Cloud computing is all the rage. "It's
become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing
many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have
a different definition.
As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a
familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets
bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly
as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the
Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the
firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.
Cloud computing comes
into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase
capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new
infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud
computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in
real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities.
Cloud computing is at an
early stage, with a motley crew of providers large and small delivering a slew
of cloud-based services, from full-blown applications to storage services to
spam filtering. Yes, utility-style infrastructure providers are part of the
mix, but so are SaaS (software as a service) providers such as Salesforce.com.
Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually,
but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging.
See this video tutorial
on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTNgV0O_oTg
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