Friday, July 27, 2012

Cloud Technology Spectrum

Doesn't it make you cringe when people use the term cloud brokerage when they really mean cloud marketplace?  Or, when they say they provide virtualization management whereas they really provide cloud management services?  A number of such cloud terms are used interchangeably every day, but the challenge is that cloud terminology has yet to reach steady state.

In this article, we hope to clarify a few cloud technology terms using Level of Integration as the criteria.

Note that each layer builds upon the layer below it, thus leading to a spectrum of cloud technologies - aka - The Cloud Technology Spectrum.  The table below shows some of the key providers in each layer of the spectrum.

There are a number of other providers as well, and some providers in fact go over multiple layers of the spectrum.  But the point here is to note that in order for any technology to claim to be in a specific layer, it should effectively integrate at least one item from each of the layers below.

When deciding to migrate to the cloud, it is important for consumers to know where in the spectrum they would end up if they purchased some piece of cloud technology, and how much additional effort would be required on their part.  The Cloud Technology Spectrum helps in this step of the process.

Go to Cloud Deployment Tree for a view of the different cloud deployment options...