Do I Dare Redefine the Cloud… Part 1 - To Define or Not to Define

I cannot count the number of times I was presented with a PowerPoint slide depicting the NIST definition of Cloud Computing. I also cannot tally the substantial amount of time that many IT professionals spent trying to explain what the cloud means and how the NIST definition would relate to any use case in any environment.  Truth of the matter, I am not sold… I have tried time and time again to convince myself that having the NIST definition is better than having no definition at all. Or in fact better than having hundreds of colliding definitions. But why not give it a try…

According to Dictionary.com, a definition must meet “the condition of being definite, distinct, or clearly outlined”. In other words, definitions must maintain the characteristics (not to borrow from NIST) of simplicity, clarity, and preciseness.  Definitions are human’s way for simplifying complex constructs and controlling their knowledge of their focus subjects. Definitions use categorization and classification methods to narrow down the qualities and features of what’s defined.   Their components must not contradict or overlap, or they will lose their value.  

Additionally, definitions in the IT world must wed the reality and constructs of both business and technology. That only will make them a good tool for defining useful IT strategies and providing a clear path of technology adoption. Most importantly, good definitions become the basis of solid Enterprise Architectures and the foundational elements of the technical terminology that organizations communicate with. Otherwise, an IT definition becomes no more than a modest theory.

That’s why I believe that technical definitions should never be set in stone. They should rather evolve over time and with the collaboration of the industry, standards organizations as well as the community. In my coming blog entries, I will attempt to simplify and refine the NIST Cloud Computing definition. I will also make the case for how businesses and organizations could consume this definition and employ it to facilitate technology adoption. Stay tuned…