Cloud services are a much-discussed subject in technology and business circles. However, there’s one question about the cloud service revolution that is often asked but rarely answered.

Where in the heck does my cloud reside?

This is not just an academic or trick question. As we move rapidly into a world of public, private and hybrid clouds, it assumes a great deal of importance.

Here’s a quick primer:

» Private clouds are virtualized servers and desktops that run on your company’s computers and reside in a data center or possibly in your own office. In Hawaii they are usually, but not always, at a local telecommunications provider or in a private data center.

» Public clouds are on a service provider’s hardware on the public Internet and are almost always run on servers outside the state.

» Hybrid clouds are a combination of public and private clouds. Thus, you also may have your private cloud in a data center managed by a public cloud provider.

In the world of cloud services, Hawaii’s locale as the most remote inhabited island chain on the planet is a big deal. While Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others provide public cloud services, you will never know exactly where your cloud services originate. However, you can be certain they are very far away.

So do you take your data to a public or private cloud?

"It comes down to the kind of information and applications you’re involved with that will determine whether or not to park your data in a public or private cloud," says Fred Rodi, president of the Honolulu-based data center DR Fortress. "For example, if you’re storing medical, tax or financial records, you need to be 100 percent certain they are secure." In these cases, he says, it’s better to opt for private cloud services, so you know exactly where your data resides.

Rodi suggests that any private cloud provider should combine network security with physical security. His operation, near the airport, has 24/7 security guards, biometric controlled access and redundant power supply, and is a primary point of presence for the main telecommunication providers such as AT&T, Sprint, etc.

"Anytime a customer asks where his or her cloud is," Rodi says, "I just point in the direction of my building."

Mike Meyer, former Internet general manager at Oceanic Time Warner Cable, now runs Islanda Managed Cloud Services, based in Honolulu. Reach him at mike.meyer@islandatech.com.