Three Steps To The Right Cloud For Your Business

The term "cloud computing," — a process by which remote computers are used to store, manage and process data — is no longer an unfamiliar term. According to at least one estimate, "approximately 90 percent of businesses using the cloud in some fashion." American Airlines is assessing major providers of cloud services for an eventual relocation of certain portions of its customer website and other applications to the cloud.

What some may not realize is that there are actually three main types of clouds: public, private and hybrid. Public clouds are those run by a service provider, over a public network. For example, Amazon Web Services offers public cloud services, among others. A private cloud is operated for a single entity, and may be hosted internally or by a third-party service provider. A hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds, such as a private cloud and a public cloud, such that the benefits of both can be realized where appropriate. Each of these