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what is cloud computing? Cloud computing is a revolution in how computing
power is delivered to business. Its being made possible by very large scale data centers
connected to high speed, low cost broadband networks. Today's users require 24/7 secure
access to more business apps on more devices wherever they are. Demands on IT are skyrocketing.
Its no wonder traditional onsite computer facilities are struggling to keep up. With
cloud computing you only pay for what you use. Gone are the traditional IT bottlenecks,
which means no more waiting. Gone are computer rooms full of servers and data storage, firewalls
and routers along with the team to support it. Gone is the need to constantly invest
in upgrades and rebuilds. Instead, by plugging your blue cable into the wall, you access
exactly what your business needs, including all the support and expertise paid for as
a service. History reveals a similar shift happened in the way business used power at
the turn of the century. In the late 1890s every factory or business had in its basement
a smoke-belching, fuel consuming power generator stoked by grey boiler suited men who serviced
it and kept it running as best they could. When things worked, they worked nicely. But
when they didn't, which was quite often, the machines ground to a halt, the lights went
out, and nothing got done. Chicago, 1900. The Edison Power Company developed the turbine
power station, which could generate and distribute large-scale power to business. This provided
cheaper, more reliable, and cleaner power than any factory or business based generator,
without many of the headaches. By 1920, most businesses had made the switch. Business now
accessed power simply by plugging into the wall. In-house power generation no longer
made sense. Today we take virtually unlimited power for granted. We can't imagine it any
other way. As we speak, a similar revolution is happening in IT called Cloud Computing.
Business no longer has to buy, build and manage costly computer facilities on site. Just as
business learned that power provided by a specialized power company improved reliability
and quality, cloud computing has proven to be more secure, more reliable, more scalable,
and ultimately more affordable than traditional onsite IT. This is why most new online and
business apps are now deployed in The Cloud. Just like electricity 100 years ago, a business
can now access all the cloud computing infrastructure it requires as a service for all its users,
wherever they are, on whatever device they use. This is called Infrastructure As A Service,
IAAS for short. Your applications remain the same, but running on more reliable cloud infrastructure.
This is where most businesses will start to use The Cloud. Apps will be migrated as existing
in-house infrastructure reaches the end of its life. IAAS is the powerstation at the
core of all cloud models. PAAS, or Platform As A Service, builds on the power of IAAS
as a platform to make it easier to collaborate and develop software. SAAS, or Software As
A Service, is the icing on the cake. Fully serviced software running on fully serviced
infrastructure. Gone are upfront investments for new business application packages. So
Cloud can be all three models with IAAS at the core.