Cloud Computing and Enterprise Architecture
I cannot resist the temptation to blog about Cloud Computing. Everyone does. I'll do that in the context of Enterprise Architecture (EA) though.
Cloud computing is an overloaded term and vague at that. Nonetheless, I would define it in brief as the outsourcing of your IT services - applications and technology - over the Web. What is new? Nothing much, except, I think, the combination of powerful technologies such as SOA, Web Services, the Internet, Virtualization, Blades, VPNs... The utility like, on demand service consumption and charging is still the novel element of the Cloud.
The Cloud is, in fact, a business concept, even though created by the IT world, because it is about the business outourcing IT functions. But so are SOA and Enterprise Architecture.
The Cloud should include only the services provided to your Enterprise. Each and every firm may have its own Cloud, that may be supplied by the same multi-tenant service providers. The Cloud symbol, coming from the networking world, signifies Internet distribution.
Any Enterprise Architecture consists of a few basic layers: Business, Information, Applications and Technology. An I would add the People layer. The Cloud covers both the IT application and technology layers of an Enterprise Architecture. Imagine the EA Business Architecture layer resting on top of a fluffy Cloud of outsourced IT Application and Technology layers. How would this map to our TM F Frameworks? In the next posts. Mind you, you still need to do the overall Enterprise Architecture, but you need not bother with technology detail any longer.
Is the Cloud a technology? To start with, it is the business concept of outsourcing IT services, really. But it is constructed on Virtualized infrastructure, Web Services...
To recap, the term Cloud Computing, from an EA perspective, means the outsourcing of Enterprise Architecture IT applications and technology layers over the Web.
For those worried about Security here is some good news:
"San Francisco, CA, Dec 17, 2009 – The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) today issued
here the second version of its “Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing”.
The Cloud Security Alliance is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within Cloud Computing, and to provide education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all other forms of computing. The whitepaper, “Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing – Version 2.1”, outlines key issues and provides advice for both Cloud Computing customers and providers within 13 strategic domains. Version 2.1 provides more concise and actionable guidance across all domains, and encompasses knowledge gained from real world deployments over the past six months in this fast moving area."
Posted
12-24-2009 12:47 AM
by
Adrian Grigoriu