Cloud Without Compromise

Chapter 2. Evolution of Cloud

In the first chapter, we introduced you to the thrivers, divers, and new arrivers; we boldly declared the mantra of this book (“Cloud is a capability, not a destination.”), and gave you a guide to digital transformation. In this chapter, we’ll discuss the evolution of cloud, where it’s going, and some things to keep in mind as you begin (or continue) your capability journey.

Are You on the Intranet, Internet, or Extranet? Nah—Just Internet

To get a feeling for what we’re talking about, consider the ubiquitous phrase: the internet. At one time, many would subdivide internet technologies into an access control list of sorts. There was talk of the EXTRAnet: a controlled private network limited to vendors, partners, suppliers, or other authorized groups. Today, most would say an extranet provides access from outside the firewall to resources inside the firewall for a value chain based on membership. For example, when you return equipment to a store that sends your broken item back to the manufacturer who deals with the warranty claim, the store is likely to log in to the manufacturer’s site and open a ticket, but that’s about it. Even so, bringing your items to the store is a necessary step because the store has access that the customer doesn’t.

At work we used the intRAnet: an internet that was behind a firewall and dedicated to providing information and services within an organization, usually to the exclusion of access to outsiders. In other words, ...