Cloud computing for lawyers, not dummies! Part Two!

In our first article on cloud computing, we settled on "the cloud is the internet as a business or consumer platform". Of course, the cloud can be deployed in a number of ways and in this blog we will walk you through the different types of cloud service and deployment models.

Several good descriptions of cloud technology exist but we found this one by the American National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) very useful. You can read it here in this concise 3 page pdf.

Service Models

Firstly, let's talk about service models. Service models refer to the capabilities of a cloud service. The three most common are Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

• SaaS: The ability to use a software package deployed by the service provider. Think Gmail!
• PaaS: A development platform hosted by the service provider to facilitate rapid design, testing, and deployment of new applications. Think Azure! Please find a neat video here
• IaaS: Can be viewed as the opposite of SaaS, whereby the service provider only delivers hardware resources (network, compute, storage) required to run a customer’s operating systems and applications. Think Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud!

Deployment Models

Secondly, let's discuss deployment models. Deployment models refer to the way in which the service is provisioned. There are 4 primary cloud deployment models - Private, Community, Public and Hybrid. 

• Private: The service is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organisation
• Community: The service is provisioned for exclusive use by a community of organisations
• Public: The service is provisioned for open use by the general public
• Hybrid: A mix of two or more private, community and public clouds

 

Ad Coelum Technology Models

So, what models do we intend to use to deliver our innovative cloud platform to forward thinking law firms?

In terms of our service model, we intend to begin with SaaS, making it easy for our customers to start using our software and allowing us to ensure that their experience is fully managed. As our platform evolves we also fully intend to leverage PaaS, exposing more and more of the platform to our customers, especially our integration engine powered by Windows Azure Service Bus technology.

From a deployment perspective, our solutions will be provisioned as a private cloud on a single-tenant basis, ensuring customer data remains secure and completely separate. This model also enables upgrades to solutions to be managed on a per-customer basis.

We have selected the Microsoft Windows Azure cloud to help us realise our vision to create a more productive legal profession by evolving case & matter management utilising cloud, mobile and social technology to provide a rich and compelling user experience. Below are just a handful of the fantastic benefits we and our customers will enjoy from a cloud platform like Windows Azure:

• Global footprint - Azure data centres provide a truly global cloud network
• High availability - 99.9% or higher SLA across all Azure services
• Only pay for what you use - resources are only billed when in use
• Ability to scale-out - hardware procurement becomes a thing of the past!

We're all in it together...

As an innovative new cloud technology company, we will also be practicing what we preach! Below are just a few of the many cloud technologies we will be using to run our business:

• Windows Azure for internal applications and of course, our legal software!
• Office 365 for content management, email and other forms of communication
• Dynamics CRM Online for business development
• Team Foundation Service for managing our cloud software development lifecycle

So there you have it. As we develop our business, we will experience the advantages and opportunities of cloud computing right along-side our customers. After all we can't promote the cloud as a means of business advantage if we don't live it and breath it ourselves!