What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing, is a computing organisation concept which places the Internet at the heart of company activities. It allows you to use remote hardware (servers, computers) to create services which are accessible online.

Companies no longer need to install their own network and server infrastructure, which requires a certain amount of knowledge (maintenance, security…) and finances which is not always easy to find, instead leaving their service providers to handle everything for them. From here, they can SaaS services (Software as a Service) which can be managed from a Web interface and which is accessible from any computer connected to the Internet.

Internet is becoming the backbone
SaaS, which first appeared in the years 2000, is a first step in the concept of cloud computing. It offers the possibility of providing specific services to companies without having to change their computing networks to a large degree.

But cloud computing has started to become more wide spread, allowing users to manage a community of users data. This data can be accessed and changed at any time, with the information not necessarily always being accessed from the same device. The network community often uses this principle.

As for companies, besides the disappearance of direct server management, you also have access to a range of services which can be beneficial to users via cloud computing. Data is accessible to all authorised people, with it being possible to create virtual meetings and change documents or agendas in real time, even for users which are physically outside of the company.

All changes to the data will be synchronised and made immediately accessible to all users.

A market which is still immature
Mobile offices are also possible, with access to the web providing you with personalised content from any computer. Business Intelligence applications can also be used via cloud computing.

When roaming, cloud computing is interesting as a service to the general public. It allows you to organise and archive your data (photos, videos, music and messages) and transferring them through the cloud so that they can be found on your computer, while at the same time without having to do any special actions.

Cloud computing has seen rapid take up with the players multiplying to offer their solutions, which are either proprietary or open source. Some observers, like the Gartner group, see an evolution over numerous phases.

These start with the first numerous steps which only a few players survive, those that have common communication protocols between the few players who have come through competition, allowing you to swap data between different clouds.

There are still a lot of phases to be passed before the market stabilizes. The recent Open Cloud Manifesto shows that the battle of influence is already underway to try and get proprietary and open source solutions to work together.