Let It Flow: Cloud Computing Deployments and the “Water Model”

Grazed from MidSize Insider. Author: Doug Bonderud.

Contrary to the hype, cloud computing is not unique; in fact, this "as-a-service" concept closely resembles the provision of such common utilities as electricity, natural gas and water. As cloud computing deployments become more popular and the service terms of providers align, how do midsize IT professionals ensure that they are getting the right price combined with the best access? In other words, what is the best way to keep cloud resources flowing?

You’re Not Special

That is the take-away from a March 19 Government Executive article titled "Why Cloud Computing Is Like Water." Author Kimberly McCabe says that "successfully acquiring cloud services requires suppressing the notion that your agency’s computing resources needs are truly unique and require a customized product or service." She boils it down to a simple concept: Water is water and computing is computing, no matter the purpose or the buyer…

For midsize IT professionals, this may not be a welcome message — every company has unique cloud challenges and resource needs — but it can save money and time in the long term. Just like commercial water supplies, cloud computing deployments need only a few characteristics to make them usable: Ease of access and quality. So long as compute instances can be consumed on demand and in whatever amount required, and so long as the resources provided are reliable and "clean," no special additions are required. Purchasing unique cloud services is like paying for premium bottled water to flow from sink taps and water fountains: It is possible, but it is also unnecessarily costly…

Read more from the source @ http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/let-it-flow-cloud-computing-deployments

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