Random Knowledge Moment - The Real Difference Between On-Premises and Private Cloud

[Rick Butler]

Have any of you wondered the difference between traditional on-premises server management that we've done for years on end and the definition of "Private Cloud", which in numerous texts, seemed to appear to be the same thing, just with a new fancy name.

But then I thought about it some and thought, "yeah, there is a real difference between the two". It becomes a private cloud when it acts like what the cloud would be, in my data center.

1) Customers can provision their own servers, resources, and create IaaS, SaaS, or PaaS type platforms on their own, or with minimum IT involvement. IT keeps the stuff below the Service going.
2) Resources are elastic and can be expanded or contracted based on need. They can be pooled and allocated based on changing requirements in the organization.
3) Resources can be metered based on user, group, department, or project. Costs can be distributed and budgeted in that manner and charged back appropriately.

So you just can't have a data center and say, "yeah, I have a private cloud environment". It has to behave like a cloud for it to be one.

Just a random thing, hopefully it's helpful in the classroom.

Anyone have any other thoughts on this?

/r

 

[Lee McWhorter]

Think you are spot on here Rick, it has to be cloud like and meet the NIST definition to be private cloud as opposed to just old skool server management and hosting.

SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing | CSRC

csrc.nist.gov

Lee

 

[Rick Butler]

I was reading one book that spoke to the Cloud+ and it did a terrible job in articulating that point. I, myself, am a late-comer* to the Zen of the Ubiquitous and Mysterious Cloud - but I'm quickly catching up. So when I read that, I'm like, "so what's the difference; seems like we're just redefining things to be all 'cloudy-cloud-cloud'.

So I posted this, primarily that Cloud Essentials/Cloud+ instructors would convey this to their students, to help them with the concept. Something hopefully finds useful.

/r


* Just to articulate, even at over 30 years in the business, I don't claim to be an IT know-it-all. If you're like me, you tend to focus and specialize in certain areas and the others, well, they are as ubiquitous as the cloud. The one thing that has forced me out of the comfort-zone there is to do what folks like @Lee McWhorter has done and pursue that elusive Everything+, starting from scratch with ITF+. It's been insightful to climb to 40,000 to see the changes in the industry, that we seem to sometimes miss when we are in tactical mode, focusing on our specialty.

 

[Teckkie2k]

Have any of you wondered the difference between traditional on-premises server management that we've done for years on end and the definition of "Private Cloud", which in numerous texts, seemed to appear to be the same thing, just with a new fancy name.

But then I thought about it some and thought, "yeah, there is a real difference between the two". It becomes a private cloud when it acts like what the cloud would be, in my data center.

1) Customers can provision their own servers, resources, and create IaaS, SaaS, or PaaS type platforms on their own, or with minimum IT involvement. IT keeps the stuff below the Service going.
2) Resources are elastic and can be expanded or contracted based on need. They can be pooled and allocated based on changing requirements in the organization.
3) Resources can be metered based on user, group, department, or project. Costs can be distributed and budgeted in that manner and charged back appropriately.

So you just can't have a data center and say, "yeah, I have a private cloud environment". It has to behave like a cloud for it to be one.

Just a random thing, hopefully it's helpful in the classroom.

Anyone have any other thoughts on this?

/r

@Rick Butler this is an interesting topic? So is a vendor like RackSpace a private cloud? Can a CSP like AWS offer a private cloud service? I think terms are still being defined

 

[Teckkie2k]

Think you are spot on here Rick, it has to be cloud like and meet the NIST definition to be private cloud as opposed to just old skool server management and hosting.

SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing | CSRC

csrc.nist.gov

Lee

Lee the problem I have with NIST is that they take too long to publish new content. They should be at least updating a directive this important to Cybersecurity at least 2-3 years, and I'm being nice.

 

[Rick Butler]

@Rick ButlerSo is a vendor like RackSpace a private cloud? Can a CSP like AWS offer a private cloud service? I think terms are still being defined

I do think the definitions are being defined and can vary. But the way I see it, places like Rackspace are public cloud, because while they are offering IaaS, the client doesn't manage their own hardware. If the client is managing their own hardware in a cloud defined way, then it's Private Cloud. But if they are managing their hardware traditionally, as @Lee McWhorter pointed out, they are just on-prem managed.

Which then, brings up the idea of co-locating servers. Are they Private Cloud? I would say they fall into the same decision point as if they were either being managed in cloud fashion, versus traditional.

So yeah, it's a bit nebulous (bad pun), but I think the delineation is sound.

Thoughts?