There's a lot of debate about what is cloud and what isn't. So I've been thinking about ways of classifying that allow discussion around the ambiguity, and inspired by a regular item from the BBC's Top Gear show, I give you the Cloud Report. Four levels of classification –
– Land-based are products and services that are in no way Cloud
– Water-based are products where manufacturers are claiming Cloud credentials with little real evidence to the fact (read “marketing hype”)
– Cumulus are products that are definitely in the Cloud (pure internet services)
– and Cirrus are products that are Cloud-based but offer opportunities to do things really differently as a result
There are a few logos up there at the moment. I welcome suggestions and arguments about all of this! Roll over the image for info.

Spotify has changed the way in which music can be bought and consumed. From the old models of buying albums or tracks, the service provides a cloud-based subscription service where the basic cost is zero (if you don't mind the adverts) Mindmeister provides a browser- (or iOS-) based mind mapping tool. Make one open to the world to edit, and you've got a mind-map wiki. Google Apps provides collaboration services in the cloud, and across many mobile devices. The insistence of integrating into old world tools (Outlook plugins, the DocVerse acquisition) keeps it as cumulus... Cited by Marc Benioff as an example of a great cloud service (and he should know), Dropbox provides file synchronisation and sharing across the cloud. facebook for the boring, linkedin is changing the way in which people are interacting in business, and also the way in which companies are sourcing talent. Creative Suite might produce much of the web's content, but the tools themselves remain rooted to workstation hard drives, and their licence model is distinctly old-world. A bit of document sharing with Acrobat doesn't make it a cloud app. the open-source Land-based are products and services that are in no way Cloud Cumulus are products that are definitely in the Cloud (pure internet services) Cirrus are products that are Cloud-based but offer opportunities to do things really differently as a result Image Map

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