Hybrid Cloud For Dummies

Deconstructing Cloud Concepts

Cloud computing is a method of providing a set of shared computing resources that includes applications, computing, storage, networking, development, and deployment platforms as well as business processes. Cloud computing turns traditional siloed computing assets into shared pools of resources that are based on an underlying Internet foundation. Cloud computing makes these resources easier to use by providing standardization and automation. Standardization is the implementation of services using a consistent approach supported by a set of consistent interfaces. Likewise, a cloud requires that processes are implemented through the use of automation. Automation is a process that’s triggered based on business rules, resource availability, and security demands. Automation is required to support a self-service provisioning model. To promote efficiency, automation can ensure that after a provisioned service is no longer needed, it can be returned to the resource pool. This type of automation based on rules can help with capacity planning and overall workload management.

Equally important is that the cloud provides a new economic model of computing. Instead of purchasing, managing, and maintaining a self-contained, traditional data center — a specialized environment where a variety of different computing resources are managed — a business is able to transform computing into a more streamlined computing environment that better serves changing computing requirements. ...