How to Choose the Right Cloud

Cloud computing is a recent trend in IT that moves computing and data away from desktop and portable PCs into large data centers, and outsources the “applications” (hardware and software) as services over the Internet. Cloud computing promises to increase the velocity with which applications are deployed, increase innovation, and lower costs, all while increasing business agility. But, is the migration to the Cloud the most profitable option for every business? This chapter presents a study of the basic parameters for estimating the potential infrastructure and software costs deriving from building and deploying applications on cloud and on-premise assets. Estimated user demand and desired quality attributes related to an application are also addressed in this chapter as they are aspects of the decision problem that also influence the choice between cloud and in-house solutions. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-0879-5.ch7.1