From the Back Cover

Get your head into the clouds —learn what cloud computing is and how to use it There′s a lot more to cloud computing than you may realize. This book takes you through the options, what they can do for your company, how to choose the best approach for your business, and how to build a strategy. You′ll learn about managing and securing cloud services and get down–to–earth advice about planning your move to the cloud. Get hold of the cloud — discover how the cloud differs from traditional hardware/software–based resources Techie nitty gritty — explore the technical foundation and evolution of the cloud Show me the money — analyze how much a cloud data center can save your company in power, labor, property, and other expenses The cloud tour — examine the elements of the cloud and service options for infrastructure, platform, and software Who′s in charge here? — learn about cloud management and how governance is defined inside the cloud Risk and reward — recognize the assorted risks and how to determine acceptable risk levels Cloud security — understand how to plan for a secure and compliant cloud environment Plan for the plunge — create a detailed plan for implementation Open the book and find: The characteristics of the cloud Important security issues and how to handle them Cloud standards and best practices Efficiencies of the cloud Questions to ask a potential cloud vendor Groups that clarify, promote, and maintain standards How the cloud relates to SOA How cloud users benefit from elasticity and scalability

About the Author

Judith Hurwitz (President & CEO), Robin Bloor (Partner & Senior Consultant), Marcia Kaufman (Partner & COO), and Fern Halper (Partner & Senior Data Management Strategist) are executives at Hurwitz & Associates, strategy consultants specializing in cloud computing, information and service management, and SOA. The team works with industry leaders on strategy and planning. They are the authors of Service Management For Dummies and Service Oriented Architecture For Dummies.