Cloud computing basics: a non-technical introduction

Regardless of where your organization is in your cloud journey, moving to the cloud is an inevitability in the coming years. The cloud is here to stay, and now is the best time to identify optimal strategies to harness the benefits and mitigate the risks. Cloud Computing Basics is the practical, accessible entry point you have been seeking. Get an introduction to the basics of cloud computing and all five major cloud platforms. Author Anders Lisdorf ensures that you gain a fundamental cloud vocabulary and learn how to translate industry terms used by different vendors. Leveraging the economic and security benefits that the cloud provides can look very different for each organization, and Lisdorf uses his expertise to help you adapt your strategy accordingly. You will: Understand what the cloud is and how it differs from traditional on-premise solutions Gain a fundamental cloud vocabulary and learn how to translate between it and the terms used by different vendors Know the main components of the cloud and how they are used Be aware of the vendors in the cloud market, their strengths and weaknesses, and what to expect from them Tailor the optimal cloud solution to the organizational context Study different approaches to cloud adoption and the contexts in which they are suitable so you can determine how your organization will get the most benefit from the cloud Cloud Computing Basics is here to bring your organization into the future. Whether you are a beginner on the topic or a tech leader kick-starting change within your company, this book provides essential insights for cloud adoption and its benefits for our modern digital era. Do not get left behind, and add Cloud Computing Basics to your tech bookshelf today.

Intro -- Contents -- About the Author -- About the Technical Reviewers -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: Cloud Foundations -- The History of the Term "Cloud" -- Why a Cloud? -- The Origin of the Term "Cloud" -- The Birth of the Cloud Computing Concept -- Definitions of Cloud Computing -- Essential Characteristics -- Service Models -- Deployment Models -- Toward a Concept of the Cloud -- The Cloud as a Utility -- Product -- Path Dependency -- Transferability -- Configuration -- Service Continuity -- Regulation -- Is the Cloud a Utility? Or More Like a Supermarket?

The Cloud as a Service -- The Cloud as Layers -- Summary -- Chapter 2: Why Cloud? -- The Cloud Is the Future -- Drivers for Cloud Adoption -- Economy -- CAPEX to OPEX -- Total Cost of Ownership -- Economies of Scale -- Security -- Keeping Up with Threats -- Keeping Information Safe -- Resilience -- Scalability -- Focus -- Agility -- Sustainability -- Summary -- Chapter 3: The Genealogy of Cloud Computing -- Origin of the Computer -- Computing Machines -- The Binary Paradigm -- Digital vs. Analog -- Tubes, Transistors, and Integrated Circuits -- The Microprocessor -- The Origin of Interfaces

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