When you think of infrastructure, you most likely think of the physical structures needed for an operation to exist. However, as far as cloud computing goes, it can mean something all together different. Cloud computing delivers applications and services in an on-demand basis. No purchasing of software, servers, data center space, and network equipment is necessary. However, it does support thousands of users and applications that are fast, secure, and accessible. But cloud computing diverts from the traditional sense of infrastructure, taking typical infrastructure vehicles, such as the network, server, and storage, and making them virtual.
When trying to explain a virtual infrastructure in simple terms, then, it can be described in two parts that meet in a network, typically the Internet. The first part, or as it is sometimes referred, the front, is the side the user sees, and the second, or back, is the cloud. The front end incorporates the clients computer and the applications needed to access the cloud, and the back end of the system includes the computers, servers and data storage systems that make the system run smoothly. In the computing realm, these processes are not innovative; however, the implementation of how cloud computing invents, develops, maintains, and updates applications and infrastructure is on the cutting edge.
So is cloud computing infrastructure an oxymoron? The short answer is no. The cloud is the infrastructure. If you are having trouble understanding what cloud computing is, don’t worry, you have most likely used it already. Social media sites like Snapfish, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as blogging networks and wiki-databases, are all run on cloud computing and a virtual infrastructures. Potentially, all applications can work on a cloud computing system.
What are some advantages to using a virtual server? Here are some benefits:
- Accessibility: Employees can access applications anywhere they can connect to the Internet. This is especially useful for sales representatives out in the field trying to make deals. Customer profiles, contact information, and current product catalogs are always available, so your reps show up to sales calls better prepared.
- Lower Costs: Since no on-site hardware is required, companies avoid the expensive storage and maintenance fees of typical software-based systems. Additionally, IT techs aren’t bogged down with configuration and upgrade issues, allowing them to focus on new projects and keeping your company moving forward.
- Software Licensing: Cloud computing offers company-wide access on a subscription basis, so individual licenses are not required.
- Space: If you’re not hosting the servers, where are they? Who cares? All the costs and maintenance are covered by the vendor, so you have one less thing to worry about.
- Speed: Information is processed through the cloud in real-time, so your reps get up-to-the-minute data when it’s most useful.
- Applications: With thousands of developers creating apps for the thousands of companies in the cloud, you the app you want is available. Just login, pick your app, and start using it. If you have a unique need that isn’t available, most vendors offer point-and-click app development tools, so you don’t need to be a computer programmer to create your own.
- Customizability: The apps are designed to be used across the board, so they’re customizable to fit your company. And since each company works on a different scale, they’re scalable, so they grow as your business grows.
The days when companies are forced to overspend on expensive software suites are coming. Now, cloud computing makes it possible to run a large business without installing the kind of infrastructure that requires servers, storage space, and cooling systems.
