Cloud Computing: What’s in a Name?

Oracle’s outspoken CEO Larry Ellison publicly derides the term “cloud computing” regularly, most notably last January, when at an event detailing the closing of the Sun Microsystems’ acquisition he facetiously bellowed, “What does cloud computing mean? It's just computers, databases and networks. If I'm missing something, please tell me know!”

Bluster aside; he’s onto something when it comes to definitions.

CompTIA’s first research study on cloud computing is near completion, and one thing evident from the data is that there is plenty of confusion simply over what constitutes cloud computing. In separate surveys of both end users and solution provider organizations, nearly two-thirds of both groups said the marketplace needs clarity around what cloud computing means. More than a quarter of both groups also cited existing definitions as inconsistent.

This isn’t terribly surprising given those that say cloud computing is merely a new moniker for an old paradigm (Take your pick: utility computing, the application service provider model or even mainframes). But it’s more than that. Solution providers and end users responding to the CompTIA survey were provided a list of 26 potential cloud-computing attributes such as “massive scale” and “multi-tenancy” and asked to rate their level of association between each term and cloud computing in general. Among end users, 22 percent on average chose the “Don’t know” option across the list; even more telling, 11 percent of solution providers on average selected “Don’t know” as their response.

The quest for cloud clarity isn’t simply about semantics and terminology, however. It’s essential for describing cloud computing’s benefits and differentiators to the customer. As the CompTIA research shows, having a refined definition will help both the channel and end users understand its business value.

Consider the primary reasons that the channel seeks a uniform definition of cloud computing: 67 percent said it would simplify their explanation of the customer value proposition, 64 percent said it would clear confusion in the marketplace and just over half said it would help delineate the various roles that the channel can play in the cloud computing world.

On the end user side of the equation, 59 percent also said a uniform definition would clear up market confusion, but nearly half said it would help them figure out how best to buy and consume cloud computing solutions, while 41 percent said it would simplify the value proposition to their organizations.

At the end of the day, the cloud computing definition debate is less about terminology or, as Ellison says, the “computers, databases and networks” behind it all, and more about a simpler way to articulate the clear business value to customers.