## Chapter 1 

## Understanding Cloud Fundamentals and the Cloud Continuum 

## In This Chapter 

▶ Understanding the essentials of cloud computing 

▶ Exploring the cloud continuum 

▶ Examining foundational delivery services 

H ow quickly things change. Cloud computing has evolved from a risky and confusing concept to a strategy that organizations large and small are beginning to adopt as part of their overall computing strategy. Companies are now starting to ask not whether they should think about cloud computing but what types of cloud computing models are best suited to solve their business problems. Not only are organizations using the cloud for services such as e-mail or customer relationship management, but also many are utilizing a set of important cloud foundational services — Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) — to develop and deploy applications to support the business and open up new innovative opportunities and new revenue streams. 

The kind of cloud deployment you should consider depends on your own particular performance, security requirements, and your specific business goals. In this chapter, you look at the fundamentals of cloud computing and the insights into the range of cloud services and models that you need to understand. It’s important to understand that there’s a 

