Cloud computing 101: What is the cloud?
Cloud computing is a significant step in the evolution of the Internet. Cloud computing is an evolutionary step that combines the power of the Internet, outsourcing, increased bandwidth, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), mobility to just name a few.
The best cloud definition I have found was done by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This can be found in a document on their
Special Publications page, titled “
A NIST Definition of Cloud Computing SP800-145.” They have identified several key traits that characterize cloud computing:
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Elasticity and the ability to scale an application up or down.
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Self service provisioning and de-provisioning
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Application programming interface (API)
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Billing and metering of service and usage in a pay as you go model
The cloud is everywhere. I found this great infographic by
Rackspace that provides some interesting facts on how Brits rely on cloud services.