Cloud Computing Roles

 Differentiate between cloud computing roles

 

There are a number of definable roles when it comes to a cloud computing ecosystem. The first role is the cloud service provider, otherwise called as CSP. Where they bear much of the responsibility for making sure that the underlying infrastructure supporting cloud services remains up and running, and that things perform well according to SLAs for cloud services. Also at the CSP level, they have the ultimate configuration flexibility because they control the actual physical hardware, the physical servers, the physical storage arrays, the physical network switches and routers, and so on in their data centers.

Cloud consumers also called cloud customers or cloud tenants, have a multitude of different cloud models they can work with in terms of offerings. So developers, for example, will be interested in platform as a service or PaaS, which would be useful for developing custom apps. So the cloud service provider has offerings that facilitate those tasks. Next, we have common office staff or end users that would be interested primarily in Software as a Service or SaaS. For example, using cloud-based email or office productivity tools like spreadsheets and word processors, all in the cloud. In other words, having that software delivered over a network.

At the IT level, then we have Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS. This would be for cloud administrators or cloud technicians that would be responsible for determining which cloud services need to be deployed, and then deploying and managing those cloud services. Things like virtual machines or applications, custom applications, running in the cloud and allocating storage and controlling access to all of those cloud resources. So that's really part of the IT support team's responsibilities.

Other roles include the Cloud Service Brokerage or the CSB. Think of this kind of as a mortgage broker, an intermediary that has the ability to look at your computing needs as it pertains to the cloud and then going out and negotiating and finding the best cloud service provider that meets those needs. Cloud architects are the technicians that will design your organization-specific use of cloud services to achieve organizational objectives. Cloud auditors are those people that will audit the usage of cloud activities to ensure things like legal and regulatory compliance, and also to ensure peak optimum efficiency.

So having things running smoothly at an efficient cost level. Finally, we've got cloud carriers. Cloud carriers come in a few different forms, the most common of which, when it comes to public cloud service providers are internet service providers. They are the cloud carriers that provide the network link between an on premises network or an individual customer to the cloud provider. Other types of cloud carriers would also include local telco or cable companies. Anyone that can provide a dedicated network circuit were available in different regions around the world, from an on premises network directly to the cloud without traversing the internet. That would be another example of a cloud carrier role.