Cloud Computing Introduction
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If you have not lived in a technological box for the past few years, you’ve heard the term “Cloud Computing“. “It’s become the phrase du jour” according to Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring. How does the idea of Cloud Computing fit in with the idea of Just Enough Technology? To answer that question, we’ll need to come to an understanding of what Cloud Computing is. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of Cloud Computing at a very high level. Later, we’ll delve into more specific aspects. First, we’ll define Cloud Computing, then we’ll look at its basic components and finally we’ll take a peek at its potential benefits.
Definition
The definition of Cloud Computing can sometimes seem rather, well, nebulous. Some have characterized it as “everything we are doing now”. While I agree that there are aspects of what we have been doing that relate to “the cloud”, Cloud Computing is much more. In the broadest sense, Cloud Computing involves abstracting various components of software systems so that the business and development team need not be concerned with the details. These components can include hardware, infrastructure, services and integration points. You can divide Cloud Computing into 3 broad categories:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
There are other offerings such as Managed Service Providers (MSP), but for this introduction, we’ll concentrate on the 3 main components.
Components of Cloud Computing
Basic Characteristics
Cloud Computing customers do not own the physical infrastructure or in many cases the software utilized. Instead these resources are “rented”. This model is similar to the Utility Provider model upon which we purchase electricity and other services. Computing services are “consumed” in a like manner to electricity and the customer is charged a consumption fee. For example, Cloud Servers customers can be charged a usage fee based on actual computing cycles used instead of a flat server rental fee. Since there is no single server on which a company’s application is installed, redundancy is built in, as is scalability.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS is probably the component with the broadest market appeal. The SaaS provider allows its clients to use its applications, but not directly interact with its services or hardware. A simple example of SaaS might be web-based email services or something like Twitter. This component of Cloud Computing is in wide use today and is rapidly increasing in adoption. For example, some businesses are moving to Gmail from internally hosted mail solutions.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS provides things like block storage or virtual servers. This area has a high potential for savings for many companies. Like SaaS, companies are weighing the benefits of foregoing the cost and headache of self-managed hardware for buying a piece of the cloud.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS is where the provider offers a platform upon which developers or end-users can create applications using the provider’s APIs. An example today would be Google Apps.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing has many potential benefits including better scalability, better availability, lower overall cost and TCO. Companies may be able to save on Capital Expenditures by not having to purchase and maintain hardware. This can result in significant savings over time. The general idea is for the company to concentrate on the things that directly affect their bottom line such as product development and marketing, while allowing a service provider to deal with things that do not directly affect income. Of course, it must be economical for the company to “rent” hardware and software services and in many cases Cloud Computing can result in real savings. But like most technologies, the applicability of Cloud Computing must be evaluated on a case by case basis. There are obviously other factors, such as data security’, that must be addressed.
Should We Adopt Cloud Computing?
There are many factors involve in answering this question and each company’s answer will be unique to their needs and situation. Before undertaking any technological change, especially on as fundamental as adopting Cloud Computing, all important options and factors should be carefully considered. The objectives of the company must be clear and factored into the equation. Technology is a tool and it must fit the job. My advice? Get some advice when making a decision about Cloud Computing. Don’t be afraid to adopt Cloud Computing, but weigh the benefits carefully against the cost and your company’s objectives.
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