Cloud computing has matured from buzzword to a dynamic infrastructure used today by several organizations, yet many technology experts have differing views about what it means to the IT landscape and what cloud computing can do for business. However, leading analysts—including thought leaders from Gartner, Forrester, and IDC—agree that this new model offers significant advantages for fast-paced startups, SMBs and enterprises alike. In the following sections, you'll learn about cloud computing defined, cloud characteristics,drivers for adoption, public clouds vs. private clouds, how enterprises are using the cloud, and the future of cloud computing.
Today, forward-thinking business leaders are using the cloud within their enterprise data centers to take advantage of the best practices that cloud computing has established, namely scalability, agility, automation, and resource sharing. By using a cloud-enabled application platform, companies can choose a hybrid approach to cloud computing that employs an organization's existing infrastructure to launch new cloud-enabled applications. This hybrid approach allows IT departments to focus on innovation for the business, reducing both capital and operational costs and automating the management of complex technologies.
