The lack of a combined business and technical definition of cloud computing is the underlying cause of confusion for most of the market. To understand the confusion, it is beneficial to look at how the industry has attempted to define cloud computing. There are as many variations on the definition of cloud as there are vendors/companies embracing this new approach.
Two notable examples from Gartner and Dell could not be more different:
- Gartner defines cloud computing as “a style of computing where massively scalable IT-enabled capabilities are delivered ‘as a service’ to external customers using Internet technologies”.2
- Dell’s definition from their attempt to trademark ‘cloud computing’ was more hardware specific – “[the] custom manufacture of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others”.3
The market is confused as to whether cloud is business focused or technology led. It is both and neither. Cloud represents the inflection point created by a combination of business and technology events. Regardless, the business pursuit of cloud must take a practical approach.
While the Gartner and Dell definitions are different, they do share a consistent theme of a technical approach.
Other definitions focus on network specific capabilities, Internet technologies, or as just a re-facing of the grid and utility compute models. InformationWeek and BusinessWeek approach the concept with justified apprehension. They view the term as broad and fuzzy while relating to anything tangentially connected with the Internet as cloud.
Enterprises today can simply not afford to get caught up in the hype cycle nor can they afford to ignore the change that is inevitable. Cloud consumers and providers must view the cloud as it was intended: with the purpose of bringing real value to business.
While there are a variety of definitions based upon vendor or audience perspective, what we can all agree on is that with current market conditions in a constant state of flux, new solutions are necessary. These approaches must provide the flexibility and scalability organizations demand with the stability required to bring about real change.
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