Cloud Computing Technology and Security

Cloud computing is a technology extending the realms of a computer network creating an environment that offers scalability, better utilization of hardware, on-demand applications and storage, and lower costs over the long run through the creation of virtual servers cloned from existing instances each offering a near instantaneous increase in performance, allowing companies to react quickly and dynamically to emerging demands. The “cloud” or “cloud solution”, as the technology is commonly referred to, can either be hosted on-site by the company or off-site. Cloud computing technology consists of and rests on a number of sound, fundamental and proven technologies, including virtualization, service-oriented architectures, distributed computing, grid computing, broadband networks, software as a service, browser as a platform, free and open-source software, autonomic systems, web application frameworks, and service-level agreements. We will discuss many of these technologies in depth in this chapter.