Cloud Computing is transforming the way corporate IT services are delivered and managed. To best begin to explain Cloud Computing is to understand the breakdown of the term itself. “The cloud” is considered a metaphor for the Internet, and “computing” means the use of a computer to process data or perform calculations. Cloud computing can be defined narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Users simply log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job. Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs. It’s called cloud computing.
Cloud computing becomes clearer when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities quickly and easily without investing in a new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service, in real time over the Internet, and extends IT’s capabilities.
The cloud’s unprecedented economies of scale reduce overall cost and increase efficiencies, especially when replacing an organization’s locally operated on-premise servers. Benefits include:
§ Reduced Cost - Cloud technology is paid incrementally, saving organizations money
§ Increased Storage – Organizations can store more data than on private computer systems
§ Highly Automated – No longer do IT personnel need to worry about keeping software up to date
§ Flexibility – Cloud computing offers more flexibility than past computing methods
§ Mobility – Employees can access information wherever they are, rather than at their desks
§ Allows IT to Shift Focus – No longer having to worry about constant server update and other computing issues, organizations will be free to concentrate on innovation.
Not so surprising, these advantages also translate into environmental or “greener” benefits. A study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Accenture and WSP Environmental & Energy, demonstrated cloud computing’s potential to operate business applications more efficiently, resulting in potentially lower environmental impact in the following areas:
§ Reducing the need for excessive hardware
§ Gaining operational efficiencies
§ Reduction of carbon emissions in Server Utilization, Datacenter Efficiency, Multi-Tenancy, and Dynamic Provisioning
Additional “green” benefits include:
§ Reducing the impact of shipping which includes packaging, fuel, etc.
§ Reducing paper trails as collaborative services evolve
§ Eliminating the need to travel
Cloud computing is a long running trend with endless potential, and will continue to evolve in the long term. As some call it “sky computing”, we can only say “the sky’s the limit”.