Cloud computing is the sharing of computer applications and hardware in a method that helps lessen personal investment expenses. Though simple in nature, the free Internet-based e-mail services are prime examples of cloud computing:
- Though the actual email handling software is located upon an Internet-based server, you have full access to all the features.
- Since the e-mail handling software is owned and maintained by the -mail provider, you incur no overhead in either of those expenses.
- The support hardware that maintains storage of the -mail data is also owned and maintained by the provider. Again, you incur no overhead.
- The free -mail user may have no idea as to where and how their data is stored.
- Some temporary files may be downloaded to your point of operations, but very little software or data storage space is demanded from your computer.
- In concept, the free -mail user is working out of the “clouds.”
Hopefully now you understand how e-mail is an expanded application of cloud computing. Consider the AOL home site’s application of their “My Stuff” box. This illustrates a mini-application of cloud computing. Notice how the “My Stuff” box incorporates buttons that will activate other services such as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, and Ebay. Aside from reputation and competition issues, the creators of AOL have no concern as to how these other companies provide their services. They merely hook you up to another link in the cloud.
Now this is cloud computing defined in its simplest form. Some may argue that I have defined it too plainly. When you read all the fluff that some are throwing around, I think plain may be in order.
But let us go a little deeper now.
The fundamentals of cloud computing can be summed as this: rather than purchasing additional computer components and tools, you borrow or rent that which a virtual server operates, stores, and maintains. It basically brings together three major computing trends:
- Virtualization – a broad term that defines a separation of the operating system (your machine) from the underlying platform resources (the cloud computing system). This removes much of the memory, storage, and network limits of a physical desktop system. Logical hardware expands the limited capacity of physical hardware. Virtualization also seeks to simply the user interface, so as to protect the individual user from the complexity of all these background necessities of the computing world.
- Utility computing – a packaging and reselling of computer resources. Though in many ways similar to traditional utility services, utility computing is better understood when compared to a web-hosting site. While many companies can not afford to purchase and maintain sufficient hardware and software as to host their own web site, a utility computing service will provide, on a rented basis, all the virtual software and hardware that may be required. This can mean anything from a bank of web server time-shares to a dedicated supercomputer. Consider it distributed computing.
- Software on demand – a service where applications are located and hosted from an alien hardware system. This is the process of separating a personal computer’s desktop, applications, files, and data from the physical machine. The software is stored on a remote server, which can be part of an internal network, part of a cloud computer system, or a combination of both.
Lets visiualize a cloud computer service as a modified Home Owners Association. In this unique application, the home owners do not own the Home Owners Association; they merely rent from it. Now a housing development may contain many different homes, but only one security service, one central well, and one septic center. When someone in one of the homes uses the water service (unless the service fails), they do not worry about where the storage tank resides. They merely draw what water is needed. Though simplified, this is the essence of Cloud computing.
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