Cloud computing is a model of service where you can access all the utility and benefit of complex information technology (Infrastructure, Platforms and Applications) without purchasing the constituent parts yourself and therefore not having the responsibility or cost to develop, support, maintain and manage the information technology. Because you don’t invest personally in the complex Information Technology (“IT”), access to it is available from a Cloud service provider which results in stress free IT and a very convenient way to enable on-demand network access from any location using a simple internet connection and a device for browsing (e.g. Laptop, Tablet, Mobile, PC). Technically, there are Five Characteristics of Cloud Computing which are summarised as follows:

•      1. Available On-demand (Always On) and allows self service
•      2. Available from anywhere an Internet connection is available and with a device capable for browsing the Internet
•      3. Pools resources (Infrastructure, Platforms and Applications)
•      4. Provides a service that can scale with your requirements (i.e. more processing power, storage, data transfers etc….as and when needed)
•      5. Service is measured (i.e. access time, data transfers, storage used etc…)

Given the service nature of Cloud computing, there are three service models that represent the industry i.e. Cloud Software as a Service (“SaaS”), Cloud Platform as a Service (“PaaS”) and Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (“IaaS”). Why is it good for your practice? Well simply put, you don’t have to pay for all the infrastructure, platforms and applications needed to develop software, supply it, install it, support, maintain and managed all the IT required. Hope you enjoyed the overview of what Cloud computing is and why it is good for your practice.