1. Why?
1.1. access your data from anywhere at any time
1.1.1. any computer linked to the Internet
1.1.2. no need to install data on a hard drive or an internal network
1.2. bring hardware costs down
1.2.1. advanced computer system on the client's side is not necessary
1.2.2. only enough processing power to connect to the cloud computing system
1.3. metered fee
1.3.1. no longer software licenses for every employee
1.3.2. company-wide access to computer applications
1.4. physical space
1.4.1. store your data on someone else's hardware
1.4.2. no need to rent physical space to store servers and databases
1.5. save money on IT-support
1.5.1. cloud provider takes care of problems and interruptions
1.5.2. less hardware and software installed on the client side
1.6. take advantage of the cloud computing processing power
1.6.1. complex calculations can be sent to a grid computing system with more processing power
1.6.2. speeding up calculations
2. Dangers?
2.1. internet connection
2.1.1. reaction time depends on connectivity
2.1.2. no (Internet) connection, no software available
2.2. security
2.2.1. company has no longer physical control over the data
2.2.2. external attacks (DDoS) can make the cloud service unavailable for the user
2.2.3. who's responisble when the data is lost
2.3. privacy
2.3.1. cloud provider may monitor the communication and data between the user and the cloud service
2.3.2. use of an authorization format could prevent that data and applications are available for everyone (e.g. employees in a company)
2.4. legislation
2.4.1. who owns the data (the user or the cloud computing service)
2.4.2. Patriot Act (USA)
2.4.3. can the cloud service provider deny a client access to that client's data
3. What's being offered?
3.1. SalesCloud
3.1.1. CRM product
3.1.2. key-users: Dell, Groupon, News International, Nikon Intruments, L'Oréal USA, ...
3.2. Google Apps
3.2.1. series of Google products under a custom domain name
3.2.2. key-users: Jaguar Land Rover, Rituals, American Red Cross, Roche, ...
3.2.3. 40 EUR per user
3.3. Amazon web services
3.4. ...
4. What?
4.1. online services (short)
4.2. providing access to hardware and software, that is delivered as a service, over a network (typically the Internet)
4.3. < name: use of cloud-shaped symbols in IT as an abstraction of a complex decentral network
5. Characteristics?
5.1. Architecture
5.1.1. user: client's computer and application that connects with the cloud computing service
5.1.2. service provider: various computers, servers and data storage systems
5.2. Virtualization technique
5.2.1. running multiple servers on 1 single physical server and hereby maximizing output and reducing space
5.3. Deployment models
5.3.1. Public
5.3.1.1. available to the general public (generally via Internet)
5.3.1.2. free or pay-per-use model
5.3.1.3. software and data are located on the server of the service provider
5.3.1.4. e.g. web-based e-mail program
5.3.2. Private
5.3.2.1. infrastructure operated solely for one organization
5.3.2.2. physical location of the data: the user or the service provider
5.3.2.3. maintenance: internally or by a third-party professional
5.3.3. Hybrid
5.3.3.1. composition of public and private cloud computing
5.3.3.2. requires internal and off-site cloud infrastructure
6. Different kinds?
6.1. IaaS
6.1.1. Infrastructure as a Service
6.1.2. (virtual) servers, storage, network, computers, ...
6.1.3. multiple users control the (virtual) machine from an external location
6.1.4. when? additional need for storage
6.2. PaaS
6.2.1. Platform as a Service
6.2.2. databases, web server, execution runtime, application server, ...
6.2.3. running software on a cloud platform without the cost and complexity of buying the necessary hardware and software layers
6.2.4. who? application developers
6.3. SaaS
6.3.1. Software as a Service
6.3.2. CRM, e-mail, collaboration software, accounting, ...
6.3.3. providers install and operate application software in the cloud and users access the software from clients (e.g. web browser)
6.3.4. users don't need to install the software applications on their own computers
6.3.5. free / monthly or yearly fee
6.3.6. who? Google Apps, Office 365, Dropbox