Cloud Computing – A definition

Private Cloud
Also known as internal clouds, this architecture provides many of the benefits of cloud computing such as increased  resource utilisation and a flexible number of virtual machines. When provided by an external supplier this approach removes the capital expenditure costs of equipment and the need for internal IT staff to support this.

The security of a physically separate, dedicated cloud solution makes this attractive to organisations requiring flexible support for mission critical applications or those requiring ISO 27001 and PCI DSS compliance.

Private clouds utilise virtualisation techniques to provide the flexibility and scalable service required by the consumers of the service while also supporting the organisation’s need for data governance, reliability and data security.

Secure Cloud
The Bunker’s Secure Cloud provides all the benefits of private cloud computing, blended with a carefully selected element of managed storage to provide a cost effective alternative to a private cloud that does not compromise security in the way public clouds would.

A Secure Cloud provides the security needed for the safekeeping of your information assets, with robust service levels and clear data ownership.  For those organisations that don’t require total physical separation of hardware, but do require an ultra secure environment, our Secure Cloud is the perfect solution.

Public Cloud
The original model for cloud computing that provides pay-as-you-go access to computers via the internet, where the consumer accesses a generic the pool of computing resources that will scale-up or scale down as demand varies.

The consumer of public cloud resources does not know the whereabouts of the computing resources processing and storing their data, or who is supporting the systems, or who else they are sharing these resources with.

Now largely relegated to use for non-sensitive consumer data due to security limitations, the popularity of public clouds has validated the cloud architecture and created greater understanding of the benefits and limitations of each of the three different cloud implementation styles: public, secure and private.

The Bunker does not provide a public cloud solution because it requires extensive use of shared infrastructure and services in unknown locations, which does not fit with The Bunker’s security model.

The Cloud as a Service
In providing any of the cloud architectures mentioned above, there are several levels of service that cloud providers can supply

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is the provision of everything required up to and including the operating system: the building, power, cooling, racks, servers, operating system, network connectivity, monitoring and support.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) is provision of the infrastructure service plus a platform application such as a database management system or web server.
• Software as a Service (SaaS) is the provision of the platform service plus a business application such as financial management or CRM.

Obscured by Clouds?
Cloud computing is now well established and is here to stay, but the model is not yet mature. We know this can lead to confusion and we are here to help.

Our experience and expertise enables us to discuss your needs and advise on the most appropriate way for you to utilise cloud technology. We do not provide one product for everybody, we tailor the solutions we provide to your individual needs.