[kwlug-disc] Private Cloud

[Kyle Spaans]

FWIW/FYI, the closest to "official" definition of cloud computing
(also used by the company, Canadian Cloud Computing):
"The NIST definition of Cloud Computing":
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf

ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS:

On-demand self-service.
    A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as
server time and network storage, as needed automatically without
requiring human
interaction with each service provider.

Broad network access.
    Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard
mechanisms that promote use by  heterogeneous thin or thick  client
platforms (e.g.,
mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and workstations).

Resource pooling.
    The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers
using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual
resources dynamically
assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense
of location
independence in that the customer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact
location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location
at a higher level of
abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Examples of
resources include storage,
processing, memory, and network bandwidth.

Rapid elasticity.
    Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases
automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with
demand. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to
be unlimited and can
be appropriated in any quantity at any time.

Measured service.
    Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging
a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the
type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active  user accounts). Resource
usage can be
monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both
the provider and
consumer of the utilized service.