Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is the term for massively scaled offsite IT resources assembled virtually, accessed over the internet, contracted on demand in real-time or near real-time on a pay-per-use or subscription basis. Most cloud computing infrastructure consists of reliable services delivered through data centers and built on servers. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers' computing needs. In general, cloud computing customers do not own the physical infrastructure, instead avoiding capital expenditure by renting usage from a third-party provider. They consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that they use.
Key Features
Agility
Improves with users' ability to rapidly and inexpensively re-provision technological infrastructure resources
Cost
Cost is claimed to be greatly reduced and capital expenditure is converted to operational expenditure.
Device and location independence
It enable users to access systems using a web browser regardless of their location or what device they are using.
Reliability
It improves through the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes cloud computing suitable for business continuity and disaster recovery.
Scalability
Scalability via dynamic ("on-demand") provisioning of resources on a fine-grained, self-service basis near real-time, without users having to engineer for peak loads.
Maintenance
Maintenance cloud computing applications are easier to maintain, since they don't have to be installed on each user's computer. They are easier to support and to improve since the changes reach the clients instantly.
