Abstract:
Cloud Computing has unfurled a new panorama replacing the traditional IT practices for the
organizations striving to cut down computing costs as well as to execute painless IT. With the influx
of IT, organizations have engaged in major deals on computers which have nothing to do with the
mission and objectives of the libraries. Under such circumstances, Cloud Computing has emerged as a
blessing in disguise that has brought decentralization to the computing world.
The theme of this paper is to discuss the winds of change brought about to the computing world by the
prominent cloud candidates: Microsoft, Amazon and Google. It describes in detail Amazon strategies
of Elastic Computing, Microsoft Azure and the benefits of Pay per use model. Further, it brings to
light various research initiatives undertaken globally and the use of Cloud Computing by OCLC,
University of California and University of Berkley. Knowhow of using clouds of computing power
like data centre, servers, online operating systems, online storage systems, online software will be also
discussed.
Discussion will include in detail the flair of Cloud Computing (IaaS- Infrastructure as a Service,
PaaS- Platform as a Service, SaaS- Software as a Service) and the deployment strategies (Public,
Private and Hybrid Cloud).
Cloud Computing unconsciously is being used optimally by everyone and it is high time that people
should know its significant use. It has received considerable attention from global and local IT
players, national governments, and international agencies that are using the cloud infrastructure in
education, health, commerce, governance, environment and telecommuting. For a country like Sri
Lanka adopting Cloud Computing is the best solution for painless IT and usage of computing power
with less investment and less infrastructure.
