As an example of foggy thinking I offer Cloud Computing. There are many discussions of cloud computing devoid of any mention of the requirements the cloud must meet. InfoWorld offers a definition, “Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT’s existing capabilities.” Analyzing the definition raises the question – why do you have to pay for it to be cloud computing? An answer can be found in an entertaining and emotional post: F*ck the Cloud- if you value your data then you should contract/pay for the service. TOS for free services will not allow for any liability if you lose your data.
The actual requirements a cloud service is supposed to meet are often alluded to indirectly.There are lists of where and how the cloud falls short, but no explicit statement of the requirements that it fails to meet.
Explicitly evaluating cloud offerings against a requirements tree provides a more reliable means of assessing the cloud. The fundamental requirement will be a decision based on a higher level assessment of needs and goals. Some type of data storage or processing may be the primary requirement. Secondary requirement include data security, uptime and reliable access, etc.
