Introduction to “☁ Dictionary”

This new Section or Blog Category is dedicated to a new project generated by the permanent needs for clear definition and clarification of ambiguities. ☁ Dictionary will host most popular names, concepts, abbreviations, and cloud history players. Will be a dictionary section, but don’t expect traditional descriptions ordered in alphabetical hierarchy. It is more interesting to post new definitions, coming from most popular terms established by simple statistic and content conjectural criteria. For a more accurate and objective content ☁ Dictionary will try to present multiple definitions, keeping historical context and paternity. Due to templates constraints I have limitations to better offer an alphabetical search criteria, but I’m sure this problem will be solved in the future. Please enjoy ☁ Dictionary and take your time to contribute with comments and improvement suggestions for your most familiar terms.

CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud Computing is first of all a concept, a new way peoples could IT to solve their current business & life problems in other ways and with other resources than the traditional computing models. Cloud Computing could be in the same time a new computing model, a new technology world, and a new digital behavior for anyone. Here is a selection of most representative definitions for Cloud Computing

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technologies)

“ Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.”

IDC

“Cloud Computing is an emerging IT development, deployment and delivery model, enabling real-time delivery of products, services and solutions over the Internet.”

Gartner

According Gartner high experience in the cloud research, the term “cloud computing” is being loosely applied and defined differently, and it’s creating a lot of confusion in the market. In September 2008, Gartner defines cloud computing “as a style of computing in which massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided “as a service” using Internet technologies to multiple external customers”. Few months later, Gartner defines cloud computing “as a style of computing in which scalable and elastic IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as a service to external customers using Internet technologies”. Where is the difference? Gartner has removed “massively scalable” and replaced it with “scalable and elastic” as an indicator that the important characteristic of scale is the ability to scale up and down, not just to massive size.

CIO

“Cloud computing is the dynamic provisioning of IT capabilities (hardware, software, or services) from third parties over a network. Cloud computing is computing model, not a technology. In this model of computing, all the servers, networks, applications and other elements related to data centers are made available to IT and end users via the Internet, in a way that allows IT to buy only the type and amount of computing services that they need. The cloud model differs from traditional outsourcers in that customers don’t hand over their own IT resources to be managed.”