With the success of Cloud Computing as an accepted approach to solving enterprise-level business problems, many cloud computing solutions have arisen. Cloud computing solutions often seem to take different approaches to the cloud, and as a result, leave buyers confused. In this article, I'll offer an approach to help clear away the fog and start to make sense of a rather crowded marketplace. I'll take a look at the cloud as a software, functional, and platform services  distribution model.

 First, let's lay some groundwork. Cloud computing is simply normal computing that has some of the solution delivered via a non-premise based source.  Some cloud solutions look at a publicly accessible model via the internet, and others rely on a private cloud approach delivered over a wide-area network (WAN). Regardless of the way the connections are made, in order to be successful in an internet-based model, the first requirement is security. Security must be at the center of the solution. Security both in terms of data protection but also business continuity or disaster recovery must be paramount.

 With that as a background, let's look at different cloud computing models. The first cloud model is cloud for software distribution. Android apps are a great example of this model. Users can buy and download apps to their devices in a secure way,  and those apps are kept up to date automatically. Of course, the apps run on local hardware rather than central servers. Judging by the success of Android and iOS for Apple devices, it is clearly a successful and workable approach to cloud computing.

 The next approach is cloud computing for functional distribution. In this model, the functionality is executed on remote servers and made available via web-based APIs (Application Programming Interface). Certain credit card companies make credit card validation services available via API calls, or other companies exposing discrete functionality that can be used for narrowly tailored business needs.

 The final cloud computer approach is cloud for platform distribution. In this model, an enterprise-level platform of services are delivered to business users. Products are tailored to specific business uses through configurations rather than programmatic changes. A key defining characteristic of this type of cloud computing is that the platform does not break existing customizations or configurations when there is a major upgrade. This last point cannot be over-emphasized. Imagine buying a house with a foundation that changes every two years. Would you buy it?

 There are other services being delivered remotely, such as data center services where companies essential rent servers and network access from large and very resilient data centers. Companies have realized tremendous savings by taking this approach. However, companies must still run their software.

 Additionally, there are cloud computing approaches for business solutions that fall between categories discussed previous in this article. For example, they provide more capability than the functional distribution but less than the platform distribution models.

 Software, functional, and platform cloud computing models discussed above are good for the type of problems they were designed to address. When deciding how your company will embrace cloud computing, make sure you're taking the approach that will best meet your company's needs. Choosing the right approach ensures you will win in cloud computing.

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