Defining the Cloud

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  Tuesday 16 August 2011

  By: Dan O'Donnell
  
  A study by The NPD group found that only 22 percent of consumers in the U.S. are familiar with the term “cloud computing.” The research also found that 76 percent of the same group used some form of cloud service in the past year such as email, online gaming, or tax preparation software. Businesses are spending millions on cloud computing commercials and most consumers do not have a clue what the ads are about. It reminds me when web sites started appearing on TV commercials in the mid 90’s. My mom asked me once, “Why are the announcers always saying ‘www’ in front of their company names all of a sudden?”
  
  Ever wonder about the definition of Cloud Computing? Is there a single definition agreed upon by all? Is there an independent unbiased source for a definitive definition of cloud services? It appears we all could use a little clarity.
  
  First, there is the big picture definition of “ubiquitous computing power and storage billed as a service.” This definition, however, leaves much to be desired when one is tasked with researching, designing and, perhaps, implementing a cloud platform. There are many financial, legal, regulatory and technical components to defining cloud services. That is why there are so many definitions and so many organizations working on defining the cloud. Further, certain groups are specializing on specific areas of cloud computing which adds to the numbers and also requires inter-organizational coordination.
  
  I must credit Judith Hurwitz, Robin Bloor, Marcia Kaufman and Fern Halper for this list. Here are some of the standards groups grappling with this issue:
  
  Cloud Security Alliance – Focuses on cloud security.
  Distributed Management Task Force (DTMF) – Focuses on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – A non-regulatory federal agency who is working with other federal agencies to define and establish cloud standards
  Open Cloud Consortium (OCC) – Supports standards development and interoperability between clouds
  Open Grid Forum (OGF) – An open community driving adoption and evolution of distributed computing
  Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) – Specializes in storage solutions and architectures
  Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum (CCIF) – Working on a framework for enabling multiple clouds to exchange information in a uniform way.
  
  This list may serve as a helpful starting point for those who are serious about working with cloud computing architectures. It is said that the “devil is in the details.” Understanding the details behind the cloud concept is the real work.
  
  That being said, I like the work that has been published by NIST. This paper provides the depth of definition to get a grasp on the reality behind the hype. It covers the essential characteristics, different service models, and various deployment models. Click here to read the NIST Definition of Cloud Computing.
  
  I will bet that we will see at least one commercial about “the cloud” during the next super bowl. The funny thing is that 78 percent of the audience will not understand what it is about. If you click on the link above, you will be able to explain it to the rest of the gang.