What is Cloud Computing? Different commentators invariably have different answers. There is much hype about the promises of Cloud Computing, and much misinformation. We'll set the record straight, in plain English.

From an end-user standpoint, Cloud Computing translates to faster and cheaper computing, utilized on demand. Cloud technologies are quickly becoming mainstream for both the consumer and the enterprise market. It is changing the way we consume and utilize computing power. The whole point of this article, however, is to distill it into non-technical terms so that the non-computer guys can understand it better.

For consumers, Cloud Computing has been going on for years. FaceBook, MySpace, Google, Gmail and others are just a few Cloud Computing €Services€ you have probably used. These services are typically called €Software-as-a-Service'. For instance, when you use FaceBook, the things you do, take place within a data-center (essentially a warehouse of computers). When you upload pictures or play Farmville, your computer is only involved in viewing the information that the other computer produces. Uploading a picture places it on the Cloud, in this instance, into FaceBook's Cloud. It is now available anywhere in the world, from any computer. Your status updates, Profile page, FaceBook wall all exist in the Cloud, accessible anytime, anywhere. You connect to Facebook through a local software we call the browser (typically Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.), which has been designed to adhere to Web technology standards. Internet companies make use of those standards so they can provide you with a beautiful displays that you use to connect to these services (servers) in the Cloud. Maybe I should add a graph, as I am confused myself:

I think I got the idea now. It's really smart. We don't need extremely fast computers and we get even more, even cheaper, faster, better technology (usually free for the consumer market). Yes, that's right, that's exactly what that is. In addition, the more these services grow and are developed, the more computing energy is decreasing while technology is going up. The bigger the data-center, the more equipment it houses, the more efficient it gets. Thus, computers have proved to improve efficiency, and reduce cost disruptively. Some of these services are the reason for the growth of Internet usage but also for the growth in computing usage in general.

How does it work?

€Not the entire software but its front-end, kind of like the display of a store.€ When you do change something through the Browser, (you are telling the FaceBook servers to change/add something for you) it is actually being changed on the server and then, the server changes the display for you to see through the browser. The same goes with other services like MySpace, Hotmail, and Gmail. Some of these services are not that popular but are used on platforms like the iPhone which take full advantage of cloud services. You open an app on your iPhone connected to an Internet service like the ones mentioned above, and ask powerful servers to do stuff for you and again you are presented with the finished result. The processing happens at a remote location with super-computers. And that is the current state of the consumer market. You are provided with a Software-as-a-Service.

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS):

Infrastructure as a Service is a provision model in which an organization outsources the equipment used to support operations, including storage, hardware, servers and networking components. The service provider owns the equipment and is responsible for housing, running and maintaining it. The client typically pays on a per-use basis.

Platform-as-a-Service:

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a way to rent hardware, operating systems, storage and network capacity over the Internet. The service delivery model allows the customer to rent virtualized servers and associated services for running existing applications or developing and testing new ones.

Software-as-a-Service:

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available to customers over a network, typically the Internet.

Now, Small and Medium size Enterprises will most likely follow the SaaS model, which is what CloudWire
offers. Email systems like Exchange are the most popular service companies of all sizes utilize when they start transitioning to the Cloud, reducing their costs, increasing their capability, and making their business mobile. It is an exciting time for the Internet, and especially for Information Technology.