The cloud causes a great deal of confusion.
There is little consensus over what the term really describes.
Data centre vendors will tell you how you can buy storage from the
cloud, with servers switched on and off effortlessly and remotely.
Software vendors will tell you that it is all about access to
centralised software via the web, allowing you to use complex
software without installing or maintaining a single package.
Security vendors will tell you that it is an accident waiting to
happen.
In many ways, the cloud is really a bit like the computer system
represented in Hollywood blockbuster 'the matrix'
– though without the Neo sunglasses.
The concept is that services should be accessible remotely
without the customer needing to understand or care about the exact
resource required to deliver it. It should also be possible to pay
for only the services you use – for example, just paying
for the storage you actually use rather than paying for a server
and paying
