Lately, we've been hearing more and more about "cloud computing. The book "Cloud Computing Bible" by Barrie Sosinsky is a complete reference guide to the latest technology. Cloud computing offers significant cost savings by eliminating upfront expenses for hardware and software. If you use Google Docs, Evernote, Dropbox, or web-based email, you're using cloud computing. It has the potential to lower IT costs thus makes it a major force for both IT vendors and users. Because cloud computing involves various technologies, protocols, platforms, and infrastructure elements. This comprehensive reference will be useful in implementing cloud computing.
The book helps define what cloud computing is and thoroughly explores the technologies, protocols, platforms and infrastructure that make it so desirable. Also covers mobile cloud computing, a significant area due to ever-increasing cell phone and smart phone use focuses on the platforms and technologies essential to cloud computing. Sosinsky goes into great detail explaining what cloud computing is and why it may or may not benefit a particular business. He discusses the architecture of building a cloud, how to address security, storage issues, and managing the cloud. In addition to these, and other topics, Cloud Computing Bible contains large number of diagrams, tables, screenshots, and web links to further explain points.
The book Cloud Computing Bible is divided into five parts: Examining the Value Proposition, Using Platforms, Exploring Cloud Infrastructures, Understanding Services and Applications, Using the Mobile Cloud.
The first part "Examining the Value Proposition" - defines cloud computing and deployment models along with benefits and disadvantages of cloud computing, assess value proposition i.e economics of cloud computing. Cloud architecture and the services and applications by type have been dealt in separate chapters. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Identity as a Service (IDaaS) are all covered nicely.
The second part - "Using Platforms" explains abstraction and virtualization technologies, load balancing, capacity planning, and explores Platform as a Service in general. Google web services, Amazon web services and Microsoft cloud services are covered separately. The windows Azure platform, Azure service, Azure AppFabric and SQL Azure gives an insight into overall Microsoft new platform.
The third part - ""Exploring Cloud Infrastructure" is covered in two chapters - 'Managing the Cloud' - deals Lifecycle management, Cloud management products and cloud management standards while 'Understanding Cloud Security' - explains securing the cloud, data and establishing identity and presence.
The fourth part - "Understanding Services & Applications" has been dealt in great detail by the author. Sosinsky has devoted a full chapter on SOA, moving applications to the cloud and all about working with cloud based storage and productivity software. Communicating with cloud and using web mail services and media & streaming are also covered.
The fifth and final part - "Using The Mobile Cloud" covers two chapters on 'Working with Mobile Devices' and 'Mobile Web Services' wherein the author has covered mobile market, using smart phones with the cloud along with mobile interoperability and context aware and push services.
Overall the book is a must read especially for those involved either in establishing cloud computing infrastructure or wanting to know more about this technology - which is a buzz word at present. Someone with experience in programming or information technology (IT) would better appreciate everything Cloud Computing Bible has to offer .