Cloud Computing Technologies

This paper outlines the key characteristics that cloud computing technologies possess and illustrates the cloud computing stack containing the three essential services (SaaS, PaaS and IaaS) that have come to define the technology and its delivery model. The underlying virtualization technologies that make cloud computing possible are also identified and explained. The various challenges that face cloud computing technologies today are investigated and discussed. The future of cloud computing technologies along with its various applications and trends are also explored, giving a brief outlook of where and how the technology will progress into the future.