Cloud computing is the current hot topic in information technology. In essence it involves doing much of the computing work on the Internet “cloud” rather than locally. This can have a significant cost impact as organizations can reduce their spends on:
* Hardware such as servers and application software
* Upgrading from older versions of software to latest versions
* The time involved in planning, implementing and testing additions to the IT functionality
* Training and retraining staff involved in maintaining the hardware and software with each major change
Under full-fledged cloud computing, the vendor will provide the servers, software and storage while users will need only work at their local “terminals” entering data and doing other work. All software will be upgraded to latest versions by the vendor. Users pay only for what they use.
In actual practice, such complete shift of computing to the cloud is rare. Also, most companies and other users are already using cloud computing to some extent without even being aware of it.
In this fluid situation, few users have a clear idea of how to tap the full potential of the cloud computing development. While the term “cloud” computing might give way to another newly coined word in due time, the underlying technology and practices will be in use for a long time.
The Cloud Computing Fundamentals Report discusses all the issues involved such as its impact on business, selecting the particular model of cloud that meets your needs best and best practices for deployment and management.
