Cloud Computing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Cloud Computing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Judith S. Hurwitz, Daniel Kirsch
Released August 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119546658

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Book description

Get your head—and your business—into the Cloud 

Cloud computing is no longer just a clever new toy in the world of IT infrastructure. Despite the nebulous name, it’s become a real and important part of our information architecture—and tech professionals who ignore it or try to skim their way through risk falling behind rapidly. The new edition of Cloud Computing For Dummies gets you up to speed fast, clarifying your Cloud options, showing you where can save you time and money, giving you ways to frame your decisions, and helping you avoid weeks of research. 

In a friendly, easy-to-follow style, Cloud Computing For Dummies, 2nd Edition demystifies the Cloud’s virtual landscape, breaking up a complex and multi-layered topic into simple explanations that will make the various benefits clear and ultimately guide you toward making the most appropriate choices for your organization.  

  • Know the business case for the Cloud 
  • Understand hybrid and multi-cloud options 
  • Develop your Cloud strategy 
  • Get tips on best practices  

The Cloud is everywhere, and it can deliver amazing benefits to our lives and businesses. Get a much clearer vision of exactly how with Cloud Computing For Dummies—and you’ll begin to see that the sky really is the limit!  

 

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  3. Part 1: Understanding Cloud Concepts
    1. Chapter 1: Understanding the Cloud
      1. Looking at the Ecosystem of Cloud Computing
      2. Understanding Cloud Concepts
      3. Cloud Computing Elements: Resource Pools/Cloud Models and Services
      4. Understanding Self-Service Provisioning and Elasticity
      5. Establishing a Dynamic Life Cycle across Workloads and Data
      6. Management Services
      7. The Changing Role of the Data Center
    2. Chapter 2: Embracing the Business Imperative
      1. Understanding IT Transformation
      2. Escaping the IT Legacy Trap
      3. Preparing for the Cloud
      4. Building for Innovation
      5. The Business Imperatives
      6. Optimizing Your Existing Business
      7. Modern Development and Deployment Strategies
      8. Revisiting Your Business Model
      9. Transforming the Business Model
  4. Part 2: Examining Architectural Considerations
    1. Chapter 3: Architectural Considerations for the Cloud Environment
      1. Rethinking the Type of Constituents Your Cloud Serves
      2. Putting the Pieces Together
      3. Planning for Deployment
      4. Setting the Right Policies and Business Rules
      5. Navigating the Choices in a Hybrid World
      6. Optimizing for Workloads
      7. Supporting a Dynamic Life Cycle
    2. Chapter 4: Managing a Hybrid and Multicloud Environment
      1. What Are You Managing?
      2. Managing SaaS Applications
      3. Optimizing SaaS Management
      4. Managing External Cloud Resources
      5. Addressing Poor Cloud and Computing Behaviors
      6. Managing Internal Cloud Resources
      7. Managing Internal Services
      8. Managing External Services
      9. The Future of Multicloud Management
    3. Chapter 5: Standards in a Multicloud World
      1. What Are Standards?
      2. Evolution of Standards
      3. Categories of Cloud-Related Standards
      4. Organizations Building Momentum around Standards
      5. The Impact of Standards on the Multicloud
    4. Chapter 6: A Closer Look at Cloud Services
      1. The Importance of Modularity
      2. Discovering Why Services Matter in the Cloud
      3. Explaining Microservices
      4. Defining Cloud Native Applications
      5. Communicating Using APIs
      6. Setting the Stage for Cloud-Enabled Applications
  5. Part 3: Understanding Cloud Models
    1. Chapter 7: Introducing All Types of Clouds
      1. Understanding Public Clouds
      2. Looking at Private Clouds
      3. Exploring Hybrid Clouds
      4. Understanding the Continuum of the Cloud
      5. Selecting Multicloud for Choice, Efficiency, and Performance
      6. Thinking about the Integration Imperative
    2. Chapter 8: Using Infrastructure as a Service
      1. Understanding IaaS
      2. Exploring the Key Components of Public Cloud IaaS
      3. Getting to Know Prominent IaaS Cloud Providers
      4. Discovering the Key Components of Private Cloud IaaS
      5. Using IaaS in Multicloud
    3. Chapter 9: Using Software as a Service
      1. Understanding the Characteristics of SaaS
      2. Understanding SaaS Economics
      3. Figuring Out How SaaS Fits into the Multicloud World
      4. Using SaaS as a Platform
    4. Chapter 10: Standing on Platform as a Service
      1. Discovering the Business Value of PaaS
      2. Identifying the Characteristics of Platform as a Service
      3. Managing the Software Development and Deployment Life Cycle
      4. Managing an Agile Development Environment
      5. Defining the Next Generation of Middleware in the Cloud
      6. Exploring Types of PaaS Platforms
      7. Reaping the Business Benefits of PaaS
  6. Part 4: Managing in a Multicloud World
    1. Chapter 11: Planning for DevOps in the Cloud
      1. Entering a New Era of DevOps
      2. Examining Changes for DevOps in the Cloud
      3. Discovering the Value of Demand-Driven Applications
      4. Examining the Role of CI/CD in Agile Development
      5. Exploring the Role of Opinionated Continuous Delivery
      6. Understanding the Challenges to CI/CD Adoption
      7. Continuous Delivery and the Importance of a DevOps Culture
      8. The Challenge of CI/CD in the Cloud Era
      9. Clouds, Containers, and Microservices
      10. Defining Cloud Native Applications
      11. Achieving Resilience
      12. Discovering Reusable Services
      13. Moving from VMs to Cloud Native
      14. Open-Source Cloud Native Applications
      15. Differentiating Cloud Native Applications
      16. The Foundation of Microservices
      17. The Imperative to Manage Microservices
      18. The Value of the Container Model
      19. The Role of APIs
    2. Chapter 12: Managing Multicloud Workloads
      1. What Is a Workload?
      2. Workload Management
      3. Workload Complexities in the Multicloud Environment
      4. Workload Portability
    3. Chapter 13: Managing Data Storage in the Cloud
      1. Understanding Cloud Storage Fundamentals
      2. Deploying Hybrid Cloud Storage
      3. Planning for Cloud Growth and Change
  7. Part 5: Developing Your Cloud Strategy
    1. Chapter 14: Managing and Integrating Data in the Cloud
      1. Ensuring Trustworthy Data
      2. Integrating Data across Environments
      3. Managing Big Data in the Cloud
      4. Supporting an Analytics Strategy
      5. Talking to Providers about Data Control
    2. Chapter 15: Promoting Cloud Security and Governance
      1. Exploring the Risks of Operating in the Cloud
      2. Developing a Secure Hybrid Environment
      3. Creating a Cloud Governance Strategy
    3. Chapter 16: Breaking Down Cloud Economics
      1. Balancing Costs with Requirements
      2. Striking the Right Balance of Environments for a Hybrid Cloud
      3. Reaping the Economic Benefit of the Cloud
      4. Understanding the Economics of the Data Center
      5. Evaluating Costs in the Hybrid Environment
    4. Chapter 17: Planning Your Cloud Strategy
      1. At the Beginning: The Move to the Cloud
      2. Starting the Plan
      3. Stages of Strategy Planning: An Overview
      4. Focusing the Plan on Providing Services to Your Constituents
      5. Supporting a Successful Customer Experience
      6. Supporting a Dynamic Life Cycle
      7. Abstracting Complexity in the Cloud
      8. Balancing Costs and Benefits
  8. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 18: Ten Cloud Resources
      1. Standards Organizations
      2. Consortiums and Councils
      3. Open-Source Offerings
      4. The Cloud Security Alliance
      5. The Cloud Storage Initiative
      6. Vendor Sites
      7. Cloud Computing Conferences
      8. CIO.gov
      9. Open Data Center Alliance
    2. Chapter 19: Ten Cloud Do’s and Don’ts
      1. Do Plan for Cloud Native
      2. Do Plan for Data Consistency and Manageability
      3. Do Decide and Plan for Cloud Services
      4. Do Have a Service Management Plan
      5. Do Plan for Portability
      6. Do Plan for Security
      7. Do Execute on an Overall Hybrid Cloud Plan
      8. Don’t Rely on only a Single Vendor
      9. Don’t Over-Invest in Licenses
      10. Don’t Overlook the Need to Manage Infrastructure
      11. Don’t Leave Your Data Center Alone
      12. Don’t Ignore the Service Level Agreement
      13. Do Move Forward and Don’t Look Back
  9. Glossary
  10. Index
  11. About the Authors
  12. Advertisement Page
  13. Connect with Dummies
  14. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Cloud Computing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Judith S. Hurwitz, Daniel Kirsch
  • Release date: August 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119546658