The dimensions we’ve outlined are mostly independent of each other and the options within each can be combined in many different ways - and in practice they are IT vendors and service providers innovate to deal with different requirements and use cases.

This is why a lot of labels and categories we discussed at the outset aren’t that useful in practical terms. To understand and compare different supplier propositions, you have to consider each of the dimensions we’ve outlined. Make assumptions, and there’s high risk of being caught out.

To finish on a positive a note, however, it’s nowadays possible to define a ‘cloud’ solution to meet pretty any set of requirements. So don’t start by asking whether public, private, hybrid or any other form of cloud is right in a given context; define what’s important in terms of functionality, performance, cost, control, security, compliance and so on, then talk to suppliers about meeting your specific needs.