SQL Azure
The Windows Azure platform offers the optional SQL Azure database as a supplement to the rudimentary data storage provided by the Storage AppFabric. Unlike the storage appFabric, SQL Azure is a cloud-based relational database that is an extension of Microsoft SQL Server. This multi-tenant, highly scalable database runs in the Azure cloud. This cloud-based database supports the…
Windows Azure Cloud Platform
The Microsoft Windows Azure platform is a Cloud Computing environment that allows customers to run applications and store data in Microsoft data centers around the world. The core of the Azure platform is the Windows Azure cloud-based operating system. This operating system provides the compute, storage, and networking capabilities required by Cloud Computing applications, as…
Methods for Protecting Data in the Cloud
The most straightforward method for storing application data may be to store the data in the cloud. The programming model for this method is very close to existing non-cloud development models making it easier to implement. In addition, application performance is usually at a peak with fewer protocol layers and reduced data transfer times. However,…
Issues with storing Data in the Cloud
Moving an application into the cloud offers numerous benefits but it is fraught with security issues. While many of these security issues are related to moving an entire application into to the cloud, this post will focus on issues related to moving an application’s data into the cloud. This outsourcing of data into a Cloud…
Cloud Computing Products
Many vendors offer a variety of products that fall into the Cloud Computing category. Some of the products qualify as full SaaS solutions, while others may only expose lower layers of the Cloud Computing paradigm. Below are examples, and brief descriptions, of three of the more popular Cloud Computing offerings. The post will briefly discuss…
Economics of the Cloud
Cloud Computing brings a different economic paradigm to the world of software development. In the past, when a company needed to grow its IT infrastructure it had to make a capital investment in infrastructure. A capital investment refers to the money a business uses to purchase fixed assets, such as servers, routers, and cooling systems….
Virtualization in the Cloud
Cloud Computing is based on the concept of shared server resources. As such, servers running in remote data centers are not dedicated to a single application or customer. Instead, several applications belonging to multiple customers may exist on the same physical server. Conversely, a single application belonging to a single customer may utilize resources from…
What is Cloud Computing?
What is Cloud Computing? This common questions is not easy to answer. The quick answer is that it is computing, in the cloud. But what is the cloud? Is it just a new name from client server or N-Tier architecture. The complete answer is more complex. In recent years, the Cloud Computing buzzword has grown…
Cloud Computing Layers
The general term Cloud Computing refers to a computational model in which software is hosted, run, and administered in offsite data centers. This software is then provided to the end users, as a service, over the internet. A Cloud Computing environment consists of at least one to three service layers, and each layer provides different…