What is “Cloud Computing” or “software solutions in the clouds”?
This question has multiple answers. One answer could be – that’s slang that using IT professionals between themselves and refers to the name of the new business model, but the new technology platform for accommodation, start-up, and use of computer software.
“Cloud” is a term used to describe the Internet when it says “the software solutions (or applications) are located” in the cloud “Internet”.
What is “Cloud Computing” for ordinary users?
In the case of “ordinary” users, the answer is: it is a new and cheaper (at least so all promise) the use of software solutions that will be rented as needed. It’s a business model that allows the use of more than ordinary e-mail, such as Hotmail / Windows Live e-mail or search engines like Google or Bing.
The use of such a business model can best be described using the example of the use of office computer programs such as Microsoft Office in such a model office programs run in web browsers (eng. Internet browsers) that can be reached as we come to the website: entering the address, while the software itself is located on a server somewhere in the “Internet cloud”. Such software users will not (have to) install on your computer, but will access using the internet every time they need it and pay it as a service – to use or to subscribe to it at some period of time, similar to what is paid use/consumption of water, electricity or other utilities.
What are the advantages of “cloud computing” for ordinary users?
- Lower cost software: paid services, ie. As much as is used (consumed).
- The latest version of the software is always available.
- Software support and data are available from any other location where the user has access to the Internet.
- Lower maintenance costs and software upgrade.
- No costs directly related to the purchase of hardware, licenses for server operating systems, databases, servers for e-mail, their installation and configuration, and subsequent maintenance.
- The service includes a professional antivirus protection, and for subscriptions and backup data.
What is “Cloud Computing” for IT professionals?
When it comes to IT professionals, the answer is a new technology platform that enables developers and programmers concentrate on implementing business logic, rather than implement infrastructure to execute and support the operation of applications. On the other hand, system engineers reduces the volume of work in maintaining the platform to execute the application.
What are the advantages of “cloud computing” for IT professionals?
There are a number of advantages:
Application availability:
- from any other location that has Internet access, and through him Computing Centre,
- a large number of computers to increase the availability of applications because:
- there is a large number of data centers that are geographically distributed,
- each computer center has redundant (multiple) infrastructure, starting with the server, communication links, power supply, air-conditioning, automatic monitoring and professional IT support staff.
Scalability applications (possibility of serving a large number of users):
- Cloud Computing platform allows exploitation of large numbers of servers and data centers in different locations.
- The new paradigm of application development enables easier development process – software developed as it is planned to serve a single user, and infrastructure data center platform enables such applications “cloned” and serves a large number of users at the same time.
- In the configuration of Cloud Computing, platforms can be set when to use additional resources, thus optimizing the cost of using infrastructure with real needs in order to effectively served more or less users.
Flexibility in changing and adapting applications:
- The application is updated in only one place, users receive the new version the next time they access.
- Parameters of application configurations can be customized to each user group.
Constant monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure:
- A large part of the costs for IT and security software solutions work is precisely the provision of infrastructure for their operations, security, storage and system configuration and constant monitoring of the performance of work.
- Placement of applications in the “cloud” cost less, and the quality of service and performance is often increased.
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