Cloud computing has been described as the third revolution of IT, following the personal computer and the invention of the Internet. It is the next step in the growth of the Internet as a source of business operations services. It is a term for a type of computing that involves delivery of IT services, resources, software or processing capacity to multiple external users over the Internet or a private network.

Cloud computing enables the use of services, without the requisite understanding the technology or ownership of the underlying infrastructure. It offers is a way for the users to increase computing capabilities without investing in new infrastructure, training personnel, or buying expensive software licenses.

A useful analogy for cloud computing is the electricity power distribution network. Power generating companies own the infrastructure; electricity distribution companies distribute the electricity; and the end users "consume" it as a service, without owning or operating the electricity network nor understanding the underlying technology.

Cloud computing opens a new world of entrepreneurial opportunities, not just for the large multinational companies, but also for the small and mid-sized businesses. Through it, they will be able to use powerful IT resources, without having to buy them, house them, manage them, or administer them.

The name "cloud computing" was inspired by the cloud symbol, which is often used to represent IT resources located on the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.

Cloud Computing Service Types

There are three main types of IT services that can be provided through a cloud:

• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – In this model, the service provider’s applications run on the cloud and interact with the end-users through a front-end web-portal.  The client does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage. SaaS has a very broad application and can include anything from web-based email to inventory control, database management, or business processes implementation. Because the service provider hosts both the application and the data, the end user is free to use the service from anywhere.
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – PaaS is defined as a set of software and product development tools hosted on the provider's infrastructure. The client does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but has control over applications and hosting environment. PaaS providers use application program interface (API), website portals or gateway software installed on the end-users computers.
• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – In this model, clients use the provider's application program interface (API) to start, stop, access and configure their virtual servers and storage. IaaS cloud computing allows companies to pay for only as much capacity as they require. This model resembles the way electricity, fuel and water are consumed (e.g. pay-for-what-you-use). The client does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and selected networking components (e.g., host firewalls).

Key Benefits

The key benefits of cloud computing include:

• Scalability – Cloud Computing offers a new elastic delivery model. Clients can consume as much or as little as they want. They can scale up or scale down as their businesses demand. This flexibility transforms clients’ fixed-cost into variable costs models, providing protection against income volatility.
• Reduced cost – Cloud technology is paid incrementally via a pay-as-you-go model, which allows for reduced operating expenses. There is no upfront capital expenditure for hardware, software licenses or implementation services.
• Value-added IT – IT staff no longer has to worry about constant software updates and other computing issues. Thus they will free up time to concentrate on innovation.
• Mobility – Users can access services and data from any location with an Internet connection.
  Increased storage – Clients can store more data than on the cloud, while remaining flexible and having no need for maintaining physical storage.

Cloud Computing Security

Cloud computing is surrounded by a lot of buzz regarding security risks. Many business executives are worried that hosting software or business processes on a cloud cloud make them more vulnerable to security breaches.

That is why it is important to mention that cloud-computing providers rely both on strict privacy policies and also on sophisticated security measures, such as proven cryptographic methods to authenticate users. What’s more, companies can choose to encrypt data before storing it on a third-party provider’s servers. As a result, cloud-computing providers often offer very high data security and confidentiality.

HDS is at the front of data security issues. Its data centres have been certified by ISO 27001 - Security Management and it has of policy of respecting its clients corporate security standards.

HDS Cloud Computing Solutions

HDS offers solutions based on cloud computing in the following areas:

• Business Process Management (BPM) Solutions

HDS’ offers bespoke BPM solutions to its clients. At their core these solutions are based on a cloud and operate as BPM-as-a-Service, which is essentially a SaaS solution. Business process operations platforms based on a cloud allow clients to plug and play their unique services (process components) to create and manage end-to-end business processes with great speed and agility, e.g. one shared BPM system, one shared information base, one shared collaboration workspace.

• Document and Data Solutions

In addition to the conventional client hosted document and data management solutions, HDS offers cloud-computing solutions. These solutions include document archiving, scanning and protection, online archiving, and data processing. The cloud computing document and data management solutions provided by HDS are both efficient and effective alternatives to the traditional solutions, as they allow for faster implementation times as lower cost, without sacrificing security.