In NIST’s definition of cloud computing, the five essential characteristics of cloud computing are addressed. Cloud computing must have on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service, On-demand self-service allows the consumer to access the computing capabilities automatically without having human interaction with the service provider. Broad network access is capabilities/standardized mechanisms that promote ease of use regardless of the client’s platform being mobile phones, tablets, laptops, or workstations. Resource pooling is when the service provider’s computing power is used to serve multiple consumers regardless of it being physical or virtual resources. Rapid elasticity is when capabilities are provisioned to automatically scale outward or inward based on demand. The service provider should measured service capabilities in place to provide information about the cloud computing usages to provide transparency between the consumer and the provider.
Hi, Mei
I agree with you. Cloud computing is a single point distributed computing, which solves the distribution of tasks and the integration of results. However, there are many security problems in cloud computing. Attackers need to break cloud computing to get data. However, there are many security problems in cloud computing. Attackers need to break cloud computing to get data.
Cloud computing is a type of computing method, which refers to decomposing massive data computing processing programs into countless small programs through the network “cloud,” and then processing and analyzing these through a system composed of multiple servers. The applet gets the result and returns it to the user. In the early days of cloud computing, to put it simply, it was simple distributed computing, solving task distribution, and merging calculation results. Therefore, cloud computing is also called grid computing. Through this technology, tens of thousands of data can be processed in a short period of time (a few seconds) to achieve powerful network services.
The cloud service mentioned at this stage is not just a computing method but also a mixed evolution and leap of computer technologies such as distributed computing, utility computing, load balancing, parallel computing, network storage, hot backup redundancy, and virtualization.
In the “NIST 800 145 The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing”, this document defined the cloud model, which is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. Three service models are depends on organization’s available infrastructure, IT staff resources, cost considerations, and cloud security needs. Software as a Service (SaaS) provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure, users can access these applications with the help of internet connection and web browser. Platform as a Service (PaaS) provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools supported by the provider. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software. It is a computing infrastructure managed over the internet and it helps users to avoid the cost and complexity of purchasing and managing the physical servers.
Hi Xinyi, I agree my biggest take away from the reading was the comprehensive criteria for what defines a cloud computing environment. The criteria seemed comprehensive and detailed enough that federal agencies could easily determine if their workloads are running in a cloud computing environment.
NIST 800 145 provides information on outstanding features of cloud computing, types of cloud service models, and deployment models. One of the key points I draw from this is that it is very important to understand the importance of cloud service models. Cloud service models are mainly divided into three types: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PAAS) and infrastructure as a service (LAAS). Each type of model organization has different limitations in managing its applications, databases, and operating systems. For example, with PAAS, the organization can control the application and database levels, while the network and servers are the responsibility of the cloud provider.
One learning I took from this article is the essential characteristics of a Cloud computing model. These characteristics help understand why more and more organizations are moving towards a Cloud model. On-demand self-service and rapid elasticity stuck out to me the most because there is a peak and valley in business depending on the industry. An example of this would be the retail industry. During holiday season, Thanksgiving and Christmas, an organization would want to increase their computational power and resources to handle the large influx of traffic. However, there is no longer a need for the additional resources and it can be disposed after traffic returns to normal. Another example is the start of COVID-19 and the transition to work from home. My assumption is most organizations did not have the infrastructure in place to handle all the remote users and system availability and performance was affected. The cloud enables quick and easy scalability to ensure an organizations infrastructure is able to handle demand in a moment’s notice.
The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing document provides information about cloud computing. According to this document, cloud computing is an on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. It also addresses the five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. One point that stood out to me was private cloud under deployment models. The cloud infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization comprising multiple business units. An essential part of a private cloud is virtualization that offers opportunities in reducing infrastructure costs, increasing operational efficiency, and improving deployment flexibility. One of the advantages of a private cloud is the enhanced degree of control offered to the organization as its only accessible to a single business. This way the organization has the ability to customize and configure the environment according to the computing needs of the company.
I learned how NIST defines cloud computing. There are three cloud models. Cloud computing is a kind of distributed computing, which is to decompose massive data processing programs into many small programs through the network “cloud”, and then process and analyze these small programs through a system composed of multiple servers, and get the results and return them to users. They are software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service.
1 infrastructure as a service (IAAs)
One of the main service categories is infrastructure-as-a-service, which provides virtual computing resources such as virtual machine, storage, network, and operating system to individuals or organizations of cloud computing providers
2 platform as a service (PAAS)
Platform-as-a-service is a service category, which provides developers with a platform Internet for building applications and services on a global scale. PAAS provides an on-demand development environment for developing, testing, and managing software applications. [6]
Three. Software as a service (SaaS)
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is another kind of service that provides on-demand software applications through the Internet. Cloud computing providers host and manage software applications, and allow their users to connect and access these applications through the global Internet.
Cloud computing is a model for enabling 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. There are three services offered in cloud computing. Software As A Service (SaaS), Platform As A Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS). Software as a Service (SaaS) is a way of delivering applications over the Internet as a service. Instead of installing and maintaining software, you simply access it via the Internet, freeing yourself from complex software and hardware management. Examples are: Google Workspace, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, Concur, GoToMeeting. Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet. Usually, these tools are needed for application development. Examples are: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos, OpenShift. A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service where enterprises rent or lease servers for computation and storage in the cloud. Users can run any operating system or applications on the rented servers without the maintenance and operating costs of those servers. Examples are: DigitalOcean, Linode, Rackspace, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE).
In this document, NIST defines what they mean by “Cloud computing.” There are five essential characteristics of cloud computing. They are: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. NIST says there are three service models, Software as a service, Infrastructure as a service, and platform as a service. Each of these can be deployed in a private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, or a hybrid cloud.
At the organization I work for we provide Software as a service in both a private and public cloud, depending on your needs. The main reason end users use the cloud is so they don’t have to set up an on-premise solution which would cause issues with elasticity, resources and having broad network access. Because we exist in the cloud, we can expand our resources and become more elastic, while allowing end users access to their data from anywhere in the world. This reduces the amount of overhead an organization has to provide when using our products.
Hi, Jonathan
I think private cloud, public cloud and hybrid cloud have their own advantages. We can determine the appropriate cloud services according to the company’s needs and cost calculation. I think hybrid cloud can meet the balance conditions according to the company’s needs. Companies provide a variety of cloud services. Only pay or upgrade according to the company’s requirements.
This document mainly illustrates the definition and purpose of the Cloud computing and introduce the relative five essential characteristics, three services models and four deployment models.
The cloud computing use a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to let the customers store, manage, and process data that they want. Cloud computing has five essential characteristics: On-demand self service, Broad network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity and Measured service. These characters are satisfied the multiple customers using a multi-tenant model by different platforms based on their need. Also the Cloud computing has three different service model: SaaS. PaaS. and IaaS. And Cloud computing has the four deployment models: Private, Community. Public, and Hybrid cloud, These two can provide consumers choose the properly cloud infrastructure based on their demand.
Hi, Zhen. I agree with your points. Cloud computing provides many convenient and low-cost services to the users to manage their data. Anyone who has access can store the data and use the applications from the Cloud, and the administrator who owns the Cloud can select the plan he or she needs for storing the data.
Hi Zhen!
I thought this document is a very helpful document about cloud computing, especially for stakeholders involved with managing potential cloud computing projects. The document organizes the information necessary in 5 characteristics, three servicing models and four deployment models providing the reader full idea of what comes with cloud computing from developing/adopting to maintaining.
The different deployment models struck me as the most interesting thing from this document. The private cloud model is one where the infrastructure is used exclusively by a single organization that covers multiple business units. However, it may be owned, operated or managed by either the organization or a third party, and in some cases a combination of both. In a community cloud, the infrastructure is exclusive to a group of consumers from organizations that have shared concerns, such as policy and compliance standards or security requirements. This type of model can be managed by any of the groups sharing it or a third party. This type of model seems to fit for companies looking to lower their costs as sharing it most likely provides a discounted price in comparison to a private cloud. In both of these models above, the cloud may exist on or off the premises. A public cloud model is provided to the public, such as google apps, and is typically used by a business, academic or government organization. In this instance the server exists on the premises of the cloud provider. The final model is the hybrid model, where the infrastructure is composed of two or more of the above three models. The remain their own unique entity, however are tied together through standardization or proprietary technology that promotes data and app portability.
Hi Austin,
I find the hybrid cloud model more practical especially today when data breaches are at an all time high. Having total control of one’s resources gives them the ability to decide what security measures to employ to secure their resources. All sensitive resources can be stored in a private cloud, run by the consumer themselves while storing the rest of resources in any other type of model as best fits them.
Cloud computing provides many convenient services for many businesses managing the data and accessing the applications. Businesses can use on-demand self-service to select what they need to store on the Cloud, and what plan they will use. Cloud computing is similar to the local server, the companies upload their file and use the application to complete their daily work. The users can install the Cloud, such as Google Drive, on smartphones, tablets, or laptops, to manage the works. Although cloud computing helps many businesses organize the data and develop collaboration, the administrator of the cloud needs to ensure assign the appropriate access, have the audit trail up-to-date, and have up-to-date related usage. Thus, the businesses must have correct access control to prevent the incidence of attackers.
Hi Cami,
I agree with you that cloud computing provides many convenient services for businesses. Data can be accessed anywhere, anytime which maximizes productivity and efficiency. It allows for easy collaboration and sharing among users in multiple locations. Another positive aspect is that there is no hardware required as everything will be hosted in the cloud which offers cost reduction. Along with this comes disadvantages. The major disadvantage I see is that the organization has minimal control as data and information is being handed over. There is a risk of availability in case the internet access goes down.
As cloud computing becomes more and more popular and mainstream, it’s good to have NIST rules in place to help define the different types of cloud services available. The important points I took from this document were the different service models of cloud computing. There’s Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). SaaS is when organizations do not manage cloud infrastructure like network, servers, or storage, but are able to access applications through a web client. PaaS has access to control applications locally, but does not control any of the infrastructure. IaaS then has control over most infrastructure such as operating systems, storage, applications, and select networking components, but does not manage the full cloud infrastructure.
This document is intended to provide a structure around cloud computing and set the basis of understanding for its use, characteristics and deployment.
It’s fascinating how much control technologists are willing to sacrifice in order to cost save. Not that cloud computing is bad but the shift of ownership is drastic. In all service models we relinquish the management and controls of the “underlying cloud infrastructure.
Hi Vanessa,
I find it intriguing as well how much control consumers sacrifice, given that they still own all the risks associated with any resource in the cloud.
NIST defines cloud computing as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This reading further explores the different models of cloud computing. Software as a service (SaaS), which allows a customer to use the providers applications that are running on a cloud infrastructure. These applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface like a web browser or a program interface. Office 365 is a popular SaaS service. Platform as a service (PaaS), the customer uses the providers resources on the cloud and deploy their own applications there which can then be used employees within the organization. The last model is Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). In this model, the provider provisions everything from processing, storage, networks, and other resources. The customer can then deploy their own applications on these resources. This very similar to renting a rack in a data center and having complete control over the environment minus the underlying cloud infrastructure.
This document is intended to help system planners, project managers, technologists and others adopting cloud computing as consumers or providers of cloud services. Cloud computing is an ever evolving diagram. The NIST definition highlights critical aspects of cloud computing. The service and deployment of cloud computing tools models defined form a simple taxonomy that is not intended to prescribe or constrain any particular method of deployment, service delivery, or business operation.
You hit the nail on the head with this. While the NIST document details specific aspects of cloud computing, it should not be viewed as an endorsement of any one particular cloud computing model that should be used.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), directly under the U.S. Department of Commerce, is engaged in basic and applied research in physics, biology and engineering, as well as research in measurement Technology and test methods. It provides Standards, standard reference data and related services, and enjoys a high reputation in the world. Cloud computing is a model for enabling 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 promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. NIST also identifies five characteristics of cloud computing, three service models, and four deployment patterns. Cloud Computing Features: Self-service; Perfect network support; Resource integration; Rapid expansion; Service quantifiable. Service mode: Software as a Service; Platform as a Service; Infrastructure as a Service. Deployment patterns: Private clouds; Community cloud; Public Cloud; hybrid cloud.
Hi Junhan, I agree with your point. Clous computing is a model for enabling convenient , on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. It could help business increase their efficiency and the mitigate their total cost of their operation.
The reading outlines the definition of cloud computing. There are five primary characteristics of cloud computing including on demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service. The definition is very comprehensive and includes details around each of the five criteria. For example, on demand self-service means that the consumer can unilaterally provision compute capabilities as needed usually automatically without requiring human interactions with service provider. All primary characteristics have more detailed descriptions as part of the special publication.
My take from this reading is based on the service models and the deployment models of cloud computing. The one thing that stood out under all service models is how limited the consumer is, in controlling the underlying cloud computing infrastructure. The consumer is limited to a few settings and configurations and to some extent has no control of where the services will be physically located, apart from high level location selection e.g., country or state.
With the consumer being accountable/responsible for any associated risks, control of resources is key in ensuring risks are kept on the very minimum. My view is that when possible, consumers should deploy Private clouds, so they have better control or all underlying infrastructure and resources. Hybrid clouds can also be deployed, whereby sensitive resources are kept on the private cloud whereas the rest are deployed to either a community or public cloud as best suites the organization.
There are three service models under cloud computing. The first one is software as a service. The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The application is created and rented to the customer for their own use. It could be run on mutable devices and on different types of the device. The customer could not change the infrastructure of the application. The second one is the plate as a a service. The platform offered consumer to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming language, libraries, service and tools supported by the provider. The third one is infrastructure as a service. The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, network, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications.
Hi, Ting-yen, Thank you for your sharing your point about the three services models, I also think these three services models would provides consumers choose the properly cloud infrastructure based on their different demand.
In NIST’s definition of cloud computing, the five essential characteristics of cloud computing are addressed. Cloud computing must have on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service, On-demand self-service allows the consumer to access the computing capabilities automatically without having human interaction with the service provider. Broad network access is capabilities/standardized mechanisms that promote ease of use regardless of the client’s platform being mobile phones, tablets, laptops, or workstations. Resource pooling is when the service provider’s computing power is used to serve multiple consumers regardless of it being physical or virtual resources. Rapid elasticity is when capabilities are provisioned to automatically scale outward or inward based on demand. The service provider should measured service capabilities in place to provide information about the cloud computing usages to provide transparency between the consumer and the provider.
Hi, Mei
I agree with you. Cloud computing is a single point distributed computing, which solves the distribution of tasks and the integration of results. However, there are many security problems in cloud computing. Attackers need to break cloud computing to get data. However, there are many security problems in cloud computing. Attackers need to break cloud computing to get data.
Cloud computing is a type of computing method, which refers to decomposing massive data computing processing programs into countless small programs through the network “cloud,” and then processing and analyzing these through a system composed of multiple servers. The applet gets the result and returns it to the user. In the early days of cloud computing, to put it simply, it was simple distributed computing, solving task distribution, and merging calculation results. Therefore, cloud computing is also called grid computing. Through this technology, tens of thousands of data can be processed in a short period of time (a few seconds) to achieve powerful network services.
The cloud service mentioned at this stage is not just a computing method but also a mixed evolution and leap of computer technologies such as distributed computing, utility computing, load balancing, parallel computing, network storage, hot backup redundancy, and virtualization.
In the “NIST 800 145 The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing”, this document defined the cloud model, which is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. Three service models are depends on organization’s available infrastructure, IT staff resources, cost considerations, and cloud security needs. Software as a Service (SaaS) provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure, users can access these applications with the help of internet connection and web browser. Platform as a Service (PaaS) provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools supported by the provider. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software. It is a computing infrastructure managed over the internet and it helps users to avoid the cost and complexity of purchasing and managing the physical servers.
Hi Xinyi, I agree my biggest take away from the reading was the comprehensive criteria for what defines a cloud computing environment. The criteria seemed comprehensive and detailed enough that federal agencies could easily determine if their workloads are running in a cloud computing environment.
NIST 800 145 provides information on outstanding features of cloud computing, types of cloud service models, and deployment models. One of the key points I draw from this is that it is very important to understand the importance of cloud service models. Cloud service models are mainly divided into three types: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PAAS) and infrastructure as a service (LAAS). Each type of model organization has different limitations in managing its applications, databases, and operating systems. For example, with PAAS, the organization can control the application and database levels, while the network and servers are the responsibility of the cloud provider.
One learning I took from this article is the essential characteristics of a Cloud computing model. These characteristics help understand why more and more organizations are moving towards a Cloud model. On-demand self-service and rapid elasticity stuck out to me the most because there is a peak and valley in business depending on the industry. An example of this would be the retail industry. During holiday season, Thanksgiving and Christmas, an organization would want to increase their computational power and resources to handle the large influx of traffic. However, there is no longer a need for the additional resources and it can be disposed after traffic returns to normal. Another example is the start of COVID-19 and the transition to work from home. My assumption is most organizations did not have the infrastructure in place to handle all the remote users and system availability and performance was affected. The cloud enables quick and easy scalability to ensure an organizations infrastructure is able to handle demand in a moment’s notice.
The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing document provides information about cloud computing. According to this document, cloud computing is an on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. It also addresses the five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. One point that stood out to me was private cloud under deployment models. The cloud infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization comprising multiple business units. An essential part of a private cloud is virtualization that offers opportunities in reducing infrastructure costs, increasing operational efficiency, and improving deployment flexibility. One of the advantages of a private cloud is the enhanced degree of control offered to the organization as its only accessible to a single business. This way the organization has the ability to customize and configure the environment according to the computing needs of the company.
I learned how NIST defines cloud computing. There are three cloud models. Cloud computing is a kind of distributed computing, which is to decompose massive data processing programs into many small programs through the network “cloud”, and then process and analyze these small programs through a system composed of multiple servers, and get the results and return them to users. They are software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service.
1 infrastructure as a service (IAAs)
One of the main service categories is infrastructure-as-a-service, which provides virtual computing resources such as virtual machine, storage, network, and operating system to individuals or organizations of cloud computing providers
2 platform as a service (PAAS)
Platform-as-a-service is a service category, which provides developers with a platform Internet for building applications and services on a global scale. PAAS provides an on-demand development environment for developing, testing, and managing software applications. [6]
Three. Software as a service (SaaS)
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is another kind of service that provides on-demand software applications through the Internet. Cloud computing providers host and manage software applications, and allow their users to connect and access these applications through the global Internet.
Cloud computing is a model for enabling 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. There are three services offered in cloud computing. Software As A Service (SaaS), Platform As A Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS). Software as a Service (SaaS) is a way of delivering applications over the Internet as a service. Instead of installing and maintaining software, you simply access it via the Internet, freeing yourself from complex software and hardware management. Examples are: Google Workspace, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, Concur, GoToMeeting. Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet. Usually, these tools are needed for application development. Examples are: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos, OpenShift. A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service where enterprises rent or lease servers for computation and storage in the cloud. Users can run any operating system or applications on the rented servers without the maintenance and operating costs of those servers. Examples are: DigitalOcean, Linode, Rackspace, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE).
In this document, NIST defines what they mean by “Cloud computing.” There are five essential characteristics of cloud computing. They are: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. NIST says there are three service models, Software as a service, Infrastructure as a service, and platform as a service. Each of these can be deployed in a private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, or a hybrid cloud.
At the organization I work for we provide Software as a service in both a private and public cloud, depending on your needs. The main reason end users use the cloud is so they don’t have to set up an on-premise solution which would cause issues with elasticity, resources and having broad network access. Because we exist in the cloud, we can expand our resources and become more elastic, while allowing end users access to their data from anywhere in the world. This reduces the amount of overhead an organization has to provide when using our products.
Hi, Jonathan
I think private cloud, public cloud and hybrid cloud have their own advantages. We can determine the appropriate cloud services according to the company’s needs and cost calculation. I think hybrid cloud can meet the balance conditions according to the company’s needs. Companies provide a variety of cloud services. Only pay or upgrade according to the company’s requirements.
This document mainly illustrates the definition and purpose of the Cloud computing and introduce the relative five essential characteristics, three services models and four deployment models.
The cloud computing use a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to let the customers store, manage, and process data that they want. Cloud computing has five essential characteristics: On-demand self service, Broad network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity and Measured service. These characters are satisfied the multiple customers using a multi-tenant model by different platforms based on their need. Also the Cloud computing has three different service model: SaaS. PaaS. and IaaS. And Cloud computing has the four deployment models: Private, Community. Public, and Hybrid cloud, These two can provide consumers choose the properly cloud infrastructure based on their demand.
Hi, Zhen. I agree with your points. Cloud computing provides many convenient and low-cost services to the users to manage their data. Anyone who has access can store the data and use the applications from the Cloud, and the administrator who owns the Cloud can select the plan he or she needs for storing the data.
Hi Zhen!
I thought this document is a very helpful document about cloud computing, especially for stakeholders involved with managing potential cloud computing projects. The document organizes the information necessary in 5 characteristics, three servicing models and four deployment models providing the reader full idea of what comes with cloud computing from developing/adopting to maintaining.
The different deployment models struck me as the most interesting thing from this document. The private cloud model is one where the infrastructure is used exclusively by a single organization that covers multiple business units. However, it may be owned, operated or managed by either the organization or a third party, and in some cases a combination of both. In a community cloud, the infrastructure is exclusive to a group of consumers from organizations that have shared concerns, such as policy and compliance standards or security requirements. This type of model can be managed by any of the groups sharing it or a third party. This type of model seems to fit for companies looking to lower their costs as sharing it most likely provides a discounted price in comparison to a private cloud. In both of these models above, the cloud may exist on or off the premises. A public cloud model is provided to the public, such as google apps, and is typically used by a business, academic or government organization. In this instance the server exists on the premises of the cloud provider. The final model is the hybrid model, where the infrastructure is composed of two or more of the above three models. The remain their own unique entity, however are tied together through standardization or proprietary technology that promotes data and app portability.
Hi Austin,
I find the hybrid cloud model more practical especially today when data breaches are at an all time high. Having total control of one’s resources gives them the ability to decide what security measures to employ to secure their resources. All sensitive resources can be stored in a private cloud, run by the consumer themselves while storing the rest of resources in any other type of model as best fits them.
Cloud computing provides many convenient services for many businesses managing the data and accessing the applications. Businesses can use on-demand self-service to select what they need to store on the Cloud, and what plan they will use. Cloud computing is similar to the local server, the companies upload their file and use the application to complete their daily work. The users can install the Cloud, such as Google Drive, on smartphones, tablets, or laptops, to manage the works. Although cloud computing helps many businesses organize the data and develop collaboration, the administrator of the cloud needs to ensure assign the appropriate access, have the audit trail up-to-date, and have up-to-date related usage. Thus, the businesses must have correct access control to prevent the incidence of attackers.
Hi Cami,
I agree with you that cloud computing provides many convenient services for businesses. Data can be accessed anywhere, anytime which maximizes productivity and efficiency. It allows for easy collaboration and sharing among users in multiple locations. Another positive aspect is that there is no hardware required as everything will be hosted in the cloud which offers cost reduction. Along with this comes disadvantages. The major disadvantage I see is that the organization has minimal control as data and information is being handed over. There is a risk of availability in case the internet access goes down.
As cloud computing becomes more and more popular and mainstream, it’s good to have NIST rules in place to help define the different types of cloud services available. The important points I took from this document were the different service models of cloud computing. There’s Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). SaaS is when organizations do not manage cloud infrastructure like network, servers, or storage, but are able to access applications through a web client. PaaS has access to control applications locally, but does not control any of the infrastructure. IaaS then has control over most infrastructure such as operating systems, storage, applications, and select networking components, but does not manage the full cloud infrastructure.
This document is intended to provide a structure around cloud computing and set the basis of understanding for its use, characteristics and deployment.
It’s fascinating how much control technologists are willing to sacrifice in order to cost save. Not that cloud computing is bad but the shift of ownership is drastic. In all service models we relinquish the management and controls of the “underlying cloud infrastructure.
Hi Vanessa,
I find it intriguing as well how much control consumers sacrifice, given that they still own all the risks associated with any resource in the cloud.
NIST defines cloud computing as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This reading further explores the different models of cloud computing. Software as a service (SaaS), which allows a customer to use the providers applications that are running on a cloud infrastructure. These applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface like a web browser or a program interface. Office 365 is a popular SaaS service. Platform as a service (PaaS), the customer uses the providers resources on the cloud and deploy their own applications there which can then be used employees within the organization. The last model is Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). In this model, the provider provisions everything from processing, storage, networks, and other resources. The customer can then deploy their own applications on these resources. This very similar to renting a rack in a data center and having complete control over the environment minus the underlying cloud infrastructure.
This document is intended to help system planners, project managers, technologists and others adopting cloud computing as consumers or providers of cloud services. Cloud computing is an ever evolving diagram. The NIST definition highlights critical aspects of cloud computing. The service and deployment of cloud computing tools models defined form a simple taxonomy that is not intended to prescribe or constrain any particular method of deployment, service delivery, or business operation.
Hi Prince,
You hit the nail on the head with this. While the NIST document details specific aspects of cloud computing, it should not be viewed as an endorsement of any one particular cloud computing model that should be used.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), directly under the U.S. Department of Commerce, is engaged in basic and applied research in physics, biology and engineering, as well as research in measurement Technology and test methods. It provides Standards, standard reference data and related services, and enjoys a high reputation in the world. Cloud computing is a model for enabling 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 promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. NIST also identifies five characteristics of cloud computing, three service models, and four deployment patterns. Cloud Computing Features: Self-service; Perfect network support; Resource integration; Rapid expansion; Service quantifiable. Service mode: Software as a Service; Platform as a Service; Infrastructure as a Service. Deployment patterns: Private clouds; Community cloud; Public Cloud; hybrid cloud.
Hi Junhan, I agree with your point. Clous computing is a model for enabling convenient , on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. It could help business increase their efficiency and the mitigate their total cost of their operation.
The reading outlines the definition of cloud computing. There are five primary characteristics of cloud computing including on demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service. The definition is very comprehensive and includes details around each of the five criteria. For example, on demand self-service means that the consumer can unilaterally provision compute capabilities as needed usually automatically without requiring human interactions with service provider. All primary characteristics have more detailed descriptions as part of the special publication.
My take from this reading is based on the service models and the deployment models of cloud computing. The one thing that stood out under all service models is how limited the consumer is, in controlling the underlying cloud computing infrastructure. The consumer is limited to a few settings and configurations and to some extent has no control of where the services will be physically located, apart from high level location selection e.g., country or state.
With the consumer being accountable/responsible for any associated risks, control of resources is key in ensuring risks are kept on the very minimum. My view is that when possible, consumers should deploy Private clouds, so they have better control or all underlying infrastructure and resources. Hybrid clouds can also be deployed, whereby sensitive resources are kept on the private cloud whereas the rest are deployed to either a community or public cloud as best suites the organization.
There are three service models under cloud computing. The first one is software as a service. The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The application is created and rented to the customer for their own use. It could be run on mutable devices and on different types of the device. The customer could not change the infrastructure of the application. The second one is the plate as a a service. The platform offered consumer to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming language, libraries, service and tools supported by the provider. The third one is infrastructure as a service. The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, network, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications.
Hi, Ting-yen, Thank you for your sharing your point about the three services models, I also think these three services models would provides consumers choose the properly cloud infrastructure based on their different demand.