This document discusses cloud computing and provides an overview of key topics including definitions of cloud computing, reasons for its importance, different types of cloud services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), what cloud computing can provide, and important considerations. The presentation notes that cloud computing is still in early stages but promises huge benefits including cost savings, scalability, and complementing service-oriented architectures.

1. Cloud Computing
Eurécom
Adomas Svirskas Sophia-Antipolis
France
The 3rd meeting of the Special Interest Group on eBusiness and
eCommerce, Kingston University, 12/05/2009

2. Today’s Topics
• What is Cloud Computing?
• Why do we care?
• Flavors of the Cloud Computing
• What Cloud Computing can do for us?
• Important things to keep in mind
• It is cool, now what? How to reach the
clouds?

3. What is Cloud Computing
• Anyone…?
• Ask 10 IT professionals and you will end-
up with 10 different answers
• Cloud computing (CC) is a way of
providing both hardware and software
as a service via the Internet, on demand

4. Cloud Computing Combines
• The concept of software-as-a-service
(SaaS), where a software application is
accessed and used in a hosted
environment
• Together with the concept of utility
computing, where shared, scalable
software and hardware is purchased on
a usage basis (IaaS, PaaS)

5. Why do we care?
• Because the whole world is nuts about it?
• Because it is a new shiny “gadget”?
• Well, yes by definition we are geeks 
• However, more practically…
– Because it can save money (for everyone of
us)
– Because we need to teach students, CC is
already very important in the field
– Gives us interesting research opportunities

6. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS … XaaS… ?
• Infrastructure as a Service - computing
resources such as servers, storage, and
other forms of low level network and
hardware resources offered in a virtual,
on demand fashion over the Internet
• IaaS in a general sense, delivers value
similar to what one might find in a
traditional datacenter
• Examples – GoGrid, Amazon EC2, etc

7. PaaS
• Platform as a Service - a runtime-system
and application framework that presents
itself as an execution environment and
computing platform available over the
Internet with the sole purpose of acting as
a host to application software

8. PaaS
• It is foundation upon which it is possible to
build highly scalable and robust Web-
based applications in the same way that
the traditional operating systems like
Windows and Linux have done in the past
for software developers.
• Operational capability of the platform
hosting is the primary value here

9. Evolution of Google PaaS

10. SaaS
• Software as a Service - Specialized
software functionality delivered over the
Internet to users who intend to use the set
of delivered functionality to augment or
replace their application domain solutions
• Examples: Salesforce.com CRM, or
SugarCRM

11. SaaS vs. PaaS vs. IaaS
http://www.saasblogs.com/2008/12/01/demystifying-the-cloud-where-do-saas-paas-and-other-acronyms-fit-in/

12. XaaS Taxonomy

13. CC Taxonomy

14. What CC can do for us?
• Save money by moving a part of IT
expenses from capital investment to
operational expenses
• Unlock virtually unlimited computational
resources
• Augment and complement SOA concepts
and solutions

15. Not to forget
• It is still Day One of CC
• Availability issues, outages, downtimes
• Jurisdiction aspects, e.g. WHERE the data
is stored
• Security and Privacy
• Licensing, contractual issues
• Standardization (your cloud is not my
cloud yet we need to talk…)

16. Summary
• The field is new, huge and promising
• CC is a REALITY
– Industry support (CC Expo in New York was a
good place to experience this)
– Open source support
– Research community interest
• Every IT professional must be
knowledgeable in CC area
• CC is available to try it out

17. Thank you!
Q&A…?

18. References
• Dion Hinchcliffe blog, Enterprise Web 2.0
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?cat=78
• Peter Laird
blog, http://peterlaird.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html
• Issues related to CC
arrangements, http://www.seyfarth.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/publica
tions.publications_detail/object_id/9275a22b-3998-494c-84d8-
7d234e503d82/IssuesRelatedToCloudComputingArrangements.cfm
• Demystifying The Cloud: Where Do SaaS, PaaS and Other
Acronyms Fit In?
http://www.saasblogs.com/2008/12/01/demystifying-the-cloud-
where-do-saas-paas-and-other-acronyms-fit-in/