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Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is an expression used to describe an IT service the underlying concept of which allows users to benefit from computing and storage capacity without actually knowing where it is physically located and to “only” use shared services over the Internet. As a result, information technology has taken a major step towards becoming the same type of utility service as electricity or telephone services.

 

Essentially, cloud services may be divided into 3 large categories:

·         IaaS: cloud computing providers offer a virtual server and the related storage capacity as their service (e.g. Amazon, AT&T, Dropbox, ...)

·         PaaS: cloud providers deliver a computing platform which includes an operating system and a development/runtime environment and/or a database server. (e.g. Azure, GigaSpaces, GridGain, ...)

·         SaaS: in this model users are provided access to a business application, and they might not even know what server or what operating system the application runs on while they are using it (e.g. Prezi, salesforce, Business ByDesign, ...)

Such services had been available on the market long before cloud computing became a well-known concept. It will be enough to think of electronic mail services such as gmail.com or hotmail.com, or the CRM service offered on saleforce.com.

Cloud computing solutions do not only mean the privileges of large service providers. In addition to so-called public cloud services there are also private cloud environments which are essentially cloud-based IT infrastructures developed by corporations for their own purposes offering their own business units or subsidiaries on-demand IT capacity with higher flexibility. The combination of public and private platforms is called a hybrid cloud environment. This is typically applied when a company has seasonal demand for additional cloud capacity in addition to its own private cloud services and this is achieved by purchasing public cloud computing services.

The technological solution underlying cloud computing services includes server virtualization, automated system management solutions with adaptive policies and self-service WEB portal technologies.

G-DAS consultants are available to assist you with a technological and financial feasibility study on the implementation on cloud computing solutions.