Well what is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is a technology that provides everything about computing(Computation,Storage,Hardware, Software...) as a service.
This sounds a bit terse and superficial.
Now lets consider an analogy with Electricity.Long ago when electricity was discovered, devices were invented to generate electricity by using the principles of Electromagnetism.Every person who wanted electricity had to own a device generating electricity . So the person who wanted to use electricity needed to have knowledge about the kind of device required to generate electricity, and if the device was damaged then had to get it repaired.The usage of electricity was tightly-coupled to owning the devices that generated electricity and the owner had to pay for the entire device.This was wasteful as the user actually needed only electricity and not the whole device that generated it.It also complicated usage as the owner was invariably a layman and knew nothing about electricity, electromagnetism or electrical devices.Then came in the Electricity GRID. Here electricity was generated by some means (hydroelectric , wind, nuclear, coal ..etc) which was hidden from the end user and electricity is SUPPLIED as a SERVICE to the end user. In this way the end user is charged only for the usage of electricity and nothing else(No burden of owning huge electricity generators).This way Electricity was transformed into a service.
On the same lines Cloud Computing transforms Computing into a service.Traditionally if a person wants to run an application she would have to buy a computer, install OS, required support software, drivers and then install the application.The end user needs to keep track of upgrades and needs to perform maintenance and upgrades. But in case of Cloud computing, all the person needs is to buy the service from the Cloud Service provider.Here an end user need not worry about the kind Technology, Hardware , Software that is used in the Cloud , but will get the required service and will be charged only for the service. The type of service would we the computing Hardware service - the computing hardware is provided as per a rating criterion and end user can host applications, platforms, software on that hardware, computing Platform Service - wherein the service provider along with the hardware provides a computing platform as well ,which the end user can use to host custom applications, Application as a Service - wherein the service provider provides the entire application and the end user is charged for it.
The above is a vague explanation of Cloud Computing that hides the technical intricacies of the technology.Yet it does provide a big picture of the same and provides a platform for delving deep into it.
Lets keep Sailing!!! :)
Cloud computing is a technology that provides everything about computing(Computation,Storage,Hardware, Software...) as a service.
This sounds a bit terse and superficial.
Now lets consider an analogy with Electricity.Long ago when electricity was discovered, devices were invented to generate electricity by using the principles of Electromagnetism.Every person who wanted electricity had to own a device generating electricity . So the person who wanted to use electricity needed to have knowledge about the kind of device required to generate electricity, and if the device was damaged then had to get it repaired.The usage of electricity was tightly-coupled to owning the devices that generated electricity and the owner had to pay for the entire device.This was wasteful as the user actually needed only electricity and not the whole device that generated it.It also complicated usage as the owner was invariably a layman and knew nothing about electricity, electromagnetism or electrical devices.Then came in the Electricity GRID. Here electricity was generated by some means (hydroelectric , wind, nuclear, coal ..etc) which was hidden from the end user and electricity is SUPPLIED as a SERVICE to the end user. In this way the end user is charged only for the usage of electricity and nothing else(No burden of owning huge electricity generators).This way Electricity was transformed into a service.
On the same lines Cloud Computing transforms Computing into a service.Traditionally if a person wants to run an application she would have to buy a computer, install OS, required support software, drivers and then install the application.The end user needs to keep track of upgrades and needs to perform maintenance and upgrades. But in case of Cloud computing, all the person needs is to buy the service from the Cloud Service provider.Here an end user need not worry about the kind Technology, Hardware , Software that is used in the Cloud , but will get the required service and will be charged only for the service. The type of service would we the computing Hardware service - the computing hardware is provided as per a rating criterion and end user can host applications, platforms, software on that hardware, computing Platform Service - wherein the service provider along with the hardware provides a computing platform as well ,which the end user can use to host custom applications, Application as a Service - wherein the service provider provides the entire application and the end user is charged for it.
The above is a vague explanation of Cloud Computing that hides the technical intricacies of the technology.Yet it does provide a big picture of the same and provides a platform for delving deep into it.
Lets keep Sailing!!! :)
