Yet Another Cloud – How Many Clouds Do We Need?
A proposed cloud taxonomy.
is the buzzword du jour.
Unfortunately vendors are increasingly confusing customers as too many different
things are related to cloud computing. We’d like to start a public discussion
around the number and structure of cloud computing categories. Discussions with
Forrester clients and among Forrester analysts turned out that not only the
technical capabilities or the network topology is the major dimension for a
differentiator. It is also the role of the corresponding IT professional. A
specific technical cloud infrastructure for example, cloud be called by a
vendor strategist simply a “private cloud”, but might get two different names from
the IT operations professional depending on an internal or external sourcing
approach.
Forrester already explored various cloud trends, SaaS and
PaaS technologies and business application.
There Are Two Types Of Compute Clouds
Forrester’s SaaS Maturity Model
Forrester’s Platform-As-A-Service Reference Architecture
Which Cloud Computing Platform Is Right For You?
Platform-As-A-Service Is Here; Can It Help You?
TechRadar™ For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals: Software-As-A-Service
However, vendor strategists still face the challenge to
categorize their offering into the various understandings and communication of
cloud computing. The discussion turned out, that we have to look for the right
differentiator of the various cloud offerings before we can define names. A
first trial of a possible cloud-taxonomy is categorizing cloud services by IT-Infrastructure
vs. Business Value and by the level of privacy a certain concept embraces:
Most of today’s cloud services and SaaS applications could
file into this cloud taxonomy.
However, before we write a report on this, we’d like to get
your feedback. Are privacy and business value the right dimensions? Would a cloud-taxonomy like this help you as a vendor to make your marketing
communication less confusing and clearer to your customers? Does is sound
logical to end customers?
Please leave a comment.
Cheers
Stefan