Читать книгу Marketing Strategy In The Digital Age: Applying Kotler's Strategies To Digital Marketing - Milton Kotler - Страница 26

Peter Mell and Tim Grance of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) proposed in 2009 that cloud computing is a computing resource that can be accessed over a network (including networks, servers, data storage, software applications and software services, etc.), which can meet the individual needs of customers in a convenient way, without special intervention and maintenance. For enterprises, cloud computing provides enterprise computing infrastructure construction and off-site hosting services through third-party outsourcing. This allows companies to put resources and capabilities to more core areas without having to build IT infrastructure or manpower within the enterprise. Compared with traditional internal computing systems, the advantages of cloud computing are 24-hour accessibility, advanced security and lower cost.

• According to IDC’s survey, in the single year of 2011, companies have invested US$28 billion in third-party or public clouds and the figure exceeded 70 billion in 2015.

• Around 63% of business leaders in the survey believe that cloud computing can make the whole organization more agile and responsive.

• In 2013, 80% of the large North American companies were planning to use or have already used cloud computing to replace local computing.

• Three main service modes of cloud computing are as follows:

▪ Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software service: SaaS software is installed on the Internet and enterprises can contact related companies of SaaS cloud services to obtain licenses. Enterprises obtain software services through the network. The client end does not need to perform actions like software installation, updates and upgrades.

▪ Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) platform services: PaaS is a computing platform that allows companies to develop software and applications rapidly over the Internet without having to purchase and maintain complex software platforms. PaaS is very similar to SaaS, while the difference is that PaaS is not just offering software, but a set of development environment and publishing platforms.

▪ Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) infrastructure services: IaaS provides a complete set of infrastructures for cloud computing (server storage, network access and operating systems) and it provides services on demand. IaaS can be a public cloud, a private cloud or a hybrid cloud of the two. The public cloud, which can be accessed by all registered users, is deployed on the Internet and contains all the features of computing systems; the private cloud is a computing system with unique performance built on the private network (company intranet). Many cloud computing service providers offer a hybrid cloud service that combines traditional servers with public/private cloud services.

Cloud computing services provide similar types of advantages to both corporate users and individual users: 24/7 access to services, cheap subscription prices (such as Netflix’s monthly video service), higher security (cloud-based online bank encryption algorithm) and lower hardware input costs. Users no longer need to set up their own local servers to store pictures, videos and other data. They can store the data in the network hard disk provided by cloud service companies, such as Google, Amazon, Baidu Cloud and so on.