Even with the cloud poised to have a huge impact on physical security, there still is a segment of the security channel that requires more knowledge about how the cloud operates and, further, how they can incorporate it into their business offerings. This special report, “The Integrator’s Guide to the Cloud,” examines some fundamental basics of the cloud and how systems integrators can adapt to — and maximize the benefits of — its impact on the physical security market.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud services as those that are hosted (and the user only needs Internet access and a computer); that are sold on demand; and that are elastic (customers can use as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time). Cloud services are also multi-tenant (supporting numerous customers in a single instance).