What cloud computing really means

18th January 2012

The next big trend is something known as Cloud computing. It may sound nebulous, but it's not so fuzzy when you view its value from the perspective of IT professionals

The next big trend is something known as Cloud computing. It may sound nebulous, but it's not so fuzzy when you view its value from the perspective of IT professionals

Cloud computing is all the rage and the phrase has become a byword among today’s software developers and those who are already taking advantage of cloud computing software to enhance the performance of their business. While everyone may have a slightly different definition, the results are the same – improved productivity for business and customer alike.

As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.

Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities.

Cloud computing is at an early stage, with a motley crew of providers large and small delivering a slew of cloud-based services, from full-blown applications to storage services to spam filtering.

Yes, utility-style infrastructure providers are part of the mix, but so are SaaS (software as a service) providers. Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging.

Aquarium has used their extensive knowledge of cloud computing and feedback from their customers to provide a introductory breakdown of what cloud computing is all about:

1. SaaS
This type of cloud computing delivers a single application through the browser to thousands of customers using a multi-tenant architecture. On the customer side, it means no upfront investment in servers or software licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional local hosting.

2. Utility computing
The idea is not new, but this form of cloud computing is getting new life from those who now offer storage and virtual servers that IT can access on demand. Early enterprise adopters mainly use utility computing for supplemental, non-mission-critical needs, but one day, they may replace parts of the datacentre.

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. They range from providers offering discrete business services, all the way through to the full range of services - even conventional credit card processing services.

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. Such services are constrained by the vendor's design and capabilities, so you don't get complete freedom, but you do get predictability and pre-integration.

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 Managed Service Provider (MSP), this cloud computing service offers a service hub that users interact with. They're most common in trading environments, such as expense management systems that allow users to order travel or secretarial services from a common platform that then coordinates the service delivery and pricing within the specifications set by the user. Think of it as an automated service bureau where applications are integrated via the web and clients can tap seamlessly in to all the benefits, with significantly reduced costs.

7. Internet integration
The integration of cloud-based services is in its early days. Today, with such cloud-based interconnection seldom in evidence, cloud computing might be more accurately described as "sky computing," with many isolated clouds of services which IT customers must plug into individually. On the other hand, as virtualisation and SOA permeate the enterprise, the idea of loosely coupled services running on an agile, scalable infrastructure should eventually make every enterprise a node in the cloud. It's a long-running trend with a far-out horizon. But among big metatrends, cloud computing is the hardest one to argue with in the long term.

Founded in 2006, Aquarium Software is dedicated to providing innovative web-based business solutions using the latest technologies to provide innovative flexible software tools designed to have an immediate impact on customer working practices, allowing them to concentrate on their business and grow their bottom line.

Aquarium Software Sales and Marketing Director Mark Colonnese said: “For over five years, we have been using our software not as means in itself, but rather as a tool that allows our clients to concentrate on their business and grow their bottom line. There are few areas of business where you can look forward to the future with confidence, but thanks to the latest software from Aquarium, insurance claims management is one of them.”

For further information contact Aquarium Software, free of charge, on 0800 781 7570 or visit www.aquarium-software.com

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