“Cloud Computing” is using the Web server facilities of a provider on the Internet (the “cloud”) to run applications. There is so much buzz about the cloud that the terms “cloud computing” and “cloud” may appear to be synonymous. However, the average user views the cloud from a different perspective than the IT professional. For example, users increasingly employ the Internet for backup and media storage. The cloud provides a central location from which to upload and download documents, photos and videos from any Web browser on any computer. This is “storage in the cloud” rather than true cloud computing.
To the IT department, cloud computing is really about two approaches to serving applications to the end user. It may be “software as a service” (SaaS), which delivers the entire application. Or, it may be “infrastructure as a service” (IaaS), where only the servers and operating systems are provided, and customers deploy their own applications on the hardware.
Cloud computing’s distinguishing features are self-service, scalability and speed. Self -service means that everything is done online from start to finish, although human support is always available.
The cloud is scalable, meaning that it can be quickly set up to handle extra workloads, such as increased holiday Web traffic or when new products are launched. In addition, Internet cloud providers may be connected to multiple Tier 1 backbones for fast response times and availability.
Source: PCMag.com
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