“Cloud computing” is basically the latest incarnation of grid computing,
utility computing, virtualization and clustering. It differs in that it
provides the ability to connect to software and data living on the Internet
(the cloud) instead of on a hard drive or local network.
1. SaaS
This type of cloud computing delivers a single application
through the browser to thousands of customers using a multitenant architecture.
On the customer side, it means no up-front investment in servers or software
licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional hosting
2. Utility computing
Amazon.com, Sun, IBM, and others offer
storage and virtual servers that IT can access on demand. Early enterprise
adopters mainly use utility computing for supplemental, non-mission-critical
3. Web services in the cloud
Closely related to SaaS, Web service
providers offer APIs that enable developers to exploit
functionality over the Internet,rather than delivering full-blown
applications.
4. Platform as a service
Another SaaS variation, this form of
cloud computing delivers development environments as a service.
You build your own applications that run on the provider’s infrastructure and
are delivered to your users via the Internet from the provider’s servers.
5. MSP (managed service providers)
One of the oldest forms of cloud
computing, a managed service is basically an application exposed to
IT rather than to end-users, such as a virus scanning service for e-mail or an
application monitoring service
6. Service commerce platforms
A hybrid of SaaS and MSP, this cloud
computing service offers a service hub that users
interact with.
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