Get started

Get started

Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.

• Ensure project success with private cloud planning

  Before taking the leap to private cloud, it's important to ask -- and answer -- five common questions on performance, security and more. Continue Reading

• Test your knowledge of cloud application migration

  Think you know all of the basics of cloud application migration? Take this five-question quiz and find out. Continue Reading

• Winning a cloud business case debate

  The strongest cloud business case used to be reducing capital costs. Today, business cases should highlight other cloud perks, such as process automation. Continue Reading

• SaaS platform changes: Is there a migration model?

  Is there a data migration model if a company leaves the SaaS platform it has been using? Read this expert answer to find out. Continue Reading

• Guide to cloud application testing

  Learn how to manage and test cloud application in this essential guide. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • cloud application performance management (cloud APM)
  • cloud infrastructure
  • testing as a service (TaaS)
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS)

  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • cloud computing

  View All Definitions

• Guide to SOA and the cloud

  The cloud can benefit from certain aspects of SOA. Learn more in this essential guide to SOA and the cloud.Continue Reading

• noisy neighbor (cloud computing performance)

  Noisy neighbor is a phrase used to describe a cloud computing infrastructure co-tenant that monopolizes bandwidth, disk I/O, CPU and other resources, and can negatively affect other users' cloud performance.Continue Reading

• Engine Yard

  Engine Yard is a platform as a service (PaaS) provider that automates, configures and deploys applications in the cloud.Continue Reading

• cloud architect

  A cloud architect is an IT professional who is responsible for overseeing a company's cloud computing strategy.Continue Reading

• private PaaS (private platform as a service)

  Private platform as a service (private PaaS) is software that facilitates development, deployment and operations for IT on a private infrastructure or behind a firewall.Continue Reading

• HP Helion (Hewlett-Packard Helion)

  HP Helion (Hewlett-Packard Helion) is the brand name for HP’s custom distribution of OpenStack.Continue Reading

• Guide to app portability and interoperability

  Learn about how app portability and interoperability allow for moving from one service to another without interference.Continue Reading

• How to make enterprise IT hire you in a cloud career

  From keeping up with the cloud's evolution to quelling security concerns, cloud admins have their work cut out for them -- but if you can master these skills, you'll be a desirable candidate for the job.Continue Reading

• FaaS (Framework as a Service)

  FaaS (framework as a service) is a service offering that falls somewhere between SaaS (software as a service) and PaaS (platform as a service).Continue Reading

• Explore cloud application integration use cases

  Integrating cloud applications may be complicated, but it is essential. There are a few different use cases developers can use, including iPaaS services, cloud to cloud, cloud to integrator to cloud and hybrid cloud.Continue Reading

• What developers need to know about cloud app integration

  Cloud app integration is a complex and enduring challenge. This essential guide provides tools and strategies that can help.Continue Reading

• IBM Cloud Marketplace one-stop shop for every XaaS need

  IBM's SoftLayer acquisition and BlueMix PaaS helped launch its cloud marketplace, where the vendor hopes to meet any enterprise demand.Continue Reading

• OASIS Cloud Application Management for Platforms (CAMP)

  OASIS Cloud Application Management for Platforms (CAMP) is a specification intended to foster interoperability between cloud environments and to simplify the management of cloud applications.Continue Reading

• Protecting cloud networks against DDoS and DoS attacks

  DDoS and DoS attacks are simple to implement but more difficult to prevent. How can these attacks on cloud services be avoided?Continue Reading

• How Java developers can find cloud computing careers

  In a new IT landscape, IT pros are worried their jobs are on the chopping block -- but Java developers in particular can position themselves in the cloud world.Continue Reading

• Sizing, pricing Amazon Web Services EC2 instance types

  Bill Claybrook compares complex sizing and pricing issues when choosing EC2 instance types.Continue Reading

• Setting the record straight on crazy cloud computing ideas

  From confusing cloud with virtualization to starting a 'crime cloud,' you wouldn't believe some companies' misconceptions on cloud.Continue Reading

• Untangle cloud billing knots across multiple providers

  Tracking your spending while using multiple cloud accounts can be a budgeting nightmare, but services are available to simplify the process.Continue Reading

• IBM's Watson supercomputer gives developers access to cognitive cloud

  IBM makes the Watson supercomputer available to developers and brings the cognitive cloud to Internet applications.Continue Reading

• Migrating to Office 365 requires planning, pilot-testing

  Contributor Tom Nolle explains why companies migrating to Office 365 need to plan, pilot-test and verify at every step.Continue Reading

• cloud spanning

  Cloud spanning is a cloud delivery model in which an application requiring a large pool of computing resources is deployed over multiple cloud environments (private cloud, public cloud and/or hybrid cloud).Continue Reading

• Expect the unexpected with a solid cloud DR strategy

  Failures such as natural disasters and outages are bound to affect your IT environment. A strong cloud DR strategy can ease these calamities.Continue Reading

• Is Amazon CloudSearch superior to do-it-yourself search tools?

  Big data can be incredibly valuable for enterprise business intelligence. But to extract that value, you must choose the most appropriate search tool.Continue Reading

• SnapLogic

  SnapLogic is a software company that offers cloud integration products to allow customers to connect cloud-based data and applications with on-premise business systems.Continue Reading

• In cloud planning, make room for storage

  This handbook explores cloud-based storage in terms of cost, manageability, scalability, flexibility, latency/availability and more. It also looks at cloud-based backup and disaster recovery options in the cloud.Continue Reading

• Private PaaS offerings: Benefits, challenges, best practices and more

  Learn how to evaluate, select and deploy the best private Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings to improve overall cloud experience.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing timeline illustrates cloud's past, predicts its future

  To know where cloud is going, you have to know where it's from. This timeline illustrates cloud's bumpy history and what that means for its future.Continue Reading

• Considering migration to the cloud? Answer five key questions first

  In this Q&A, Todd DeCapua of Shunra Software Ltd. discusses considerations for minimizing risk and maximizing benefits in a migration to cloud.Continue Reading

• The state of the enterprise cloud and prepping for AWS re:Invent 2013

  Enterprise cloud has seen plenty of movement since AWS re:Invent 2012, while many of the recurring security concerns continue to plague enterprises.Continue Reading

• Cloud integration platforms help users build an integration process

  Learn how running a cloud integration platform can add value to your integration process.Continue Reading

• Virtualization to cloud: Planning, executing a private cloud migration

  Moving from virtualization to the cloud requires careful planning and execution, but with the proper tools, enterprise IT can make the switch.Continue Reading

• Platform as a Service: Expert advice for selecting a PaaS vendor

  Seeking a PaaS vendor? Browse this collection of articles, tips, expert answers and other content to help you make the right choice.Continue Reading

• European Cloud Computing Strategy (ECCS)

  The European Cloud Computing Strategy (ECCS) is an initiative established by the European Commission to promote the adoption of cloud computing services.Continue Reading

• Enterprises see clear advantage of cloud computing and BYOD combo

  The BYOD trend puts enterprise IT in a sticky spot. Despite benefits, BYOD and cloud cause security pains. This FAQ helps you prep for what's coming.Continue Reading

• Host Analytics

  Host Analytics is a provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software.Continue Reading

• Test your knowledge with our cloud applications quiz

  See how well you really understand cloud applications. If you need help, check out the news section of SearchCloudApplications.com.Continue Reading

• IBM SmartCloud

  IBM SmartCloud is a line of enterprise-class cloud computing technologies and services for building and using private, public and hybrid clouds.Continue Reading

• Dell Boomi

  Dell Boomi is a Software as a Service (SaaS) integration vendor that provides its AtomSphere technology to a host of industry giants, including Salesforce.com, NetSuite, SuccessFactors and SAP.Continue Reading

• shadow IT

  Shadow IT is hardware or software that is not supported by an organization's IT department.  The term often carries a negative connotation because it implies the IT department has not approved the technology or doesn’t even know that employees are ...Continue Reading

• What keeps Amazon Web Services cloud on top?

  Amazon Web Services shows no sign of handing over the throne as cloud king. Better stay up-to-date on its services and role in the cloud market.Continue Reading

• Cloud Industry Forum

  The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) is a cloud computing organization in the United Kingdom (UK) that seeks to promote transparency and security in cloud deployments by creating a Code of Practice for cloud service providers.Continue Reading

• Getting your bearings on the basics of cloud networking

  Cloud and networking are two complicated technologies that often leave IT admins asking tough questions. Here are a few common head scratchers.Continue Reading

• SaaS technology and strategy quiz

  See how well you really understand SaaS. If you need help, check out our SaaS Technology Guide.Continue Reading

• cloud-oriented architecture (COA)

  A cloud-oriented architecture (COA) is a conceptual model encompassing all elements in a cloud environment. In information technology, architecture refers to the overall structure of an information system and the interrelationships of entities that ...Continue Reading

• Racemi

  Racemi is a data center software vendor that specializes in cloud provisioning and cloud migration products. Racemi’s products enable physical-to-cloud (P2C), cloud-to-physical (C2P) and cloud-to-cloud (C2C) migration.Continue Reading

• autoscaling

  Auto-scaling, also spelled autoscaling, is a cloud computing service feature that automatically adds or removes compute resources depending upon actual usage.Continue Reading

• CloudSwitch

  CloudSwitch is a company that makes cloud migration software. The company’s products make it easier for users to move applications and workloads securely between their business premises and the cloud.Continue Reading

• cloud OS

  Cloud OS is a marketing label used to describe a lightweight operating system (OS) intended for netbooks or tablet PCs that access Web-based applications and stored data from remote servers.Continue Reading

• turnkey cloud

  A turnkey cloud is a product that includes pre-tested and certified packages of software and/or hardware and storage that a cloud provider or enterprise can deploy quickly.Continue Reading

• cloud IDE

  A cloud IDE is a web-based integrated development platform (IDE) that is accessed through a browser.Continue Reading

• cloud service migration

  Cloud service migration is the process of transitioning an organization’s data and perhaps other business elements from one cloud service provider to another.Continue Reading

• mobile cloud

  The mobile cloud is Internet-based data, applications and related services accessed through smartphones, laptop computers, tablets and other portable devices.Continue Reading

• Cloud application development and cloud API FAQs

  Cloud APIs are changing the way cloud application development is done, and many consider them to be an integral part of cloud computing.Continue Reading

• portable app

  A portable application (portable app) is a software product designed to be easily moved from one computing environment to another.Continue Reading

• Kapow

  Kapow is a company that provides an API (application program interface) called Katalyst to migrate digital content in the cloud between diverse applications or databases.Continue Reading

• consumption-based pricing model

  A consumption-based pricing model is a service provision and payment scheme in which the customer pays according to the resources used.Continue Reading

• Test your Windows Azure IQ

  Windows Azure will be an integral part of Microsoft’s cloud strategy going forward. How high is your IQ on the product? Find out by taking our quiz.Continue Reading

• Jitterbit

  Jitterbit is a commercial software integration product that facilitates transport between legacy, enterprise, and on-demand computing applications.Continue Reading

• data portability

  Data portability is the ability to move data among different application programs, computing environments or cloud services.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V Cloud

  Hyper-V Cloud is a combination of Microsoft virtualization and virtualization management software that makes it easier for businesses to virtualize their existing server hardware assets and either consolidate them or move them to the cloud.Continue Reading

• Windows Azure Fabric Controller (FC)

  The Azure Fabric Controller (FC) is the part of the Windows Azure platform that monitors and manages virtual and physical servers and coordinates resources for software applications.Continue Reading

• community cloud

  A community cloud is a multi-tenant infrastructure that is shared among several organizations from a specific group with common computing concerns.Continue Reading

• Managing and monitoring cloud computing services

  Keep your cloud services operating at optimal performance levels with advice from this collection of cloud management and monitoring resources.Continue Reading

• How providers affect cloud applications migration

  Migrating applications from one cloud to another isn’t quite as simple as picking up and transitioning. A lot depends on choosing the right provider.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing development for beginners

  Cloud newbies that find themselves navigating unfamiliar terrain should check out this collection of tips, tutorials and news for a cloud development orientation.Continue Reading

• cloud-in-a-can (cloud in a box)

  A cloud-in-a-can, also called a cloud in a box, is a marketing term used to describe a turnkey product for private cloud deployments.Continue Reading

• cloud cartography

  Cloud cartography is a scheme for pinpointing the physical locations of Web servers hosted on a third-party cloud computing service. The goal of cloud cartography is to map the service provider's infrastructure in order to identify where a ...Continue Reading

• Cloud computing performance FAQ: What makes the cloud go?

  Cloud computing offers many benefits, but performance issues can complicate matters. Find out how to combat service-level agreement concerns, deal with varying performance levels and solve other frequently asked cloud performance questions.Continue Reading

• Open source's role in cloud computing

  The open source market for cloud computing already features a well-formed batch of tools and services. As open source evolves, our guide can help you keep up with the latest news and advice on Red Hat, Eucalyptus and all the major open source ...Continue Reading

• CloudAV

  CloudAV is a program that combines multiple antivirus applications and scans user files over a network of servers. The program was developed at the University of Michigan.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing from A to Z

  From Amazon EC2 to Windows Azure, we define the terms you need to know in this cloud computing glossary.Continue Reading

• Apache ZooKeeper

  Apache ZooKeeper is an open source file application program interface (API) that allows distributed processes in large systems to synchronize with each other so that all clients making requests receive consistent data.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing resources center

  Cloud standards organizations, open source cloud projects, cloud computing and social media and more, all explained in this compendium of cloud resources.Continue Reading

• Understanding cloud computing pricing

  Someday, cloud computing providers may simplify pricing models. But until that day, when determining total pricing for a cloud computing service, consider the services offered by the provider and how each pricing structure is worded.Continue Reading

• Blue Cloud

  Blue Cloud is an approach to shared infrastructure developed by IBM. The goal of IBM's Blue Cloud is to provide services that automate fluctuating demands for IT resources.... (Continued)Continue Reading