If there is some debate about the four deployment models then there is general agreement among IT professionals, if not marketing executives, that the following situations do not constitute cloud computing:
- renting dedicated server hardware in a data centre for a single task, such as hosting a website, even if it is on a subscription basis;
- server virtualization (running multiple virtual computers on a single server) in itself, unless servers can be deployed and destroyed in minutes by the consumer themselves rather than the provider;
- connecting to your home PC or office PC from anywhere using remote desktop or VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology.