Cloud Computing: Taxonomy and Architecture

Cloud computing, the long-held dream of computing as a utility, has finally came to realization. Cloud computing has the potential to transform a large part of the IT industry, making software even more attractive as a service and shaping the way IT hardware is designed and purchased. Developers with innovative ideas for new Internet services no longer require the large capital outlays in hardware to deploy their service or the human expense to operate it. These cloud applications use large data centres and powerful servers that host Web applications and Web services.This report gives an overview of what cloud computing means, its history along with the advantages and disadvantages. Finally the different types of Cloud computing services commonly referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) are explained along with some examples to illustrate how they all work. This report also provides some guidance on situations where particular flavours of Cloud Computing are not the best option for an organization. Keywords— Cloud Computing, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service, Architecture.