"The promise of cloud computing is here. These pages provide the 'eyes wide open' insights you need to transform your business." —Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President, Strategic Technology, Thomson ReutersA Down-to-Earth Guide to Cloud ComputingCloud Computing: A Practical Approach provides a comprehensive look at the emerging paradigm of Internet-based enterprise applications and services. This accessible book offers a broad introduction to cloud computing, reviews a wide variety of currently available solutions, and discusses the cost savings and organizational and operational benefits. You'll find details on essential topics, such as hardware, platforms, standards, migration, security, and storage. You'll also learn what other organizations are doing and where they're headed with cloud computing. If your company is considering the move from a traditional network infrastructure to a cutting-edge cloud solution, you need this strategic guide.Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach covers:Costs, benefits, security issues, regulatory concerns, and limitationsService providers, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo, IBM, EMC/VMware, Salesforce.com, and othersHardware, infrastructure, clients, platforms, applications, services, and storageStandards, including HTTP, HTML, DHTML, XMPP, SSL, and OpenIDWeb services, such as REST, SOAP, and JSONPlatform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Software plus Services (S+S)Custom application development environments, frameworks, strategies, and solutionsLocal clouds, thin clients, and virtualizationMigration, best practices, and emerging standards