Cloud Computing
VIRTUALISED RESOURCES
Cloud computing is Internet-based development and use of computer technology computing. The term ‘cloud’ is used as a metaphor for the Internet. It typically involves provisioning of dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources as a service over the Internet. The term ‘cloud computing’ is derived from the cloud symbol which often is used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams.
Cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online which are accessed from a web browser, while software and data are stored on servers. This expertise allows them to efficiently manage upgrades and maintenance, backups, disaster recovery, and failover functions.
MULTIPLE SEGMENTS
Cloud computing is generally accepted as being broken up into multiple segments that include: Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Platforms and Cloud Applications. Business applications that orbit around cloud computing fall broadly into different categories:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Managed Service Providers (MSP)
- Utility Computing
- Service Commerce
- Internet Integration
- Web Services
DECOUPLING OWNERSHIP FROM BENEFITS
Cloud computing users do not own the physical infrastructure thus avoiding capital expenditure on hardware, software and services. Instead, they pay a third party provider only for what they use.
Other benefits of this time sharing-style approach are: (1) low barriers to entry; (2) shared infrastructure and costs; (3) low management overhead; and, (4) immediate access to a broad range of applications. In general, users can terminate a contract at any time avoiding return on investment risk and uncertainty and services are, more often than not, covered by service level agreements.
On-demand self-service Internet infrastructure where you pay-as-you-go and use only what you need – all managed by a browser, application or API, have a lot to offer an enterprise particularly as the latest technologies bring business agility.
BENEFITS OF EMPLOYING CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing technologies and CIO strategies are now converging to create more cost-effective and agile business driven by IT. It opens a future in which all data center computing is done in the cloud. If there’s one thing CIOs can start doing now, it’s to dissect what cloud providers are doing as a blueprint for how to prep their own environments for web-oriented architectures and next-generation data centers.
Among the drivers that are encouraging more organisations and institutions to contemplate cloud services are budget pressures, calls for increased reliability of and access to IT systems, and the need for them to provide timely access to the latest IT functionality.
Cloud computing presents IT-driven organisations with a fundamentally different model of operation, one that takes advantage of the maturity of web applications and networks and the rising interoperability of computing systems to provide services.
The emergence of cloud computing as a now viable option for a growing number of IT services speaks up to a level of Internet penetration and infrastructure maturity that did not exist a few years ago. Analysts and IT leaders believe that cloud computing programs will also increase considerably in the coming years.
Our cloud computing specialists would be happy to consult and help you to better appreciate, understand and harness the benefits of cloud computing for your enterprise.