The Tool Desk
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What is a cloud service provider?
NIST defines cloud computing as a model for convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources—such as networks, servers, storage, applications, and services—that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or provider interaction. A CSP is an organization that offers and provides those computing capabilities as services. NIST Special Publication 800-145 sets out the definition; NIST Special Publication 500-322 explains how to assess whether a capability qualifies.
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What makes a service cloud?
NIST identifies five essential characteristics. For a capability to qualify under its framework, all five must be available, though a customer may not use every characteristic in every instance.
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- On-demand self-service: A consumer can provision computing capabilities automatically as needed, without requiring a person from the provider to handle each request.
- Broad network access: The capability is available over a network through standard mechanisms that work with different kinds of client devices.
- Resource pooling: The provider pools resources to serve multiple consumers, assigning and reassigning them as demand changes. This is commonly a multi-tenant arrangement.
- Rapid elasticity: Capacity can scale outward or inward with demand. From the consumer’s perspective, the available capacity may seem unlimited.
- Measured service: Resource use is metered, monitored, controlled, and reported, giving provider and consumer visibility into consumption.
How to assess an offering
Evaluate the capability itself against the five characteristics rather than relying on a company’s label. NIST’s guidance allows customer requirements and judgment to affect an assessment, and some criteria are not equally visible from the outside.
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- Check whether you can provision the capability yourself when needed, and whether it is accessible through standard network mechanisms.
- Look for how capacity can expand or contract and how usage is metered and reported.
- Ask the provider how resources are pooled and allocated across consumers. Resource pooling may not be independently observable to a customer, so provider confirmation can be necessary.
NIST’s qualification guidance is a practical framework for discussion and comparison, not a universal certification or complete legal test. NIST says its definition is intended to provide a baseline for broad comparisons; it does not prescribe or constrain a particular deployment method, service delivery, or business operation. SP 500-322 provides the qualification guidance.
Cloud service models and deployment models
Service models describe the computing capability a provider supplies and the consumer role it serves. Deployment models describe how the cloud environment is organized. These are separate classifications in NIST’s framework.
| Classification | Model | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Service model | Software as a Service (SaaS) | The consumer uses applications provided by the provider; the primary role is the end user. |
| Service model | Platform as a Service (PaaS) | The provider supplies a platform for developing or deploying applications; the primary role is the developer or deployer. |
| Service model | Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) | The provider supplies IT infrastructure; the primary role is IT operations. |
| Deployment model | Public | A way the cloud environment is deployed. |
| Deployment model | Private | A way the cloud environment is deployed. |
| Deployment model | Community | A way the cloud environment is deployed. |
| Deployment model | Hybrid | A way the cloud environment is deployed—not a fourth service model. |
The service-model distinctions follow the capability provisioned, not merely the product’s name. NIST’s descriptions of the models and consumer roles appear in SP 800-145 and its qualification guidance in SP 500-322.
What to compare between providers
When comparing offerings, first identify the capability delivered—an application, a development or deployment platform, or IT infrastructure—and the consumer role it serves. Then assess evidence that the five cloud characteristics are available. Compare the deployment model separately; it does not change whether the capability is SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS.
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