Cloud Computing Model Basics

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet). The “cloud” in cloud computing can be defined as the set of hardware, networks, storage, services, and interfaces that combine to deliver aspects of computing as a service. Cloud services include the delivery of software, infrastructure, and storage over the Internet. Most of the cloud computing has following features:

• It's virtual
• It can be secure
• It's flexible and scalable
• It can be affordable
• It can be secure and affordable 
  
  A simple cloud model can be represented as in pictorial form shown below:

The world of the cloud has lots of participants:

✓ The end user doesn’t really have to know anything about the underlying technology. In small businesses, for example, the cloud provider becomes the de facto data center. In larger organizations, the IT organization oversees the inner workings of both internal resources and external cloud resources.

✓ Business management needs to take responsibility for overall governance of data or services living in a cloud. Cloud service providers must provide a predictable and guaranteed service level and security to all their constituents.

✓ The cloud service provider is responsible for IT assets and maintenance.

                                          Figure: Cloud Computing(Real World Scenario)