Everybody Is Doing IT!
Cloud Computing
The term Cloud Computing is as ubiquitous as it is vague. Ask 5 IT experts what it is and you will get 5 different answers. So what does Cloud Computing really mean and why is it important to you?
Cloud Computing Defined:
Cloud Computing can be any service that is delivered over the internet in the form of a hosted service. Cloud Computing services are usually on-demand, fully managed by the provider, and are fully scalable without the user having to worry about infrastructure, support or maintenance.
Cloud Computing is Generally Split into Three Areas:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)-
usually a service that provides some sort of platform on demand. Hosting companies and Virtual Hosting companies are a great example of IaaS providers.
Platform as a Service: (PaaS):
Usually a set of development tools run on servers in the cloud. One example is Google Apps.
Software as a Service (SaaS):
Provides on-demand software without the need to run your own servers on-premise.
Cloud Computing is Not New to the Internet
Examples of Cloud Computing Models That we’ve been using for over a Decade:
Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google Mail – SaaS providers.
All free internet-based email applications. If you have a browser and internet access- you can have your email anywhere. If you have a smart phone and access to cell service- you can access the cloud.
Examples of More Recent Cloud Computing Services
Google Docs-
(PaaS example with a hint of SaaS) A wonderful, free service that allows you to upload any of your documents to the Google cloud (Glorified storage space). From here you can share the docs with the world or you can share them with only those you specify. The powerful part of Google Docs is Google does a great job of rendering multiple file types in a web page. This means if you want to open and manipulate an Excel spreadsheet on a computer that doesn’t have Microsoft Office installed- No Problem. Google will render the spreadsheet in a web browser- with most of the formulas remaining fully functional. Yes there are a few imperfections but you retain about 99% functionality and it gets you through in a pinch. It’s great for people like me- who quite often find themselves on the road, in a remote town with primitive internet access. So it’s PaaS because it offers a means of storage space on-demand. But it’s also SaaS because it provides software-functionality without the need to install the software on that machine.
Cloud Computing Services have expanded to Fee-Based Services Too
Here’s a short list of popular Cloud Computing Services that Businesses Purchase
Hosted Exchange Email- (SaaS and PaaS)
Hosted Exchange Email is a Microsoft service that allows a provider, such as SolutionPro, to provide enterprise-level exchange email services to small-medium sized businesses over the web. There are still licensing fees but the delivery, configuration and management of the email service is greatly simplified. Hosted exchange eliminates the need for your business to run a dedicated email server on-site. There are also various methods of accessing mail. You can do it the traditional way with a full install of the Microsoft Outlook Mail client on your PC or laptop at work or you can just use the web client. You can also access and synch to a smart phone which allows all your emails, calendar events and reminders to follow you wherever you go. Maybe that’s not such a good idea after all.
Virtual Servers (PaaS)
Exactly what the name says- Web Servers and all related services without the physical server at the customer-site. At a simplified level, this cloud model allows a business to be in the business of developing, re-selling, maintaining, deploying websites and all related services without ever touching a piece of server hardware. Even the providers (Data Centers) of Virtual Server services have a limited role in this. At some point there is hardware and it does need to be maintained but this is true with any cloud service. The biggest advantage with Virtual Servers is how quickly and efficiently capacity can be scaled up or down. It’s on a level like never before. Virtual Servers allow for near dynamic allocation of storage space, memory, processing power and other capacities that used to be a hardware-based upgrade. Need another CPU?- it’s nearly a mouse-click away.
Hosted VoIP Phone Service (PaaS and SaaS)
Some might not agree with VoIP being purely a cloud service. It’s a mixture when you look at it from the end-user’s perspective. The end-user does not have to purchase an expensive PBX switch. They use a portion of a larger switch at a data center instead. The services are delivered over an internet connection to the end-users’ office phones. Many of the configurations and personalized settings can be modified with a web-browser or at the phone itself.
You’ve been using Cloud Computing for a long time. We all have.
SolutionPro Provides Cloud Computing Services and uses them in its organization.
The Graphic Below Depicts some Popular SolutionPro Cloud Services
As internet connection speeds increase and data center services continue to expand, Cloud Computing and SaaS will dominate the computing model.
Request Information on how SolutionPro can help your business increase efficiencies and cut costs.
The great thing is, you don’t have to do a thing to prepare for it- you’ve been doing it all along.
Just sit back and let it happen.
