CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing

Introduction

Cloud computing is undoubtedly one of the major technological advances of recent years offering companies great promise and hither to unimaginable perfection. However, due to the immense hype surrounding the phenomenon and despite its attractiveness, it is now difficult for small and medium enterprises to accurately identify its advantages and disadvantages.

The transition to cloud differs from one company to another and it is essential in all cases to ask the right questions and be aware of the potential risks. The cloud offers many benefits to SMEs wishing to outsource all or part of their IT infrastructure (Morgens, 2008).

Cloud computing is able to reduce costs. Paid cloud services are generally less expensive than traditional physical systems. They allow considerable savings since it is not necessary to acquire and manage IT infrastructure within the company. The possibility of spreading the investment costs by choosing a monthly subscription and no annual license is an added advantage. Cloud computing increases productivity as it is simple to use and easy to configure, cloud services allow company employees to work remotely through a simple Internet connection (Foster, 2008).

Discussion

Cloud computing allows organizations, individuals to be more flexible. The migration to the cloud to outsource effectively with its suppliers, not only the operation but also the management and support of IT infrastructure is done on a daily basis. This is particularly advantageous if the company has a limited technical support. Cloud computing is able to promote professional mobility. The cloud allows employees to work on joint projects remotely via online services incorporating new changes in real time. Implementing such a system via a local private network (VPN) is uncertain, expensive and is a logistical challenge for the IT department. Cloud computing allows companies to consume services on demand (Buyya, 2009).

Cloud computing is further divided into three markets



IAAS

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), sometimes ITaaS (IT as a Service) is the market in which only the hardware (servers) is dematerialized. Customers can start or stop the application of virtual servers (Linux or Windows) in datacenters without having to worry about the underlying physical machines, and management costs that are related (hardware replacement, air conditioning, electricity, etc.).

Access to virtual or physical servers and other storage services and backup infrastructure through cloud computing has become more secure and scalable. Each day, the volume of data grows exponentially in any organization. Equipment, applications and personnel to manage all this data can be a heavy burden on the IT resources. A unique solution for all the IT needs that is able to manage connectivity, data center and cloud computing infrastructure is available. With infrastructure solutions service (IaaS) for enterprise class, an organization can benefit from greater flexibility and better protection to data, without having to invest in the acquisition of new resources. IaaS solutions allow users to enjoy a secure and scalable IT infrastructure giving access to the virtual servers as well as storage services. IaaS solutions will give users the benefits that are usually associated with ...