Defining the Cloud
We’ve all heard that ubiquitous buzzword floating around the internet. It seems as though “the cloud” is used to describe countless different processes and services, but can it be defined concretely?
The definition provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology labels cloud computing in its most fundamental form as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”
In other words, cloud computing is a method by which organizations can access shared information virtually, instead of using a local server.
Cloud Models
The cloud is often separated into three different models of service:
- SaaS—Software as a service: A method of accessing software virtually.
- PaaS—Platform as a service: A method of virtually deploying an organization’s application or service platform.
- IaaS—Infrastructure as a service: A method of outsourcing an organization’s entire IT infrastructure, from servers to software.
These service models are further broken down into three different models of deployment:
- Public Cloud: A cloud provider manages and owns the cloud infrastructure.
- Private Cloud: Either the organization or the cloud provider manages and owns the cloud infrastructure.
- Hybrid Cloud: Both the organization and the cloud provider manage and own the cloud infrastructure.
Beyond the Traditional Models
The traditional cloud definitions are rudimentary, without going into the customization and innovation that are stretching the limits of what cloud computing is capable of. As the scope and capabilities of cloud computing have advanced, the service and deployment models have been combined in different ways, providing even more customizability for organizations. VirtuCrypt, the Hardened Enterprise Security Cloud, operates under the belief that cloud computing doesn’t have to stick to the traditional models.
Instead of identifying as PaaS, Hybrid, or any of the other models, VirtuCrypt’s defining feature is its hardware-based system. The security concerns of software-based cloud computing are alleviated with VirtuCrypt, which uses Futurex’s Hardened Enterprise Security Platform to augment the system’s logical security measures with the robust physical security of FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Secure Cryptographic Devices.
Beyond the superior security of the physical devices, VirtuCrypt is unlike anything else in the market due to the secure cloud access through the Excrypt Touch, the world’s first FIPS 140-2 Level 3 touchscreen-based tablet. The Excrypt Touch allows organizations to remotely access their cloud content from anywhere in the world while maintaining absolute security.