“The Cloud” and “Cloud Computing” can be mysterious concepts to people outside the IT world. In this post, which is the first in a series about cloud computing, we’d like to introduce the fundamentals of cloud computing—and demystify the concept.
At its most elemental, cloud computing involves migrating computer services off-site. For example, instead of using computer and IT resources in house, the company decides to use IT resources that another company provides. Cloud computing services can be broken down into three categories.
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
A March 2011 Frost & Sullivan report points to data growth as a key issue facing IT leaders. IT leaders must address the growing demand for enterprise data storage in addition to regulatory compliance and good practice data retention and backup programs. The Frost & Sullivan report indicates that enterprise data storage needs are increasing by 40 percent per year. Check out these data storage statistics from sources listed in the 
