Cloud computing is a client shared computing through the
internet hence the term cloud computing. Cloud computing allows companies to
have access to resources as they need them without having to maintain the
infrastructure for these resources.
This is beneficial to clients who want to utilize the software without the
expense of maintaining an IT department. With the evolution of computers and
the internet clients can use internet supported products that look and act as
if the programs are locally installed. Most Cloud Computing providers offer
common business applications through the internet and through a web browser
while the data and software are stored on a different server.
Even though clouds will appear as single points for their clients they may actually
be using multiple servers to maintain client's data. Clouds must maintain a
certain quality of service and an agreement between cloud and client called a
Service Level Agreement is traditionally signed. There are several different
clouds that are available some of the major cloud providers are Microsoft, IBM,
Salesforce, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Amazon, and Google.
Traditionally cloud providers will bill for usage similar to that used by
utility companies. This is a great benefit to cloud providers with multiple
companies there is no down time servers are constantly utilized. When deciding
whether a cloud provider is the right choice or maintaining your own there are
a few things to consider. Cloud provider may save on upfront capital
expenditures but operating costs can be expensive. Cloud providers charge for
IP addresses, and data transfer in and out of storage, Put request and get
requests and load balancing.
