Cloud Computing Stack Update

I did a new diagram last December while thinking about how to expand some of my earlier thoughts regarding what the Cloud Computing Stack looks like from top to bottom so to speak.

Here is my newest version of this diagram which builds upon some of the earlier work posted in this blog.Cloud Computing Stack 
I do need to give some credit where credit is due as some of my thinking came from marking up a very nice diagram done by Lamia Youseff.  Here is the marked up version I did when she released that diagram a while back.Cloud Computing from Lamia Youseff (Marked up by Kent)

One of the the rather interesting things to point out is that again and again I come down to four things replicated up and down the stack.  They are storage, memory, network, and compute.

I've seen an awful lot of buzz in this "ontology" area recently so I'm hoping this adds some value here and not more noise.  We shall see!  Let me know what you think.

I expect to write more about my thinking here in coming days and weeks. I've been testing this diagram out a lot with people and using it to explain things like traditional hosting in relation to cloud computing / hosting, explain why people call SaaS a cloud, explain what the hosting providers relationship is to the server supplier, virtualization vendors, and more. It's been pretty useful for me thus far.

Comments

[Sam Johnston]

Isn't cloud computing about reducing complexity? :)

Perhaps the 6 layer cloud computing stack I came up with mid last year is oversimplified, but the alternatives seem to be getting more and more complex every day. I note that the IBM guys have recently adopted a stack almost identical to mine and I have been considering adopting some of their changes.

Sam

[Kent Langley]

Well, that's actually a good question. Is it about reducing complexity? Or hiding it? Someone, somewhere at some level will still have to deal with the complexity.

As you move up the stack you are more and more obfuscated from the underlying technologies of the cloud. But, you are also more and more locked into that layers offering. So, as you move up the stack you give up some autonomy.

That of course, is neither good or bad, it just is and sometimes, we all prefer to just keep it simple.

I myself author this blog on a SaaS model with Squarespace because after dealing with other peoples servers, sites, details, and such all day I just didn't want to do it for my own! :)

-Kent