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what is cloud computing?

infrastructure transformation and management

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing promises to revolutionize IT by delivering computing resources securely over the network

It’s easy to get caught up in the complexities surrounding your business applications and infrastructure resources. Data centers, network connectivity, servers and storage, cooling, and a team of experts to install, configure and run them are all important considerations, with each upgrade potentially impacting the whole system.

Cloud computing can change all this. It allows any IT resource to be consumed as a utility, from simple applications to a complete server infrastructure, and be delivered to you as on-demand services over a network. This allows you to enjoy advanced IT services without extensive capital investment, skilled staff and ongoing operational headaches.

Your computing resources become elastic, scaling up and down to suit your needs, always with the latest upgrades, security and performance features. And you pay only for what you use.

virtualization and consolidation

One of the key tenets of cloud computing is the ability to present flexible computing resources that can be scaled up or down. This is accomplished through the use of virtualization technology, which enables software applications, operating systems and stored data to be handled separately from the underlying hardware.

Managed effectively, virtualization lets IT administrators move software and data around independently of the hardware, and to load them onto hardware more effectively, wasting less capacity on hard drives and CPUs. It dramatically reduces over-provisioning of computing resources.

Many companies are now using virtualization as a means of cutting costs and refining their own computing performance, effectively creating mini-‘clouds’ in-house. These can also be used in conjunction with third party cloud services to offload computing tasks during times of peak demand.

key attributes of cloud computing

hosted into central premises (usually third party) and accessed through a network

rapidly scalable, up or down

charged according to usage

key steps to take before embarking on a cloud computing initiative

make cloud computing part of your longer-term strategy

Cloud computing should not be merely about cost cutting. Think strategically. How can cloud services be used to integrate existing stove-piped services? Does your IT strategy call for a hybrid model, or are you prepared to offload all computing resources to the cloud?

define your service level agreements

Agree on service metrics, along with an escalation procedure should they not be met.

move to service-based procurement

Do not micro-manage the supplier. Concentrate on the service being provided, rather than how the provider is orchestrating their own infrastructure behind the scenes.

cloud computing glossary

cloud broker: A company bringing cloud computing service providers and customers together.
content Delivery Network: A network of servers in multiple locations designed to deliver content more quickly to users nearby by reducing network latency.
cloud-based storage: The storage of data by a remote third-party provider, which then manages the backup and data availability within its own network of data centers.
cloud computing services: Today's cloud computing services fall into one of three categories: Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a service (PaaS)
elastic computing: The use of virtualization to provide just as much computing resource as needed, and to adjust it dynamically to meet the users’ needs. This creates a seemingly limitless computing resource for the user. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): An IaaS provider will provide servers, storage, operating systems and networking resources for the customer to deploy and run their applications, without having to deploy and manage that infrastructure internally.
Platform as a service (PaaS): Use the cloud as an environment to build your own bespoke applications. Application development using PaaS is often a highly collaborative affair, because it allows teams of skilled developers in different areas of the world to deliver a project.
private cloud: A cloud computing infrastructure dedicated to the use of a single company, rather than shared between multiple enterprises (see Public Cloud) and accessed via a private network.
public cloud: A cloud computing infrastructure shared between multiple users and enterprises and accessed via the public Internet.
Service-Oriented Architecture: Software services that can be pieced together to produce applications in a cloud-based environment. Examples of services include currency conversion, user authentication, and mapping.
Software as a Service (SaaS): Software applications provided by a remote third party cloud service provider, requiring no in-house enterprise computing infrastructure other than Internet Explorer or equivalent.