The Internet is all a buzz with conversation about cloud computing, especially after a series of conferences this fall where various firms have unveiled their approach to cloud computing.
The driving force behind the conversations is the efficiency with which users can assemble software, stacks of databases, Web servers, operating systems, storage, and networking in a cloud environment.
Rapid advancements have led to some confusion of terms and definitions. This simple this glossary of Cloud Computing terms and key benefits may help lift the fog:
- Cloud Computing: Provides users access to IT-related capabilities (infrastructure and/or applications) “as a service” without regard for the underlying technology or physical hardware. Inherent in this solution is a high level of resiliency and variable capacity.
- On Demand: One of the primary advantages of using the cloud is the ability to access resources as you need them, including processing power, of memory, network bandwidth, and gigabytes of storage.
- Cloud Server: A “server” is simply an operating system leveraging the pool of CPU and Ram resources available from the underlying physical hardware also referred to as a virtual server.
- Virtual: Is a process by which multiple operating systems (servers) run on a single piece of hardware or physical server
- Affordable: Cloud computing services are purchased subscription style, with users paying only for what they use. No capital outlay for servers, storage devices or staffing to keep systems running is required.
- Flexible Capacity: This flexible capacity is a key difference between cloud computing and traditional outsourcing and hosted datacenters. Clouds, such as provided by InterVision, gives clients access to essentially “unlimited capacity on demand.
