Business

Who is using the Cloud today?

* Large enterprises

More likely to have hybrid models where some things are kept in house: On premises data for legal and risk management reasons.

* Midsize companies

Can use clouds for numerous activities: compute cycles for R&D projects, online collaboration, partner integration, social networking, new business tools.

* Startups and small business

Can use clouds for nearly everything: SaaS, IaaS, collaboration services, online presence.

Private Cloud

A private cloud enables enterprises to implement cloud computing solution at either their own site or at service provider’s datacenter. Enterprises are implementing a private cloud within areas of their infrastructure in which a cloud model makes the most sense. A private cloud provides many of the benefits of cloud computing without the loss of control and security risks associated with other cloud infrastructure models. A private cloud includes virtualization technology to enhance scalability, resource management, and hardware utilization. In addition, it incorporates datacenter automation of provisioning and chargeback metering for consumption and services-based billing capabilities. Identity-based security protocols ensure that only authorized personnel have access to appropriate applications and infrastructure.

An increasingly popular version of a private cloud is a vendor hosted private cloud, sometimes referred to as a partner cloud. With this alternative, the cloud is hosted within a vendor secure data center. Virtualized applications are moved to vendor data center servers, and the vendor uses its cloud enterprise support tools, testing technologies, and procedures.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Enterprise Private Cloud Infrastructure

A private cloud enables customers to leverage many of the benefits of cloud computing within its own datacenter facilities. This cloud infrastructure model is ideal for clients subject to stringent privacy...