Cloud Computing - Four Basic Models

Aug. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- Cloud computing has been growing slowly in use since its first appearance a little over a decade ago. It’s take up characteristic could be similarly compared with many emergent technologies, in that, most people express a keen interest but feel they should wait until they see if system usage does take off and thus, be better able to assess its track record and level of IT support that can be satisfactorily provided, alongside.

However, recent market surveys are predicting that spending on cloud will increase two and half times by 2013. Current fears over allowing a company’s private information to be stored on servers outside of their own physical environment will eventually give way to the realisation that cloud computing is the solution to the ever burgeoning requirement for increased storage capacity, faster processing and onDemand web based applications.

Undoubtedly, the great benefit of cloud computing is its ability to connect otherwise incompatible infrastructures, not just one or two applications at a time, and the enablement of instant access to more processing power, whenever required.

The tendency has been for companies take a customising approach to adopting cloud, for example, cloudlike interfaces are added to existing systems, building new systems on virtualised, highly interoperable systems, or hiring co-location, server hosting or online services to meet specific needs.  In these instances, a DesktopLive (http://www.managednetworks.co.uk/desktoplive/your-options/) solution offers an instantly operable facility to many different sized companies, scaled to their daily requirements.

However, it would be reasonable to say that there is no single optimum model combining all the various cloud service permutations, but a few consistent models have emerged:

1. Internal Cloud
Tending to be the most common form of cloud computing,  internal, private clouds allow a company to weave layers of virtualisation and management software around existing infrastructure to tie servers, storage, networks, data and applications.

Once they're interconnected and virtualised, IT can shift storage, compute power or other resources invisibly from one place to another to give all the end-user divisions all the resources they need at any time.

2. External Cloud Hosting
External cloud, or any proactive IT support (http://www.managednetworks.co.uk/it-support/why-proactive...) maintained by an external service provider and accessed through the Internet, is the best source for both cost-effective IT, which takes into consideration future growth.

In the public cloud, your data is sitting on someone else's infrastructure. However, it may not be realised that there is little difference between co-location or hosting and cloud services in the PaaS (Platform As A Service) market. This means, any IT organisation with external providers has already performed vetting needed for a cloud provider.

3. Hybrid or Modular Approach
Hybrid cloud computing can include a mix on internal clouds, external cloud services and traditional SaaS options. The combination of pieces that hybrid should include for a specific business will end up being as unique as the IT organisations that provide it.

Smaller-scale workspace on demand services can be crucial here, rather than buy large-scale services with much configuration and management.

4. Traditional SaaS
For those simply needing an even smaller slice of additional functionality or capacity, basic SaaS ( Software As A Service) is  the quickest way to get into "cloud computing”.

Suffice to say, that as the mobile internet, tablet technology and remote desktop take off, the need for a cloud computing model to help deal with unimaginably large, complex and fast information will be accepted by increasingly more business operations.

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