I’m not one to re-purpose content, but Jeff Kaplan’s post on the difference between cloud computing and software-as-a-service deserves highlighting.
In my case, I view cloud computing as a broad array of web-based services aimed at allowing users to obtain a wide range of functional capabilities on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis that previously required tremendous hardware/software investments and professional skills to acquire. Cloud computing is the realization of the earlier ideals of utility computing without the technical complexities or complicated deployment worries. With this precept in mind, I see SaaS as a subset or segment of the cloud computing market.
I like this analogy a lot.
Both journalists and ISVs alike have muddled the two terms – and understandably so. There’s been a surge of interest in the market and this ‘gold rush’ mentality has caused some confusion over their definitions.
Per Jeff’s reccomentadtion, vendors should be careful about the language they use, so as not to mislead their customers.
