Cloud Computing: Architecture, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Abstract

Cloud computing, defined as the delivery of on-demand computing resources over the Internet, has become a prominent paradigm for Grids, but challenges remain for small and medium enterprises. The architecture of cloud systems differs from Grids in terms of technology support, infrastructure access, integrity, and server deployment, increasing reliability and diminishing the capability for large-scale Grids. A taxonomy that identifies service models, deployment models, and architectural strategies for cloud computing is presented. The information presented guides the technical selection of systems and components to build a cloud-computing infrastructure according to specific requirements, enabling proper interoperability and extending Grid capabilities (Hu et al., 2011).