| Cloud Computing enables consumers and businesses to use IT applications without the installation of software on their own computers so that they can access their personal files at any computer with internet access. Such applications are accessed by the end-user through a web-browser, a desktop or mobile application. It is very likely people are already using at least one cloud computing service, noted examples are embedded in social networking websites, that include: Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, Twitter, Dropbox, Google Docs, Google Drive, amongst others.[1] In these cases, the server and management software is on the cloud (internet) and is totally managed by cloud service providers’ like Yahoo and Google.
Historically, the term "cloud" has been borrowed from wireless, radio technology when telecommunication companies absorbed Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to provide remote offices or travelling users an access to a central organizational network. Low cost, and effective use of the network bandwidth were the deciding factors. Use of the cloud symbol marks the demarcation between the responsibility of the service provider and the user. Such boundaries have now been extended to embrace the servers as well as the network infrastructure.
Cloud Computing is an evolving paradigm recently defined (2011) by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, responsible for developing standards and guidelines in the United States of America. They describe the term as a model for facilitating an ever-present, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources - networks, servers, storage, applications, and services - quickly supplied and delivered with minimal service provider interaction.
Cloud Computing has five essential characteristics:
- On-Demand Self-Service.
- Broad Network Access – capabilities accessed via mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and work stations amongst others.
- Resource Pooling – provider’s resources, such as storage, processing, memory, and network bandwidth, are shared to serve multiple consumers.
- Rapid Elasticity - avoids the capital expenditure required for the establishment of network and computing infrastructure.
These characteristics give clarity to the term being ‘the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product’ utilising the internet, and central remote servers, to store and maintain data and applications.[2] |
CLOUD COMPUTING
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