Tuesday, April 26, 2011

What is cloud computing?

We're hearing the term everywhere, but what does it really mean? And how is it going to revolutionise business?

Everybody is sure that cloud computing is key to the future of IT, but people often seem unsure quite what it is. In fact, it's an umbrella term for a number of different trends, all involving the internet and its potential to simplify the way we use computers and extend their capabilities.

The "cloud" is the internet, and the term is fitting – it's large, out there somewhere, and fuzzy at the edges. Cloud computing is about putting more of your material out there and less on PCs or servers that a business runs for itself.

You can do this in many ways, but with every vendor claiming to do cloud computing in some form it has become confusing. It is worth understanding terms such as SaaS (software-as-a- service) and PaaS (platform-as a-service) so as to evaluate vendor claims. There are radical differences between the various forms of cloud computing, and they do not all offer the same benefits.

Below and in the accompanying glossary we attempt to answer common questions and explain baffling terms about this new area of computing.

Q: What's the point of cloud computing?
Reasons vary, but often include the desire to outsource the maintenance burden of servers and applications; the need to scale systems up or down on demand; the benefit of being able to access your data from anywhere with an internet connection; and the ability to replace occasional heavy expenditure on IT with regular and predictable operational expenditure.


Q: What is utility computing?
The idea that businesses should not be spending effort and money on installing and maintaining complex hardware and applications, when a specialist can supply those same services on a pay-as- you-go basis. Businesses do not generally generate their own power – utilities are bought when needed. In the same way, the argument runs, essential IT services can be managed better externally.


Q: What is software-as-a-service (SaaS)?
Pre-baked services that you access simply by navigating there in a web browser. Google Mail and Google Docs are examples of this kind of cloud computing.


Read More At:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-computing


















e-Zest Solutions Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified & SEI CMMi Level 3 software outsourcing company with expertise and focus on outsourced product development/ product engineering solutions and enterprise custom application development.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the wealth of resource! Cloud computing is the best solution of any IT business..it has very less downtime! Thanks for e-Zest and its service!!

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