Manage Cloud Computing With Policies, Not Permissions

Grazed from CIO. Author: Bernard Golden.

In my presentation on hybrid cloud computing at Interop New York, I began (as I often do) with a review of the NIST definition of the five characteristics of cloud computing. I think the National Institute of Standards and Technology has done a great service in codifying its definition, and I rely on it to communicate the key characteristics of cloud computing — and, more importantly, to draw the distinctions between cloud computing and the traditional IT approach to infrastructure management.

The first characteristic in NIST’s definition relates to self-service: "A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each services provider."…

In the session, I described this as being analogous to how one orders a book from Amazon: Fill out a Web page with necessary information and click a button to order. Minutes later, a link to the ordered computing resource is available to the user, who can then begin using it. Key to this is automation. The cloud orchestration software handles the request for the computing resource; there’s no need for human support or intervention…

Read more from the source @ http://www.cio.com/article/741515/Manage_Cloud_Computing_With_Policies_Not_Permissions