A simple classification of Cloud Computing

Scientist have classified clouds based on their level in the atmosphere and characteristics that they share. Simlarly, Statera has classified cloud computing components based on their position in the IT Stack and common characteristics they share.

While this view oversimplifies the many overlapping technologies that make up Cloud Computing, it provides an easy to understand framework for some of the overarching concepts of Cloud Computing.

Cloud Application Providers

Cloud Application Providers deliver a specific business capability or combination of business capabilities (Sales Force Automation, Recruting, Billing, Payroll, etc). This is the most mature segment of our framework. This market has been around since the late 1990s when these providers were knowns as Application Service Providers. This space has also coined the phrase Software as a Service, to indicate that these services can be provided without purchasing software (or hardware for that matter). While there are hundreds of players in this space, we view the leaders as Salesforce.com, SAP, Oracle and Microsoft.

Cloud Development Platforms

Until recently, nearly all enterprise application development was created and deployed on internal server using traditional development tools. With recent advancements in cloud based development and integration tools, nearly any development that can be done on-premise can now de done in the cloud - even Cobol applications can run in the clouds. Developing in the clouds is now the presumed approach. At the start of any new development effort we no longer ask "Can we make this cloud enabled?", we now ask "Is there any reason we should't cloud enable it?"

Cloud Utility Services

Cloud Utility Services is a maturing of Grid Computing and Utility Computing. These technologies have been a round for decades but did not become universally applicable until Oracle, Sun and Amazon came to the forefront with their offerings. These new utility based services offered web based computing power that could run any application on a variety of operating systems. The new generation of Utility Services can run any number of virtual images and are ideal for development, test, training and in many cases production environments.

See the History of Cloud Computing for a timeline of many of these technologies.