Cloud computing is a buzz-word in todays information technology (IT) that nobody can escape. But what is really behind it? There are many interpretations of this term, but no standardized or even uniform definition. Instead, as a result of the multi-faceted viewpoints and the diverse interests expressed by the various stakeholders, cloud computing is perceived as a rather fuzzy concept.

With this book, the authors deliver an overview of cloud computing architecture, services, and applications.  Their aim is to bring readers up to date on this technology and thus to provide a common basis for discussion, new research, and novel application scenarios. They first introduce the foundation of cloud computing with its basic technologies, such as virtualization and Web services. After that they discuss the cloud architecture and its service modules. The following chapters then cover selected commercial cloud offerings (including Amazon Web Services and Google App Engine) and management tools, and present current related open-source developments (including Hadoop, Eucalyptus, and Open CirrusTM). Next, economic considerations (cost and business models) are discussed, and an evaluation of the cloud market situation is given. Finally, the appendix contains some practical examples of how to use cloud resources or cloud applications, and a glossary provides concise definitions of key terms.

The authors presentation does not require in-depth technical knowledge. It is equally intended as an introduction for students in software engineering, web technologies, or business development, for professional software developers or system architects, and for future-oriented decision-makers like top executives and managers.

Christian Baun is a PhD student at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His principal research interests are solutions to integrate different cloud services in public as well as private cloud infrastructures. A special topic of Christians interest is the performance optimization of cloud-based storage services.

Marcel Kunze heads a research group on cloud computing and a cloud computing lab at KIT, and his research focus is on service-oriented architectures, virtualization techniques and system development for cloud computing. In addition he is a technical lead in the Open Cirrus cloud computing testbed of HP, Intel and Yahoo!. Before joining KIT, Marcel was with SLAC / Stanford University to investigate and further develop the Grid computing paradigm for distributed processing of particle physics data.

Jens Nimis is Professor for Business Informatics at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Germany, with his teaching focus on databases and web technologies. Until 2010 he was manager of the Dynamic Service Nets department at the FZI Research Center for Information Technologies in Karlsruhe where he investigated technical and economic aspects in particular of cloud computing.  Jens Nimis current research interests are in the evolving field of NoSQL databases.

Stefan Tai is Professor at KIT and Director at the FZI Research Center for Information Technology in Karlsruhe and in Berlin, Germany. His principal research interests are in the areas of service computing and Web engineering, including platforms for the development of reliable, scalable cloud application architectures. Prior to his appointments in Germany, Stefan worked for more than eight years as a Research Staff Member at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in New York, USA. Overall, he has more than 15 years of experience in industry research in the US and in Europe.

Introduction.- The Basics.- Cloud Architecture.- A Choice of Cloud Offerings.- Cloud Management.- Open Source Cloud Stack.- Economic Considerations.- Opportunities and Risks.- Appendix.