Cloud computing—in simple terms— is virtualized resources served over the Internet. Cloud computing is often provided "as a service" in the form of 'infrastructure as a service’ (IaaS), or more commonly as ‘software as a service’ (SaaS).  

Why the buzz? Cloud computing customers can minimize out of pocket or long-term budgetary needs when they incur new demand or fluctuation requirements for their infrastructure or massive web properties. Instead of having to invest time and money to keep websites and infrastructures operational, cloud computing customers simply pay for the
resources they use, as they use them.  

The direct benefit of cloud computing
is agility and flexibility — meaning that customers no longer need to forecast drastic upbeat in traffic – they can simply promote their websites aggressively and on-demand.  

Learn More:

What Cloud Computing Really Means by InfoWorld – discusses the various solution offerings including SaaS.

Cloud versus cloud: A guided tour of Amazon, Google, AppNexus, and GoGrid by InfoWorld – provides insight into various vendors – including pricing and relationship differences.

What is Cloud Computing by Salesforce via YouTube - Salesforce currently is ahead of the pack and does a great job of explaining the semantics and benefits of The Cloud.

Best

Denice MacDonald