A lot of companies like to claim that their internal IT infrastructure is a “private cloud.”  But what really qualifies as a “cloud?”  According to ISC2 (International Information System Security Certification Consortium), ISO/IEC 17788, and NIST, a true private cloud must have the following characteristics similar to a public cloud such as AWS or Azure.

1. On-demand self-service.  This characteristic enables the provisioning of cloud resources including compute, storage and network whenever and wherever they are required.  It allows self-provisioning where the user can setup, manage or operate the cloud services without assistance from the cloud provider or IT personnel.

2. Broad network access. The cloud should always be available and accessible anytime and anywhere.  Users should have widespread access to their compute resources as well as their data at home, office, or on the road, using any device such as laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet.

3. Resource pooling. A cloud typically has a large number of compute, storage, and network devices as well as sophisticated applications which can be pooled to address various user needs. These resources can be scaled and adjusted to meet user workloads or requirements.

4. Rapid elasticity.  This allows the user to obtain additional compute, storage, network and other resources as their workload requires.  This is often automated and transparent to the user.

5. Measured service.  This is a critical component for a cloud service because this is the only way the user can be charged back for its use of the resources.  A cloud should be able to measure, control, and report the user’s usage of resources. 

Most companies probably meet one or two of the above criteria.  Resource pooling for instance is one of them because of the widespread use of virtualization technology.  However, they usually struggle to provide measured service, as they usually over provision resources and unable to quantify usage. 

For the most part these companies are still traditional IT.   Without all of the cloud computing characteristics, it is simply not possible to deliver and maintain a reliable service to the rapid and changing requirements of the business.