Cloud usage is primarily measured by assessing IT capacity and IT utilization, which reflect different aspects of cloud performance and activity.
IT Capacity Measurement
IT capacity focuses on the raw resources a cloud service provides, using metrics to understand the performance potential.
- Storage: The amount of data that can be stored, measured in gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB), or petabytes (PB).
- CPU Cycles: The processing power available, tracked by the number of cores and clock speed.
- Network Bandwidth: The data transfer rate, measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps).
- Workload Memory Capacity: The amount of RAM available for applications, measured in gigabytes (GB).
These metrics help determine how much computational power, storage space, and network throughput are being offered by the cloud services.
IT Utilization Measurement
IT utilization assesses how effectively the offered cloud resources are being used. These are indicators of activity and usability.
- Uptime Availability: The percentage of time that the cloud service is available, often expressed as a percentage (e.g., 99.99% uptime).
- Volume of Usage: The actual extent of resource usage, such as the number of transactions processed, data transferred, or computations completed.
These utilization metrics provide insights into how much the cloud services are being leveraged, indicating both activity and user satisfaction.
Summary Table
| Category | Metric | Description | Measurement Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT Capacity | Storage | Data storage capacity. | GB, TB, PB |
| CPU Cycles | Processing power. | Cores, clock speed | |
| Network Bandwidth | Data transfer rate. | Mbps, Gbps | |
| Workload Memory Capacity | RAM available for applications. | GB | |
| IT Utilization | Uptime Availability | Percentage of time cloud service is available. | Percentage (%) |
| Volume of Usage | Actual extent of resource usage; transactions, data, computations etc. | Varies based on the metric |
In essence, the combination of IT capacity which measures available resources and IT utilization which measures how these resources are being used provides a complete picture of cloud usage.
