Is the solution you’re evaluating truly a cloud solution?
Contrary to popular belief, not every product that includes the word “cloud” qualifies as cloud computing. I suppose if you squint your eyes, tilt your head sideways, and significantly stretch your imagination, it may have some characteristics of cloud computing, but most products are extremely skewed from the true definition of cloud computing. Since the definition of the cloud is fuzzy, and most consumers still think that anything delivered over the Internet is cloud computing, it’s easy for many companies to get away with this practice of “cloudwashing”.
The benefits of cloud computing are so compelling that most companies looking to replace legacy systems have cloud computing on their selection check list. In order to be included in the evaluation process, many publishers are claiming to have cloud solutions when in fact they don’t. Thus, the term “cloudwashing” came into existence.
Cloud computing is defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Cloud Security Alliance as: “A model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”
Cloudwashing is when organizations slap the word “cloud” on products and services that they already have. It is the purposeful and often deceptive attempt by a publisher to rebrand an old product or service by associating the catchphrase “cloud” with it. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the term “cloud” in the media, IT vendors have engaged in “cloudwashing” by painting over traditional IT technology with the word “cloud” However, in addition to delivering an Internet-based service, a true cloud-based service has to meet a checklist of qualifications such as:
- Does the service include pay-per-use billing?
- Does the service provide business-specific customization?
- Is the service a multi-tenant architecture?
- Does the service have linear scalability?
- Is the service a virtualized infrastructure?
- Does the service have vendor-managed updates?
- Does the service provide seamless integration on demand?
- Does the service provide you with liberation from non-strategic IT issues?
Education on cloud computing is imperative and should be a top priority for businesses looking to purchase “cloud-based solutions”. Understanding the true definition of cloud computing ensures that your selection criteria weeds out dated solutions that have updated marketing materials but old technology. Now that you have an understanding of what it entails, think twice next time you see a product that includes the word “cloud”. Go through the checklist and ask yourself, “does this product meet all of the necessary qualifications of true cloud computing?” If the product does not meet the requirements, then you have unveiled a cloudwasher. You will no longer be a victim to this fraudulent marketing scheme.
