English Sign in (or register)

Technical topics Evaluation software Community Events Search developerWorks

developerWorks Technical topics

Overview New to cloud computing Resources and events IBM products and solutions Connect and collaborate

New to cloud computing?

What is Cloud computing?
What's the difference between a private and a public
cloud? And what about hybrids?
Is cloud computing the same as Software as a Service?
Infrastructure as a Service? Platform as a Service?
Where can I learn more about cloud computing?
What types of applications can run in the cloud?
Can applications move from one cloud to another?
Does IBM have a cloud? What platforms are available for
cloud computing currently?
What products, technologies, and services can help me
with cloud computing development and design?
Are there any nuts and bolts articles on developing
applications for the cloud?

This guide provides a rapid and thorough grounding in cloud computing with a focus on the basic concepts; terminology
definitions; types of cloud platforms, services, and products; how to start developing applications for the cloud; and connections
to resources that can further expand your knowledge of the cloud.

What is Cloud computing? Can applications move from one cloud to another?
Cloud computing is a category of computing solutions in which Yes they can but with a caveat: Cloud vendors need to adopt
a technology and/or service lets users access computing standards-based technologies to make interoperability and
resources on demand, as needed, whether the resources are freedom of movement an easily achievable operation, not a
physical or virtual, dedicated, or shared, and no matter how they strenuous task. Here are three resources so you can get
are accessed (via a direct connection, LAN, WAN, or the involved in cloud computing standards:
Internet). The cloud is often characterized by self-service
interfaces that let customers acquire resources when needed Discuss standards at Google Groups Cloud Computing
as long as needed. Cloud is also the concept behind an Use Cases
approach to building IT services that takes advantage of the Discuss core principles at the Open Cloud Manifesto
growing power of servers and virtualization technologies. Review ongoing cloud standards efforts at
Cloud computing's importance rests in the cloud's potential to CloudStandards.org
save investment costs in infrastructure, to save time in Does IBM have a cloud? What platforms are available for
application development and deployment, and to save resource cloud computing currently?
allocation overhead. IBM offers a full range of computing options designed to support
What's the difference between a private and a public cloud? rapid, cost-effective development and testing. For example:
And what about hybrids?
Learn more about the enterprise-ready IBM Smart Business
In general, a public (external) cloud is an environment that exists Cloud - Enterprise.
outside a company's firewall. It can be a service offered by a
third-party vendor. It could also be referred to as a shared or The Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2; see the
multi-tenanted, virtualized infrastructure managed by means of a list of IBM technologies you can run on EC2) is a Web
self-service portal. service that provides resizable compute capacity in the
cloud, designed to make Web-scale computing easier for
Aprivate (internal) cloud reproduces the delivery models of a developers by allowing you to use Web service interfaces to
public cloud and does so behind a firewall for the exclusive launch application image instances with a variety of
benefit of an organization and its customers. The self-service operating systems, load them with your custom application
management interface is still in place while the IT infrastructure environment, manage your network's access permissions,
resources being collected are internal. and run your image using as many or few systems as you
desire.
In a hybrid cloud environment, external services are leveraged to
extend or supplement an internal cloud.
What products, technologies, and services can help me with
Is cloud computing the same as Software as a Service? cloud computing development and design?
Infrastructure as a Service? Platform as a Service? IBM offers a range of products and technologies that you can
Agrowing number of people in the industry consider Software use in cloud application development and system
as a Service (SaaS) -- software applications delivered over the administration. Check this list of cloud-ready available products
Web [SaaS demonstrations available] -- to be a subset of cloud on the Products tab and download a few today.
computing. And you could probably say the same thing about
IaaS (remotely accessible server and storage capacity) and Are there any nuts and bolts articles on developing
PaaS (lets developers build and deploy Web applications on a applications for the cloud?
hosted infrastructure). You bet! Here's a curriculum's worth to get you started:
Where can I learn more about cloud computing? The "Cloud computing for the enterprise" series introduces
Start with our Resources and events tab for technical articles, the pitfalls and positives of cloud usage, products and
tutorials, demos, and other resources. Then, discover the techniques to help you deliver Web applications on a
wealth of interactive knowledge we've amassed on cloud remote-access, multi-tenant cloud and discover products
computing by networking with your peers on My and capabilities to help you bring the benefits of on-premise
developerWorks: cloud systems to your production environment.
Also, there's the article "Introducing IBM LotusLive" about the
 The IBM Developer Cloud group is the community designed
to streamline and accelerate your development and test
processes by leveraging the cloud technologies associated
with the IBM Smart Business Cloud - Enterprise.
Bookmarks lets you and others share cloud-related
information from everywhere on the Web; sort of like having a
library of libraries of resources.
What types of applications can run in the cloud?
Anything can run in a cloud, but that doesn't mean anything
should run in a cloud. Any software that benefits the user by
being resident on a desktop or workstation (system analysis
tools, defragmentation utilities, etc.) would be better off
remaining local. Also, sensitive customer data maybe should
not be on a public cloud.
Acloud is right on target for applications that deal with IT
management, business and productivity, development and
deployment, capacity (server and/or storage), and collaboration.
Now on the cloud
Use Cognos Business Intelligence 10.1
on the IBM Cloud
portfolio of IBM-hosted online services that delivers scalable,
security-rich email, Web conferencing, and collaboration
solutions.
"Automating the construction of applications and application
environments" demonstrates tools and concepts to help you
achieve process automation.
"Cloud computing with Linux" and "Automating Linux cloud
installations" shows you how the penguin fits into the cloud
computing world.
The "Google App Engine for Java" series shows you how to
use Java™ in the cloud.
The series on "Cloud computing with Amazon Web Services"
and "Cloud computing with PHP" will open (source) your
eyes to the full reach of cloud technologies.
"Connecting to the cloud: Leverage the cloud in applications"
helps you fashion your applications to use the power the
cloud provides.
"Connecting Apple's iPhone to Google's cloud computing
offerings" gives you a taste of cloud on devices.
And if you're into smarter business intelligence, "Explore
analytics in the cloud" discusses technologies that allow you
to add analytical capabilities to any application, cloud-based
or local.
Rational Build Forge WebSphere Portal Server and
Try it on the cloud Lotus Web Content Management
New & updated images available