John Cowan

The pervasive notion that computing has become a utility is compelling. But what are the characteristics of a “utility,” and can we see them in today’s computing models? Using several sets of standards and benchmarks, this report explores opportunities for accurately measuring computing resources and their use, simplifying the comparison of competing cloud offerings and opening the door to charging models based more closely on actual consumption.

Click here to download the free white paper.

Here are some of the specific topics covered:

The Value of Measurement – what can we measure, how should it be measured, and a look at allocation vs. consumption models

Utility Computing measurements – a review of several prominent approaches to measuring IT resource consumption across different environments

Pros and Cons of Utility Computing – a detailed look at the benefits and challenges associated with utility computing

Future Possibilities – consistently measuring IT resources consumption across public, private and hybrid cloud environments is putting us on the path toward a true computing utility, but two significant barriers still remain.

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