or a third party. The infrastructure may exist on or off organizational premises.
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Solution3P offers consulting services to help Companies make the right decisions to adopt Cloud Computing.
Also, Solution3P built partnerships with leading companies to offer Cloud Computing Solutions with Project Management Service.
email us at: contact@solution3p.com
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