Glossary

CAF

Cloud Adoption Framework is an end-to-end lifecycle framework for cloud transformation. It covers all phases of the cloud transformation journey, including strategy development, top-level planning, survey and evaluation, solution design, adoption and implementation, and O&M governance. CAF provides methodologies, best practices, tools, and templates for each phase of the cloud transformation journey.

WAF

The Well-Architected Framework is Huawei Cloud's technical framework, providing design guidance and best practices to address critical challenges faced after migrating customer services to the cloud. Building on Huawei and industry best practices, WAF addresses five core architectural principles: resilience, security, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and operational excellence. It empowers customers to create exceptional technical and application architectures on Huawei Cloud. WAF is also short for web application firewall. You need to determine the specific meaning of WAF based on the context.

IT infrastructure

An IT infrastructure is a platform-based environment for ensuring the secure and stable running of all application systems within an organization. Underlying IT resources (such as data centers, hardware, networks, and virtualization) are abstracted, managed, and optimized to provide necessary compute, storage, network, database, middleware, and other IT services and a stable, reliable, and efficient runtime environment for application systems. This accelerates the development, testing, and deployment of application systems. Cloud computing can greatly accelerate the construction and expansion of your organization's IT infrastructure and simplify the O&M management of the IT infrastructure, enabling your organization to focus on high-value fields such as application system development and O&M. IT infrastructure is also called technical platform or technical middle end. The IT infrastructure built based on cloud computing is also called a cloud infrastructure.

Application system

An application system is a software system designed to complete specific tasks or solve specific problems. It supports specific business processes and scenarios in an organization. It usually consists of a series of interrelated applications, databases, middleware, configuration files, and documents, and runs on the IT infrastructure. An application system can be independent or part of a larger application system. Application systems are also called business systems, information systems, business application systems, business information systems, and workloads.

IT management system

IT management systems, such as the security operations center, Identity and Access Management (IAM), and monitoring and O&M system, are IT support and management systems established to support the long-term secure and stable running of application systems.

Cloud services

Cloud services are various IT services provided by cloud service providers through the Internet or dedicated networks, including compute, storage, network, security, O&M management, database, middleware, big data, and AI services. Users can access these services on demand without purchasing and maintaining physical hardware and software infrastructure. They only need to pay for the resources they actually use. The main types of cloud services include Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

IaaS

IaaS provides compute, storage, network, and other infrastructure resources as cloud services. Users can deploy and run any software based on these cloud services, including operating systems, databases, middleware, and applications. Users do not control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but they can control the operating system, storage, applications, and possibly limited network components (such as host firewalls).

PaaS

PaaS provides platform resources such as DevOps tool chains, middleware, databases, microservice engines, and big data platforms as cloud services. Users can develop, test, deploy, and maintain applications based on these cloud services. Users do not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure and platform resources such as middleware, databases, and microservice engines, but they can control the deployed applications and their related data.

SaaS

SaaS provides applications as cloud services. Applications can be accessed through various client devices, such as web browsers, mobile apps, or APIs. Users do not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, platform resources, or applications, but they can control the data generated during application running.

Cloud resources

Cloud resources are IT resource instances created by users using cloud services. They include compute, storage, network, security, O&M management, database, middleware, big data processing, and AI resources. Users can use cloud resources to quickly build the IT infrastructure required by upper-layer application systems.

Cloud service provider

A cloud service provider (CSP) is a company that provides cloud services. CSPs design, build, and manage large-scale cloud data centers, and provide on-demand cloud services to customers through the Internet or private networks. CSPs are also called cloud vendors.

Landing zone

In aviation, a landing zone refers to the area where an aircraft (such as a helicopter) can land safely. This term is used to name the solution for securely and smoothly migrating application systems to and running them on the public cloud. A landing zone is designed to create a multi-account runtime environment on the cloud that features robust architecture, security, compliance, and scalability. Built on this foundation, a streamlined IT governance system is established to enable structured and centralized management of personnel, resources, finances, permissions, and compliance. The ultimate goal is to systematically address the IT governance and security compliance challenges arising from enterprises' large-scale adoption of cloud services.

Account

Huawei Cloud accounts function as resource containers where users can deploy any resources and application systems. They are isolated from each other. Faults and security risks in one account will not affect or spread to other accounts. Huawei Cloud accounts define the security management boundaries. Each account has an independent identity and permissions management system. Without authorization, users in an account cannot access resources, data, and applications in other accounts.

From the perspective of IT governance, accounts are classified into management accounts and member accounts. Management accounts are used to create and manage organizations, member accounts, and SCP policies. Member accounts are used to carry specific application systems (such as ERP) or IT management responsibilities. From the perspective of financial governance, accounts are classified into master accounts and member accounts. They can form centralized or decentralized financial management relationships. The management account and the master account are the same entity. The member accounts are also the same entity.

Cloud organizational structure

The cloud organizational structure organizes cloud resources in a hierarchical structure. It consists of multiple levels of organizational units and accounts. An organizational unit can contain multiple lower-level organizational units and accounts. According to Conway's law, the cloud organizational structure is usually consistent with the enterprise's business structure.

Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE)

CCoE is a centralized team established by an enterprise for cloud transformation. It is responsible for the entire cloud transformation journey, including strategy formulation, top-level planning, survey and evaluation, solution design, adoption and implementation, and O&M governance. Its goal is to help enterprises maximize the value of cloud computing and ensure the successful implementation of cloud transformation projects by providing best practices, guidance, and resources.

Cloud operating model (COM)

COM is a collection of processes and regulations designed for enterprises to adopt, manage, and operate cloud computing technologies to maximize the business value of cloud computing. The cloud operating model must align with the organization's business operating model and define the collaboration between the CCoE and the application team. An effective cloud operating model enables the CCoE to centrally manage the entire cloud platform, enhancing efficiency and minimizing technical risks. Meanwhile, the application team gains the flexibility to manage and utilize cloud resources, fostering rapid application innovation.

Digital transformation

Digital transformation refers to the comprehensive reshaping and innovation of an organization's business models, operating processes, products, and services using digital technologies (such as cloud computing, big data, IoT, AI, and blockchain) to adapt to the rapidly changing market environment and meet customers' increasing requirements. Through digital transformation, organizations can not only improve efficiency and competitiveness, but also create new value and growth opportunities.

Cloud transformation

Cloud transformation refers to the process of migrating an organization's IT infrastructure, application systems, and business processes to a cloud computing platform, or using cloud computing technologies to reconstruct and optimize its business models and operating processes. It is not just a simple "migration to the cloud", but a comprehensive transformation involving strategy, technology, organization, and processes. The goal is to leverage the advantages of cloud computing to improve business agility and continuity, reduce costs, and drive business innovation. Cloud transformation plays a crucial role in enabling digital transformation and significantly accelerates an organization's journey toward achieving it.

Business unit

A business unit is an independent operational and managerial unit within an enterprise. It is structured based on factors such as products, services, markets, customer groups, or functional domains. Each business unit usually has its own strategic objectives, responsibilities, resources, and performance indicators, and is responsible for specific business activities and market areas. A business unit can be a subsidiary, business group, product line, department, or project team.