Introduction to Cloud Computing
As a metaphor for the Internet, “the cloud” is a familiar cliche, but when combined with “computing,” the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. On the other hand others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is “in the cloud,” including conventional outsourcing. The most common analogy to explain cloud computing is that of public utilities such as electricity, gas, and water. Just as centralized and standardized utilities free individuals from the vagaries of generating their own electricity or pumping their own water, cloud computing frees the user from having to deal with the physical, hardware aspects of a computer or the more mundane software maintenance tasks of possessing a physical computer in their home or office. Instead they use a share of a vast network Continue reading