This 'ere Cloud thingy

[SunnyInHades]

'ere ya go, the complete Cheat Sheet from Cloud Computing For Dummies...

Cloud Computing
From Cloud Computing For Dummies by Judith Hurwitz, Robin Bloor, Marcia Kaufman, Fern Halper
Cloud computing enables Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Cloud computing means that infrastructure, applications, and business processes can be delivered to you as a service, over the Internet (or your own network).

Cloud Computing Models
Cloud computing models vary: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Manage your cloud computing service level via the surrounding management layer.
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The IaaS layer offers storage and compute resources that developers and IT organizations can use to deliver business solutions.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS). The PaaS layer offers black-box services with which developers can build applications on top of the compute infrastructure. This might include developer tools that are offered as a service to build services, or data access and database services, or billing services.
• Software as a Service (SaaS). In the SaaS layer, the service provider hosts the software so you don’t need to install it, manage it, or buy hardware for it. All you have to do is connect and use it. SaaS Examples include customer relationship management as a service.

Deploying Public, Private, or Hybrid Clouds
Cloud computing happens on a public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud. Governance and security are crucial to computing on the cloud, whether the cloud is in your company’s firewall or not.
• Public clouds are virtualized data centers outside of your company’s firewall. Generally, a service provider makes resources available to companies, on demand, over the public Internet.
• Private clouds are virtualized cloud data centers inside your company’s firewall. It may also be a private space dedicated to your company within a cloud provider’s data center.
• Hybrid clouds combine aspects of both public and private clouds.

Cloud Computing Characteristics
Cloud computing requires searching for a cloud provider. Whether your cloud is public, private, or hybrid, look for elasticity, scalability, provisioning, standardization, and billed usage:
• Elasticity and scalability. The cloud is elastic, meaning that resource allocation can get bigger or smaller depending on demand. Elasticity enables scalability, which means that the cloud can scale upward for peak demand and downward for lighter demand. Scalability also means that an application can scale when adding users and when application requirements change.
• Self-service provisioning. Cloud customers can provision cloud services without going through a lengthy process. You request an amount of computing, storage, software, process, or more from the service provider. After you use these resources, they can be automatically deprovisioned.
• Standardized interfaces. Cloud services should have standardized APIs, which provide instructions on how two application or data sources can communicate with each other. A standardized interface lets the customer more easily link cloud services together.
• Billing and service usage metering. You can be billed for resources as you use them. This pay-as-you-go model means usage is metered and you pay only for what you consume.

Cloud Computing Issues
Cloud computing issues span models (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS) and types (public, private, or hybrid). Computing on the cloud requires vigilance about security, manageability, standards, governance, and compliance:
• Cloud security. The same security principles that apply to on-site computing apply to cloud computing security.
• Identity management. Managing personal identity information so that access to computer resources, applications, data, and services is controlled properly.
• Detection and forensics. Separating legitimate from illegitimate activity.
• Encryption. Coding to protect your information assets.
• Cloud manageability. You need a consistent view across both on-premises and cloud-based environments. This includes managing the assets provisioning as well as the quality of service (QOS) you’re receiving from your service provider.
• Cloud standards. A standard is an agreed-upon approach for doing something. Cloud standards ensure interoperability, so you can take tools, applications, virtual images, and more, and use them in another cloud environment without having to do any rework. Portability lets you take one application or instance running on one vendor’s implementation and deploy it on another vendor’s implementation.
• Cloud governance and compliance. Governance defines who’s responsible for what and the policies and procedures that your people or groups need to follow. Cloud governance requires governing your own infrastructure as well as infrastructure that you don’t totally control. Cloud governance has two key components: understanding compliance and risk and business performance goals.
• Data in the cloud. Managing data in the cloud requires data security and privacy, including controls for moving data from point A to point B. It also includes managing data storage and the resources for large-scale data processing.

[MicrosoftBob]

Why bother? Sell them the buzzword if that's what they want to pay for. See if you can throw in a Big Data solution for an extra charge.

Dont' forget that they will need to budget for a pilotless drone to move the cloud nearer to their users as well

[Mich the Tester]

Dont' forget that they will need to budget for a pilotless drone to move the cloud nearer to their users as well

I recommend contractors use an umbrella for this kind of work.

[DirtyDog]

Cloud security. The same security principles that apply to on-site computing apply to cloud computing security.

If security was still a worry these days, would the CIA have moved all their data onto the Amazon cloud?

Do it right and it's fine.

[vwdan]

If security was still a worry these days, would the CIA have moved all their data onto the Amazon cloud?

Do it right and it's fine.

You don't actually believe the CIA has moved all of their data to Amazon, do you? I agree with your point, though - it's probably more secure than most IT admins could make their own estate, anyway.

[woohoo]

+1. Nor should you mention the additional latency introduced by putting the server in a server farm half the world away, rather than in the basement.

Well if your customers are half-way around the world wouldn't that help rather than in your basement half a world away from your customer?

[Platypus]

Well if your customers are half-way around the world wouldn't that help rather than in your basement half a world away from your customer?

That's a very good point. Global businesses have global data centres and people these days rarely (IME) have servers in the basement.

[OwlHoot]

+1. Don't, under any circumstances, point out that client-server architecture has been around since long before most of the ClientCo team was born. Nor should you mention the additional latency introduced by putting the server in a server farm half the world away, rather than in the basement.

and avoid mentioning that it is extremely slow for mass data transfers, unless perhaps exorbitant fees are paid, and possibly even then.

Also, as your data could be made irretrievably unavailable at the drop of a hat (if the hosting company goes bust for example), it should only ever be considered a glorified backup device.

Oh and the hosting company, and "authorities", will be able to access all your data even if it is encrypted (using their standard available encryption service).

[DirtyDog]

You don't actually believe the CIA has moved all of their data to Amazon, do you? I agree with your point, though - it's probably more secure than most IT admins could make their own estate, anyway.

OK, maybe not all. But certainly a high percentage of operational and investigation data is now stored on Amazon private cloud rather than on internal servers.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Joking aside, there is a paradigm shift in this - and it's one that is especially important in ERP, and it's really got little to do with actual technology.

ERP stuff like SAP, Oracle etc has traditionally been capable of being customised to an organisation's unique requirements (AKA stupid arcane business processes). This work was done by folk like me, who could also scam er I mean earn an honest living out of doing upgrades too.

SaaS provision of ERP functions (HR, Payroll, Finance etc) relies (in some cases) on every customer being on the same version - minor config. only, no customisation. This is because the supplier only has one codeline, and all customers are on it (although customer data is, of course, segregated)

BUT

Think about selling this to execs - it means -

No need to pay (directly and separately) for servers (even cloud ones) and techies to look after them - it reduces complexities and puts all the costs of running software in a single place.
Even more significantly - it now means everyone has to argue why the software can't do what they need - and that means these areas no longer get to customise the hell out of the product and run their own little empires - and that can be very attractive to very top management.

Upgrades are cheaper and more frequent (done by supplier) with no need to ask for more budget each time you need better functionality.