The term cloud needs some clarification: Each active element (node) discovers and joins the other nodes assembling into a group, coherently working together (the sum greater than the parts) to deliver services.

Nodes can be added, removed or fail without disrupting the whole.  This fluid, virtualization of services across a dynamic set of nodes provides Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivered over standard internet networking – a cloud system.

In the case of cumulus::CyberLab, the cloud is located in your labs and offices providing secure, resilient and scalable services.  This arrangement provides the benefit of high speed connectivity between the data sources (your instruments) and the data storage – moving it off the instrument quickly and securely so the next use of the instrument can proceed with no data leakage between uses.  Local users also get high speed connectivity and remote users still have full access and receive data at their normal Internet speed.

Aggregating many independent plug-and-play nodes into a unified service creates a resilient and fluid system that can scale on-demand.

Users (or other systems) interact with the cloud services via software tools that can be run from anywhere and be delivered by a web browser without installation.

The tools connect with nodes that have a public facing address providing connection pooling, load-balancing and fail-over.