Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing

Adam Hoster

Columbia Southern University












          In the past, most businesses and organizations have kept all of their own computing hardware at their location and doled out a significant amount of money as well as effort in maintenance and development.   After around 2010 most companies moved this infrastructure to the cloud which is “The elastic leasing of pooled computer recourses over the internet.   The term “cloud” us used because most early diagrams of three-tiered and other internet based systems used a cloud symbol to represent the internet.”   (Kroenke, 2013, p. 198).
The three-tiered architecture of cloud represents three classes of computers:   1) user tier browsers which request and process web pages; 2) server tier for computers that run web services that bring up web pages requested by browsers; and 3) database tier that runs the DBMS which processes the database.
What is striking about the cloud is the amount of recourses being stored in it can be increased or decreased dynamically or programmatically, in a short about of time.   The organization is just responsible financially for what they use.   This is called “elastic.”   Another characteristic is how the cloud is “pooled.”   Meaning, that the actual hardware is shared by potentially many different companies and organizations through virtualization.
Benefits of cloud include how inexpensive it is while still being superior in its flexibility and adaptability when it comes to growth.   Cloud is also fast, up to date and offers the comfort of a known cost structure.   The biggest criticism of cloud is the lack of security and privacy.   There is no control over data location and little visibility into disaster preparedness.

However, at this point, some companies and organizations are required by law to maintain physical control over their data.   An example of this would be financial institutions.   There is an option for a “private cloud” that can be...