Cloud Resource Administrator

A cloud resource administrator is the person or organization responsible for administering a cloud-based IT resource (including cloud services). The cloud resource administrator can be (or belong to) the cloud consumer or cloud provider of the cloud within which the cloud service resides. Alternatively, it can be (or belong to) a third-party organization contracted to administer the cloud-based IT resource.

For example, a cloud service owner can contract a cloud resource administrator to administer a cloud service (Figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1 – A cloud resource administrator can be with a cloud consumer organization and administer remotely accessible IT resources that belong to the cloud consumer.

Figure 2 – A cloud resource administrator can be with a cloud provider organization for which it can administer the cloud provider’s internally and externally available IT resources.

The reason a cloud resource administrator is not referred to as a “cloud service administrator” is because this role may be responsible for administering cloud-based IT resources that don’t exist as cloud services. For example, if the cloud resource administrator belongs to (or is contracted by) the cloud provider, IT resources not made remotely accessible may be administered by this role (and these types of IT resources are not classified as cloud services).