Cloud Computing For Dummies

Cloud Computing Can Be Difficult To Understand At First, But The Cost-saving Possibilities Are Great And Many Companies Are Getting On Board. If You've Been Put In Charge Of Implementing Cloud Computing, This Straightforward, Plain-english Guide Clears Up The Confusion And Helps You Get Your Plan In Place. You'll Learn How Cloud Computing Enables You To Run A More Green It Infrastructure, And Access Technology-enabled Services From The Internet (in The Cloud) Without Having To Understand, Manage, Or Invest In The Technology Infrastructure That Supports Them. You'll Also Find Out What You Need To Consider When Implementing A Plan, How To Handle Security Issues, And More--resource Description Page. Introducing Cloud Computing. Grasping The Fundamentals ; Discovering The Value Of The Cloud For Business ; Getting Inside The Cloud ; Developing Your Cloud Strategy -- Understanding The Nature Of The Cloud. Seeing The Advantages Of The Highly Scaled Data Center ; Exploring The Technical Foundation For Scaling Computer Systems ; Checking The Cloud's Workload Strategy ; Managing Data ; Discovering Private And Hybrid Clouds -- Examining The Cloud Elements. Seeing Infrastructure As A Service ; Exploring Platform As A Service ; Using Software As A Service ; Understanding Massively Scaled Applications And Business Processes ; Setting Some Standards -- Managing The Cloud. Managing And Securing Cloud Services ; Governing The Cloud ; Virtualization And The Cloud ; Managing Desktops And Devices In The Cloud ; Service Oriented Architecture And The Cloud ; Managing The Cloud Environment -- Planning For The Cloud. Banking On Cloud Economics ; Starting Your Journey To The Cloud -- The Part Of Tens. Ten (plus One) Swell Cloud Computing Resources ; Ten Cloud Dos And Don'ts. By Judith Hurwitz ... [et Al.]. Description Based On Print Version Record. Includes Index. Cloud Computing For Dummies® 1 About the Authors 7 Dedications 9 Authors’ Acknowledgments 11 Contents at a Glance 13 Table of Contents 15 Introduction 25 About This Book 26 Foolish Assumptions 26 How This Book Is Organized 26 Icons Used in This Book 28 Where to Go from Here 28 Part I: Introducing Cloud Computing 29 Chapter 1: Grasping the Fundamentals 31 Considering Perspectives 32 Computing on the Cloud 32 Defining the Cloud 33 Comparing Cloud Providers with Traditional IT Service Providers 36 Addressing Problems 37 Discovering the Business Drivers for Consuming Cloud Services 38 Chapter 2: Discovering the Value of the Cloud for Business 41 Modeling Services 41 Understanding Infrastructure as a Service 42 Exploring Platform as a Service 44 Seeing Software as a Service 45 Management and Administration 48 Chapter 3: Getting Inside the Cloud 51 Feeling Sensational about Organization 51 Administering Cloud Services 54 Looking at the Technical Interface 56 Managing Cloud Resources 58 Untangling Software Dependencies 61 Chapter 4: Developing Your Cloud Strategy 63 Seeing the Many Aspects of Your Cloud Strategy 64 Questioning Your Company’s Strategy 65 Assessing Where You Are Today 66 Assessing Your Expense Structure 68 Checking Up on Rules and Governances 68 Developing a Road Map 69 Part II: Understanding the Nature of the Cloud 71 Chapter 5: Seeing the Advantages of the Highly Scaled Data Center 73 Comparing Financial Damage: Traditional versus Cloud 74 Scaling the Cloud 76 Comparing Traditional and Cloud Data Center Costs 79 Chapter 6: Exploring the Technical Foundation for Scaling 83 Server-ing Up Some Hardware 84 Economies of Scale 87 Keeping the Bottom Line in Mind 89 Chapter 7: Checking the Cloud’s Workload Strategy 91 Managing Workloads in the Cloud 91 Balancing Risk and Practical Models 95 Testing Workloads in the Real World 97 Chapter 8: Managing Data 99 Declaring Data Types 99 Securing Data in the Cloud 100 Looking at Data, Scalability, and Cloud Services 105 Sorting Out Metadata Matters 108 Talking to Your Cloud Vendor about Data 108 Chapter 9: Discovering Private and Hybrid Clouds 111 Pining for Privacy 112 Examining the Economics of the Private Cloud 116 Offering Up Key Vendors 118 Part III: Examining the Cloud Elements 129 Chapter 10: Seeing Infrastructure as a Service 131 Tracing IaaS to ISP 131 Exploring Amazon EC2: Case Study 133 Checking Out Other IaaS Companies 137 Examining IaaS-Enabling Technology 138 Trusting the Cloud 140 What Infrastructure as a Service Means to You 141 Chapter 11: Exploring Platform as a Service 143 Putting Platform as a Service on a Pedestal 144 Getting Inside the Integrated Lifecycle Platform 146 Getting Inside Anchored Lifecycle Platform as a Service 151 Enabling Technologies as a Platform 157 Chapter 12: Using Software as a Service 161 SalesForce.com’s Approach to Evolving Software as a Service 162 Characterizing Software as a Service 164 Understanding the Economics and the Ecosystem 166 Examining Types of SaaS Platforms 169 Chapter 13: Understanding Massively Scaled Applications and Business Processes 177 Naming Names: Companies with Massively Scaled Applications 178 Delivering Business Processes from the Cloud 181 Chapter 14: Setting Some Standards 185 Understanding Best Practices and Standards 185 Clouding the Standards and Best Practices Issue 187 Standards Organizations and Groups 190 Part IV: Managing the Cloud 195 Chapter 15: Managing and Securing Cloud Services 197 Putting Security on the Spot with Questions 198 Understanding Security Risks 199 Reducing Cloud Security Breaches 201 Implementing Identity Management 203 Playing Detective: Detection and Forensics 206 Encrypting Data 208 Creating a Cloud Security Strategy 209 Chapter 16: Governing the Cloud 211 Looking at IT Governance 212 Deciding on a Governor 213 Knowing the Risks of Running in the Cloud 214 Making Governance Work 218 Chapter 17: Virtualization and the Cloud 221 Visualizing Virtualization 221 Managing Virtualization 226 Taking Virtualization into the Cloud 232 Chapter 18: Managing Desktops and Devices in the Cloud 233 Virtualizing the Desktop 233 Putting Desktops in the Cloud 236 Managing Desktops in the Cloud 239 Getting a Reality Check 243 Chapter 19: Service Oriented Architecture and the Cloud 245 Defining Service Oriented Architecture 245 Loosening Up on Coupling 247 Making SOA Happen 248 Understanding Services in the Cloud 252 Serving the Business with SOA and Cloud Computing 254 Chapter 20: Managing the Cloud Environment 255 Managing the Cloud 256 Building Up Support Desks 261 Gaining Visibility 264 Tracking Service Level Agreements 265 Part V: Planning for the Cloud 267 Chapter 21: Banking on Cloud Economics 269 $eeing the Cloud’s Allure 269 Creating an Economic Model of the Data Center 272 Adjusting the Economic Model even Further 275 Summarizing an Economic Cost Model 277 Chapter 22: Starting Your Journey to the Cloud 279 Putting the Kibosh on Cloud Cultural Issues 279 Measuring Twice: Assessing Risks 282 Picking the Right Targets for Success 284 Planning for Leveraging the Cloud 286 Part VI: The Part of Tens 289 Chapter 23: Ten (Plus One) Swell Cloud Computing Resources 291 Hurwitz & Associates 291 National Institute of Standards and Technology 292 CloudCamp 292 SaaS Showplace 292 TechTarget 292 The Cloud Standards Wiki 293 Finding OASIS 293 The Eclipse Foundation 293 The Cloud Security Alliance 293 Open Cloud Manifesto 294 Vendor Sites 294 Chapter 24: Ten Cloud Dos and Don’ts 295 Don’t Be Reactive 295 Do Consider the Cloud a Financial Issue 295 Don’t Go It Alone 296 Do Think about Your Architecture 296 Don’t Neglect Governance 296 Don’t Forget about Business Process 296 Do Make Security the Centerpiece of Your Strategy 297 Don’t Apply the Cloud to Everything 297 Don’t Forget about Service Management 297 Do Start with a Pilot Project 297 Glossary 299 Index 315 The easy way to understand and implement cloud computing technology written by a team of experts Cloud computing can be difficult to understand at first, but the cost-saving possibilities are great and many companies are getting on board. If you've been put in charge of implementing cloud computing, this straightforward, plain-English guide clears up the confusion and helps you get your plan in place. You'll learn how cloud computing enables you to run a more green IT infrastructure, and access technology-enabled services from the Internet ('in the cloud') without having to understand, manage, or invest in the technology infrastructure that supports them. You'll also find out what you need to consider when implementing a plan, how to handle security issues, and more. Cloud computing is a way for businesses to take advantage of storage and virtual services through the Internet, saving money on infrastructure and support This book provides a clear definition of cloud computing from the utility computing standpoint and also addresses security concerns Offers practical guidance on delivering and managing cloud computing services effectively and efficiently Presents a proactive and pragmatic approach to implementing cloud computing in any organization Helps IT managers and staff understand the benefits and challenges of cloud computing, how to select a service, and what's involved in getting it up and running Highly experienced author team consults and gives presentations on emerging technologies Cloud Computing For Dummies gets straight to the point, providing the practical information you need to know. Cloud Computing for Dummies is a great start for people looking to learn more about the cloud. It's also a great reference for people who know the basics, but need more information and insights on workload management, standards, security and governance. There are many books on various aspects of cloud computing, but this is probably the broadest perspective and coverage of this exciting and complex new environment. Well organized, and written, I find this to be a book that I like to keep handy and refer to on a regular basis.