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2021 | Buch

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Cloud Computing Basics

A Non-Technical Introduction

verfasst von: Anders Lisdorf

Verlag: Apress

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Regardless of where your organization is in your cloud journey, moving to the cloud is an inevitability in the coming years. The cloud is here to stay, and now is the best time to identify optimal strategies to harness the benefits and mitigate the risks. Cloud Computing Basics is the practical, accessible entry point you have been seeking.

Get an introduction to the basics of cloud computing and all five major cloud platforms. Author Anders Lisdorf ensures that you gain a fundamental cloud vocabulary and learn how to translate industry terms used by different vendors. Leveraging the economic and security benefits that the cloud provides can look very different for each organization, and Lisdorf uses his expertise to help you adapt your strategy accordingly.

Cloud Computing Basics is here to bring your organization into the future. Whether you are a beginner on the topic or a tech leader kick-starting change within your company, this book provides essential insights for cloud adoption and its benefits for our modern digital era. Do not get left behind, and add Cloud Computing Basics to your tech bookshelf today.

What You Will Learn

Understand what the cloud is and how it differs from traditional on-premise solutionsGain a fundamental cloud vocabulary and learn how to translate between it and the terms used by different vendorsKnow the main components of the cloud and how they are usedBe aware of the vendors in the cloud market, their strengths and weaknesses, and what to expect from themTailor the optimal cloud solution to the organizational contextStudy different approaches to cloud adoption and the contexts in which they are suitable so you can determine how your organization will get the most benefit from the cloud

Who This Book Is For

A general business audience that wants to catch up on the basics of cloud computing in order to have informed conversations with technical professionals and vendors. The book is for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of what the cloud is, where it came from, and how it will impact every organization in the future. A basic understanding of information technology helps, but is not required.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Cloud Foundations

Abstract

In this chapter, we lay the foundation for understanding what the cloud actually is. We start by considering the history of the term. Then we look at how to define it in order to get a firmer handle on what we mean by cloud computing. We also investigate different ways to conceptualize the cloud. It has, for example, been suggested that the cloud is a utility or a service, which highlights certain important aspects of the cloud but also mischaracterizes it in other ways. The chapter seeks to establish an understanding of what it means when we talk about the cloud.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 2. Why Cloud?

Abstract

Now that we have a firmer grip on what the cloud is, it is easier to see why it is such a big deal. The cloud is transforming and will continue to transform the computing industry. In the future will may talk about on-premise data centers in the same way as we do about mainframes today, as relics of the past that definitely work well enough, but are mostly used because moving away from them entirely was too difficult. Some applications will probably remain in the on-premise data center as they have on the mainframe, but no one will build new data centers of their own unless they have very particular reasons. The cloud will be the default place to go. In this chapter, we look at why the cloud is the future. We see how the market is already moving fast toward the cloud and also look at the main drivers of cloud computing.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 3. The Genealogy of Cloud Computing

Abstract

It is important to understand the concept of the cloud and what it can be used for, but it is also important to understand the technical innovations that led to what we now call the cloud. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the history of key components of the cloud in order to better understand why they were developed and how they shaped today’s cloud computing landscape.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 4. IBM

Abstract

IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) is one of the most illustrious companies in the tech industry. In many ways, an argument could be made that IBM created the computer industry and many of the standards that go with it. If one were to point to one company as critical to the creation of modern computing, IBM would be a serious contender. Even more astounding is the fact that it has a history of more than 100 years, which predates the age of the computer! In this chapter, we look at how IBM’s history has determined its culture and how it has influenced their approach to the cloud. Based on these insights, it is possible to understand what kind of company IBM is and how they approach the cloud.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 5. Oracle

Abstract

Oracle Corporation has been a software giant for decades. From its beginnings as an American database vendor to a multinational enterprise software behemoth, it is one of the most polarizing companies in this market. In this chapter, we look at its history and how it shaped the company and its cloud offering. Oracle is one of the few companies that publicly espoused an anti-cloud attitude, but historically drove key technical developments that we today associate with the cloud.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 6. Microsoft

Abstract

In order to understand Microsoft, it is important to understand the history of its founders, Paul Allen and Bill Gates. Gates especially has been a key driver of the company’s development. Like other large companies, Microsoft has suffered through crises and overcame them. Along the way it has gone through stunning transformations too. From a focus on proprietary installed software for personal computers to a focus on enterprise cloud software and a newfound affection for open source, Microsoft has seemingly come a long way from its origins. However, the company also displays a great degree of continuity across the decades that it has operated.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 7. Amazon

Abstract

It is perhaps not readily apparent how an online retailer selling books and CDs came to give birth to the cloud computing industry. In previous chapters, you learned how several individuals and technology companies had hinted at cloud computing and built different pieces of it. Some even tried to market it, but it was not until Amazon put it all together and showed the vision for how to execute it that cloud computing materialized as a viable business. The history of Amazon is in many ways the history of the birth of cloud computing.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 8. Google

Abstract

Of all the major cloud vendors, perhaps Google is the one with the biggest brand recognition, due to its ubiquity and use by consumers. It is only surpassed by Apple as the most valuable brand according to Forbes. Google is also the youngest of the five cloud vendors. Few companies can be said to be more embedded in the Internet and its development. Whereas other companies adapted to the cloud, Google was born in the cloud and drove the development of many technologies that help power the cloud today. To understand how, let’s consider how a small science project grew to be a dominating force in cloud computing.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 9. Cloud Vendor Profiles

Abstract

Now that we have looked at the five big cloud vendors in isolation, we can start to make comparisons that will help us better understand the differences between them. There are many superficial similarities and differences, but it would quickly go too far to try to capture all of these. Rather, the approach taken here is to identify a few core underlying features that show the core differences that determine how they behave. These are customer orientation, vision, end user target, product packaging, and cloud focus. We go through the five selected aspects and, for each, characterize how vendors compare.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 10. Cloud Technology

Abstract

Although there are many aspects to the cloud, the most obvious one to consider is the technical aspect. This has naturally received a lot of attention and is often the focus of analysis and marketing. As a result, there is a plethora of information available about virtually every aspect of cloud technology. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the main technologies that we meet in the cloud. In the introduction, we saw that it is common to divide the cloud into three types: Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), which provides the most basic technologies; Platform as a Service (PaaS), which contains technologies for developers to create applications; and Software as a Service (SaaS), which offers finished applications to the end user. The emphasis here is on explaining basic structures and functions for the reader to explore in more detail elsewhere.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 11. Securing the Cloud

Abstract

This chapter highlights what it takes to secure the cloud. Some still consider the cloud an inherently dangerous and unsecure place, while others are moving to the cloud precisely because they think security is better there. It can be difficult to get your head around why both things can be true at the same time, but they can. It all has to do with how you approach cloud security. We look at it from a holistic, risk-based angle and go through the different classes of security services and features that cloud platforms usually offer. We also look at the security practices that must accompany cloud implementations. The goal is to understand how to secure the cloud properly.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 12. Cloud Economy

Abstract

For all organizations, economy is an important driver, one that sets the limits for what is possible and provides future goals. The same is the case with cloud computing. For the cloud to be a viable option, it has to be economically attractive. In this chapter, we look at what that means and how the cloud can benefit an organization from an economic perspective. We also look at the practical consequences and consider the possibilities that exist for managing and optimizing the economy in the cloud. There are different features that allow organizations to get insight into and control the economy of cloud deployments. The goal of the chapter is to describe the major aspects and drivers of the cloud economy that make it worthwhile to adopt.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 13. Working with the Cloud

Abstract

This chapter focuses on how the cloud affects work. Since the cloud is expanding rapidly it is impacting all organizations in one way or another. The skills needed in the workforce are changing rapidly. Now cloud skills are in short supply.

Anders Lisdorf

Chapter 14. Adopting the Cloud

Abstract

We have looked at the history of the cloud, discussed its primary vendors, and learned how the four aspects of technology, security, economy, and work differ on the cloud versus on-premise IT. This chapter focuses on how organizations can adopt the cloud. Although every company is unique, there are a lot of commonalities. There are several things that are similar across industries and types of organizations. Instead of having to start from a blank page, we look at what others in similar situations have done to adopt cloud computing at the organizational level. Based on these examples, we provide a number of patterns of adoption that have proven successful.

Anders Lisdorf

Backmatter

Titel: Cloud Computing Basics
verfasst von: Anders Lisdorf
Verlag: Apress
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-4842-6921-3
Print ISBN: 978-1-4842-6920-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-6921-3