Cloud computing is changing the way businesses and users interact with computers and mobile devices. Gone are the days of expensive data centers, racks of disk drives, and large IT support teams. In their place are software applications delivered to users on demand from the cloud, high-capacity, auto-replicated, secure cloud-based disk-storage and databases, virtualized-server and desktop environments, and cloud-based collaboration tools which support on-premise-, remote-, and hybrid-team success. Within the pages of Cloud Computing, readers will find a hands-on introduction to the cloud, which will have them using cloud-based data storage to store personal documents and to share photos and other digital media with other users and their own various devices, performing cloud-based automated backups, and using other cloud-based applications by the end of Chapter 1! Readers will learn specifics about software as a service (Saas), platform as a service (Paas), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), server and desktop virtualization, and much more. Each chapter of the book presents a cloud topic, examines the underlying business case, and then takes the reader on a test drive. The chapters are filled with real-world case studies. The book’s content is ideal for users wanting to migrate to the cloud, IT professionals seeking knowledge on cloud fundamentals, developers who will build the cloud solutions of the future, and CIOs wanting insights on the most recent cloud solutions.