What’s in a Cloud? Why is it called a ‘cloud’ in the first place? Is it all pie in the sky? Read on as this new series will give you all the information you need to know about cloud computing, its benefits and the concerns related to its immediate adoption for some.
Most have concluded that cloud computing got its name from the many network diagrams and drawings depicting the internet as an actual cloud. It seems very àpropos that cloud has stuck so well, after all like the internet, clouds have no real boundaries, borders or constraints, for the most part. Its edges, if it really had any, are under a constant state of change and shift, based on the air pressure and humidity that surrounds each cloud formation, or in other words, the demand for new horizons that will be built within its architecture.
The fundamental idea of cloud computing is giving access to data and applications that are stored on hardware in a remote location, versus your company’s local data center, via the internet. The eminent goal is to cut costs of technology, overall, by reducing data center complexity, thereby reducing the cost and time it takes to support such computer architectures. Another great benefit is that ramp up time to add functionality or an application to your computing architecture is much faster when you don’t have to build the servers, learn the new software, handle migration and training, etc.
Another driver for the cloud, as hinted at above, is the need for companies to get competitive advantage quickly, which is not usually available in their data centers as they typically lack flexibility and need advanced knowledge for the implementations. The added support services and users required, based on a company’s rapid growth, also dictate the necessity for a modular and on-demand architecture, to support that growth.
Small businesses and startups are adopting cloud computing to not only give them the latest and greatest applications at potentially significant reductions in immediate costs, but a much faster ‘time to live’, in comparison to going through the processes of building their own data centers. Larger businesses are cutting costs with cloud computing as well, by completely transforming how they deliver their IT services to their users and customers.
Cloud computing is changing IT overall; from a maintenance oriented technology and role within a company to one that allows a company to innovate and excel with new services and technology otherwise out of immediate reach. As you can expect, there is an almost equal push for expanded governance that directly supports cloud-based IT services, centered around what’s called service-oriented-architectures or SOA.
More coming soon….
