In cloud computing, consolidated and abstracted compute resources are rented out to enterprise customers. The enterprise gets on-demand compute capacity without having to acquire, deploy, and manage underlying physical infrastructure.
This note introduces three concepts for understanding clouds and getting the most out of them:
- Three services: infrastructure, software, and platform
- Three clouds: internal, external, and hybrid
- Three rules of cloud investment
Before launching your business into the clouds, it is important to determine the differences between the available services and where you can derive the most value for your unique objectives.