Cloud Computing: Exploring the scope

Cloud computing refers to a paradigm shift to overall IT solutions while raising the accessibility, scalability and effectiveness through its enabling technologies. However, migrated cloud platforms and services cost benefits as well as performances are neither clear nor summarized. Globalization and the recessionary economic times have not only raised the bar of a better IT delivery models but also have given access to technology enabled services via internet. Cloud computing has vast potential in terms of lean Retail methodologies that can minimize the operational cost by using the third party based IT capabilities, as a service. It will not only increase the ROI but will also help in lowering the total cost of ownership. In this paper we have tried to compare the cloud computing cost benefits with the actual premise cost which an organization incurs normally. However, in spite of the cost benefits, many IT professional believe that the latest model i.e. "cloud computing" has risks and security concerns. This report demonstrates how to answer the following questions: (1) Idea behind cloud computing. (2) Monetary cost benefits of using cloud with respect to traditional premise computing. (3) What are the various security issues? We have tried to find out the cost benefit by comparing the Microsoft Azure cloud cost with the prevalent premise cost.