Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a metered service over  Internet.These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.see this diagram.

Cloud computing allows consumers and businesses to use applications without installation and access their personal files at any computer with internet access. This technology allows for much more inefficient computing by centralizing storage, memory, processing and bandwidth. Yahoo email, Gmail, or Hotmail etc are the good examples for cloud computing.You dont need a software or a server to use them. All a consumer would need is just an internet connection and you can start sending emails.this is basic.A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet.A private cloud is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people. When a service provider uses public cloud resources to create their private cloud, the result is called a virtual private cloud. Private or public, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services. In June 2011, a study conducted by an IT firm of NY found that 91% of senior IT professionals actually don’t know what cloud computing is and two-thirds of senior finance professionals are clear by the concept,highlighting the young nature of the technology.