Cloud Computing

Cloud computing isn’t shaped like—or used like—the traditional computing model of the past. Cloud architectures allow users to access virtual pools of IT resources—from compute to network to storage—when they need them and, thus, achieve shared efficiency and agility.

Made possible by the advent of sophisticated automation, provisioning, and virtualization technologies, the cloud computing model breaks the ties between the user’s application and the need to maintain physical servers and storage system on which it is run. Instead, users tap into aggregated resources as they need them. Cloud infrastructure can be provided as a public cloud (IT resources shared by multiple clients) or private cloud (IT resources, whether external or internal, controlled and managed by the IT organization).

In this section, we will explore this dynamic new model of IT as a service and its impact on enterprises and the IT industry.