Cloud Computing – Safe Data Storage and Increased Efficiency with the Ultimate IT Solution

January 8, 2013 by ·

More and more businesses today recognize the need to be able to carry out their business activity without being tied down to company premises and without having to invest extensively into new software and hardware; more and more businesses understand the importance of utilizing cloud computing as a tool to make daily workflow smoother and finances more calculable.

As the fasted developing trend of the 2010s, cloud solutions are very efficient and hold immense potential for companies and organizations and for the individual user as well, by increasing computer capacity without extending infrastructure. Cloud computing solutions are varied and diversified, but they all share few characteristics:

  • The workload is shifted from local computers to the provider’s hardware and software infrastructure. The computing services are no longer operated on a dedicated hardware, like a server in the basement of the office building, but they are run on the service provider’s platforms, hiding the actual process of data management from the end user, wrapping the process in a “cloud”.
  • Customers can access these services through a network and a user-friendly interface. In the case of public systems accessible for an extended customer base, this network is the internet, while private systems like the ones used by companies or organizations utilize an internal system like the company intranet. The contents required by the user are stored on remote servers operated by the provider, and the customer’s local computers will gain access to these contents through an application.
  • Cloud computing is flexible and scalable: it offers the user the possibility to increase or reduce the size of the resources accessed, and the resources consumed can be measured and translated into fees to be paid by the customer.

Web-based virus scanning services, web-mails, computer security management devices, anti-spam tools are just a few of the most common examples of these cloud solutions. Average consumers, small enterprises and large corporations alike show more and more interest towards these platforms, acknowledging them as useful tools that make their lives easier and that can be used to start-up or develop their business: private users can store their data safely in the virtual storage places; small companies can operate without having to invest into new computers and programs, while larger organizations can make their day-to-day activity more efficient.

Cloud computing allows these businesses to outsource certain tasks, thus reducing expenses, while also ensuring that the company’s data base is completely safe and stored on a fail-proof network.

Filed Under: Cloud Computing, General News · Tagged: , , ,

Introduction to Cloud Computing – Definition and General Characteristics

October 18, 2012 by ·

There has been a lot of talk about the concept of cloud computing recently, as many businesses “move to the cloud”, adopting a set of new types of scalable technologies that have significantly enhanced the speed and quality of their online services, while also offering many other benefits, as well.

But What Is Cloud Computing Exactly?

Cloud services generally represent the delivery of hosting services (both hardware and software) through a network. The network is usually the internet itself, as represented by the term “cloud”. There are three main aspects that set them apart from regular hosting services:

  • They are extremely flexible, being provided according to the needs of each user at any given time;
  • Because the services are managed fully by the provider, the user will only need a computer or mobile device with internet access in order to use them;
  • Cloud services are typically sold on demand, either by the minute or by the hour, depending on each individual user or company’s demands.

Currently Available Cloud Types and Models

There are three main cloud service types available, which, set apart from several others, are the most important categories offered by cloud computing providers: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

Apart from these, other cloud service varieties may include storage-as-a-service, data-as-a-service, API-as-a service, security-as-a-service and more; each of these are specially designed to provide different types of products and architectures on demand, usually regardless of organizational or geographic factors.

A cloud can also be categorized as either private or public. Private clouds represent proprietary networks that supply services to a limited number of people, while public cloud services are typically offered by providers through the internet to any potential clients.

Clouds have become an extremely broad market recently. As a result of the further SOA innovations that are constantly under way, combined with an increased speed and quality of internet technologies, the interest in cloud services is likely to continue rising in the future.

Now that you know the basics of cloud computing, stay tuned for more in-depth info, as there many important details you need to learn about to understand the full potential of such a service.

Filed Under: Cloud Computing, General News · Tagged: , , , , , , ,