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Basics of Cloud Computing
Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.
Like the song says, “Let’s start at the very beginning, because it’s a very good place to start." For me the beginning is a definition. Basically, Cloud Computing is Internet computing, where "cloud" is a metaphor for the Internet. Using SaaS (software as a service), Web 2.0 and other virtual technologies, applications are provided to users via the net with the data stored on the provider’s servers. In other words, it is the Internet version of remote computing, just way more virtual in nature.
Cloud Computing has its roots in the service bureau concepts of the 1960s. The cloud part, dates back to the 1990s, when the term was used to refer to ATM networks. Network diagrams use a cloud symbol to represent the Internet. So, don’t let the term “cloud” mess you up--it simply represents the Internet. Cloud Computing provides an alternative to investing in one’s own infrastructure and software. Instead, through Cloud Computing, companies can subscribe to an online service using a per…
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