Describe on cloud computing.

Cloud computing entails an information technology concept that enables several large categories of remote servers to be networked; thereby, allowing centralized storage of data and the online access to information technology services and resources. Clouds are broadly categorized as public, private and hybrid. Cloud computing depends on resource sharing to obtain economies of scale and also coherence, through a network. The basic foundation of cloud computing entails the bigger issues of shared services or resources, and converge infrastructure. Cloud computing depends majorly on the issue of maximized effectiveness of the resources which are shared. Cloud resources are mainly shared by the multiple users. The resources can also be dynamically used and changed, according to resource demand. A cloud computing application that serves Asian users during Asian business hours through an application like e-mail, can reallocate the application resources to handle European users at European business hours through another application like web server. This concept effectively maximizes computing power usage; hence, minimizing environmental damage because of minimal power and air conditioning that are needed for several functions (Hassan, 2011).
Through the cloud computing concept, several users access one server to use and update their information, instead of purchasing several licenses needed for several applications. “Moving to cloud phrase” illustrates an organization that is shifting from the traditional CAPEX model, to the OPEX computing model. CAPEX model involves purchasing a dedicated hardware that depreciates over time. OPEX model entails sharing cloud infrastructure, and purchases services and resources according to usage. Supporters of cloud computing illustrates that the concept enables companies to avoid expenses related to upfront technology infrastructure. This enables the companies to concentrate on their core business operations, instead of the supporting technology infrastructure development (Gruman, 2008).
The supporters also illustrates that “moving to cloud” enables enterprises to obtain applications faster, and enhance resources manageability with minimal attention on maintenance. Cloud computing also enhances the ability of Information Technology to appropriately adjust resources towards the unpredictable and fluctuating business environment. Adequate availability of data storage devices, low cost computers, highly effective networks, and also the increased applicability of hardware visualization, utility computing and service based architecture have resulted into the developments of cloud computing. The current growth rates as illustrated by cloud service providers are growing at an annual growth rate of approximately 50% (Antoniao, 2011).
Cloud computing is based on the adoption of present technologies and paradigms. The main purpose of cloud computing entails enabling users to experience benefits from several of the existing technologies. The users benefit without the requirement for expertise in information technology. The cloud enables businesses to reduce operational costs, and also enhances the concentration on core business operations. The key technology that enables cloud computing is referred to as virtualization. The virtualization software divides the physical computing devices to several “virtual” devices. Each of the devices can be effectively and efficiently managed to engage in computing tasks. The operating system-level virtualization enables the development of the scalable system that enhances several independent computing equipments. Therefore, the idle information technology resources are efficiently allocated and used. Virtualization improves the agility that is responsible for enhancement of the speed of the information technology processes, and the minimizing the infrastructure cost. The autonomic computing concept enables the users to automatically get resources on demand. Through greatly reducing the user involvement processes, automation increasing processing speed, minimizes the labor costs, and reducing the occurrence of human errors (Hassan, 2011).
Users continuously experiences challenging business problems. Cloud computing uses techniques of the service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that enables the users to divide the problems into several services that are integrated in solution integration. All the resources of cloud computing are provided as services. Therefore, it applies the best practices achieved through the concept of SOA to adequately enable the international and efficient access to information technology services in an approach that is standardized. Cloud computing also uses the aspects of utility computing to generate the metrics applicable during the usage of services. The metrics are very significant in the cloud-pay-per-use models. Also, the measured services are very important during the feedback loop that is applicable in autonomic computing. This enables the services to be used according to demand, and also to engage in automatic failure recovery. Cloud computing as a form of grid computing, addresses the reliability problems, and also the Quality of Service (QoS) issues (Antonio, 2011).
The users get the cloud computing services through the networked client equipments like smart phones, desktops, tablets and laptops. Several cloud clients (devices) highly depend on cloud computing for a high proportion of applications, and hence are rendered useless without cloud computing. The highly dependent cloud clients include Chromebook and thin clients. Majority of the cloud applications rely on the web browser to enable the clients effectively interact through the cloud application. However, certain cloud applications rely on the unique client software; for instance, majority of the email clients. Certain legacy applications are delivered through the screen sharing technology. These legacy applications entail the business lines applications that are common in the thin client computing sector (Gruman, 2008).
References
Antonio, Regalado. (31 October 2011). “Who Coined ‘Cloud Computing’?”. Technology Review (MIT)
Gruman, Galen. (2008-04-07). “What cloud computing really means”. InfoWorld.
Hassan, Qusay. (2011). “Demystifying Cloud Computing”. The Journal of Defense Software Engineering (CrossTalk) 2011 (Jan/Feb): 16–21.