Cloud Computing



Cloud Computing is a popular internet based service, it allows the sharing of resources, software and information. These services are operated on a demand service and can therefore be accessed at any time. Cloud computing first surfaced in the early 1980s, this was the point when servers were changed from mainframe servers to client servers. Cloud computing can be described as a revolutionary method of It delivery services based on the Internet. The services which are offered for cloud computing are provided by well known computing companies such as Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon and Google.
Cloud computing does offer some characteristics similar to other web services, although it is not identical, these services include autonomic computing, client server model, grid computing, mainframe computing, utility computing and peer to peer.
Cloud computing is often expensive, the physical server requirements are often very expensive and therefore individual firms do not usually own these. The service provider of the cloud computing therefore usually owns this equipment. Many small and medium enterprises are now beginning to use cloud computing. This is mainly due to them having a tight budget and can therefore not afford a large outlay on IT equipment. There are many features and benefits of cloud computing which will now be analysed.
To begin, cloud computing provides the users with agility, this means that firms can quickly update their technological infrastructures.
Cloud computing provides reduced costs and also means the amount of money spent on capital expenditure is reduced. Ultimately this means that entry to markets is cheaper as investment is not too high.
Another major benefit is that the systems do not restrict where the clouds can be accessed or the devices which can access them. Therefore as long as the user has access to the Internet in their location, they will be able to access the cloud.
The ability to access large amount of information which is shared between a large pool of people is a benefit in regards to knowledge sharing and also costs.
The security aspect of information is paramount for any business and therefore cloud computing is only a suitable choice if high security is provided. Cloud computing helps to improve security as the data is held in one central point, which often means the security is better than traditional systems. The security which is installed within cloud computing is often highly sophisticated and very difficult to try and crack.
Businesses have a large amount of options when choosing which cloud computing provider to opt for. As the popularity of the service has grown, the number of providers has also increased greatly. Due to this, many providers now offer individual packages to firms which are tailored perfectly towards the business needs. Organisations looking at investing in such services should first seek reviews of the potential firm in order to understand their past business within the market. In 2009 there was over 50 billion dollars spent in this market, proving just how large it is.