 |
| Cloud Computing |
Cloud Computing is a general concept that incorporates software as a service (SaaS), Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, in which the common theme is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users.
Cloud Computing is generally broken down into 4 areas:
- Software as a Service (SaaS) - Special-purpose software made available by a third party over the Internet, with a usage-based pricing model. Some call it "application as a service." A couple of examples are Google Apps, Salesforce.com & Zoho. R&K has participated in this deliver model with solutions like LMS and Contract Guardian.
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - A service that provides the core computing resources and network fabric for the cloud deployment. Examples include Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud, Rackspace Hosting's Mosso service.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - An integrated software environment for which systems administrators and developers can build, test and deploy custom applications. The Google Apps Engine and Force.com are perfect illustrations.
- Core Cloud Services - Stand-alone components build on cloud platforms that can be woven into cloud applications, such as billing, systems management and storage. Amazon's S3 and Microsoft BizTalk Services are cases in point.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Rippe & Kingston.
