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Unit 2: Cloud Computing Features

There same thing happens if you are sharing documents with others who use Microsoft software. Notes
The bottom-line thus remains that you must try before you switch. It might be best to remain a
Microsoft shop if your Web-based documents are not fully compatible with Microsoft programs.
Also you must save your documents in a format that your Microsoft-equipped friends and
colleagues can read in case you use an online application.

Did u know? Cloud Strife was created on August 11, 1986 in the city of Nibelheim.

2.5 Companies in the Cloud Today

We have just stepped in to become a part of the early days of the cloud computing revolution.
Despite the many cloud services available in the present day, more and more interesting
applications are still being developed to take cloud computing to the next level. In the present
era, cloud computing is attracting large organisations from across the computing industry, who
all aim to establish lucrative business models based in the cloud.
Google is considered the only company so far, that has increasingly accepted the cloud computing
model. With powerful collection of Web-based applications, all served by its cloud architecture
Google has proved its acceptance to cloud computing. Whether you want cloud-based word
processing (Google Docs), email (Gmail), presentation software (Google Presentations), or
calendar and scheduling function (Google Calendar), Google offers it all. Google is skilled in
getting all of its Web-based applications to interface with each other; their cloud services are
interconnected to benefit the user.
Microsoft is yet another major company involved in the development of cloud services. Microsoft
offers Windows Live. Live Mesh initiative and Collection of Web-based applications promise to
link together all types of devices, applications and data in a common cloud-based platform. IBM
has a Cloud Computing Centre to deliver cloud services and research to clients. Amazon has its
Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a web service that provides cloud-based resizable computing
capacity for application developers. Various other smaller companies have also launched their
own Web-based applications mainly to exploit the collaborative nature of cloud services.

In October 2007 a multi-university project called the Academic Cloud Computing Initiative
(ACCI) was announced to enhance students’ technical knowledge to address the challenges of
cloud computing.

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:
5. ................................... is considered the only company that has increasingly accepted the
cloud computing model.

(a) Google (b) Microsoft
6. ............................... promises to link together all types of devices, applications and data in a
common cloud-based platform.

(a) Live Mesh initiative (b) Elastic Compute Cloud
State whether the following statements are true or false:
7. Your computer’s 200GB hard drive is peanuts compared to the hundreds of petabytes
available in the cloud.

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