Controlling the cloud: Requirements for cloud computing

Cloud computing is a holistic ecosystem of components, not a point product or single vendor solution, and has basic, specific requirements to meet the needs of enterprise organizations. These requirements include scalability, adaptability, extensibility, and manageability. In addition, the cloud must exhibit additional capabilities that address the best-in-class requirements of the enterprise—such as providing for security, real-time availability, and performance.

The question that remains, however, is what does this new dynamic computing architecture look like and what is required—above and beyond the standard tools we have today—to qualify as a “cloud”?

This white paper details how vendors should step beyond the marketing hype and “cloud washing” to present a perspective of what true cloud computing represents, what currently exists, what is missing, and the characteristics required for enterprise adoption of this dynamic and powerful change in computing ideology.