Now a days you hear a lot about cloud or cloud computing, but do you really understand what it is? There are several definitions for cloud, don’t worry if you don’t have one. Cloud computing is a service delivered over web or internet with a set of connected computing resources. If you put down the diagram of these resources with their relationships on a paper, you will end up with a diagram that resembles like a cloud.
There are various forms of cloud computing which are delivered “as a service” over the web. To name a few they are Software as a service (SaaS), Platform as a service (PaaS) or Infrasturcture as a service (Iaas). The form of cloud computing services should not be confused with automatic computing, utility computing or grid computing.
Customer using cloud doesn’t have to make any capital investment (CAPEX) in purchasing hardware or software. They reduce their operation expenses (OPEX) as the core tasks of updating and maintaining the hardware or software are taken care by the service provider. You end up focusing more time on your core business rather then maintaining the IT infrastructure to run your business. Cloud computing gives you the power to scale your resources in no time with simple clicks. Now you don’t have to spend your hard earned money to purchase a high end infrastructure which you may need occasionally.