Cloud Computing

Abstract

Cloud computing makes use of many standard technologies in surprisingly novel ways. It leaves many people bewildered, even confused, especially as it is an area of computing that is undergoing rapid change in terms of a diversification of available services and the growth in underlying contingent technologies. This chapter shows how the cloud has changed the user experience and goes on to discuss the definition of cloud computing most commonly used. It describes the three service models of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS) and then discusses the four deployment models of private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, and community cloud. It concludes with how the cloud impacts security and how most organizations will likely make use of multiple cloud providers. This chapter introduces key concepts and characteristics of cloud computing, in this way covering in broad terms what it is and how it essentially works.