Having recently ranted about the lack of clarity in how vendors describe their “cloud” computing offerings, it’s only reasonable to ask me how I would do it. Therefore, some top-level thoughts about how the technologies and markets are breaking down, as of now.
Software as a Service (SaaS): The most recognizable and well-known variation on cloud computing, which includes thin-client-like offerings such as Salesforce.com. (The user interface runs on the user’s machine, the data and most of the back-end processing live on hosted servers in the cloud.) In this model, the “product” is an application showing up on a user’s desktop; the provider takes care of all the back end work, from physical hosting to server configuration, performance management and security.
Hosting As A Service: A variation on everything from traditional application outsourcing to co-location (multiple customers in one data center) to application service providers and even – anyone remember this? – time sharing. In this model, the service provider might provide anything from just power/cooling, space and physical security to providing physical or virtual servers to running and managing the entire application stack. Microsoft is among the latest players to jump into the application hosting market (with Exchange), while Google and Amazon, among others, offer the ability to create and manage your own virtual servers in their physical space.
Utilities As a Service Standard data center services such as backup, from vendors such as Symantec, MozyPro (EMC), Amazon, Carbonite and Nirvanix, or security (from vendors such as StillSecure and Purewire) offered over the Internet. Here, the product is not an application a user sees, but an underlying function required to keep those applications available.
Application Development/Middleware as a Service: No, this doesn’t mean an outsourcer writing apps or hooking them together for you. It means using a cloud service provider’s application programming interfaces to build your applications (and then host them with the provider) or use their messaging and communication interfaces and standards to link other applications. Salesforce.com claims to be one of the leaders in this space; one risk for customers is being locked into that vendor’s platform for future development and integration work.
Each of these four models (and I’m sure there are more) present different benefits, risks and disadvantages for customers, and give providers a chance to differentiate themselves and tell a compelling story. If you’re not being specific enough in describing your cloud offering, you’re missing an opportunity to stand out from the cloud also-rans.
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