Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to the on-demand seamless access of computing resources such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and intelligence over the Internet (the cloud) on a pay-per-use pricing model. It marks a paradigm shift from traditional on-premises infrastructure storage to remote cloud-based storage facilities and relies heavily on virtualization and automation technologies. Instead of buying, owning and maintaining physical data centers and servers, organizations access a virtual pool of shared resources on an as-needed basis from a cloud service provider. This lowers operating costs, increases productivity with greater agility and flexibility, and improves scalability with higher economies of scale. This theme focuses on technology companies that provide the related hardware and software to enable cloud computing services, the communication service providers that offer the network facilities and the various firms that utilize the services across diverse sectors like financial, consumer discretionary and industrials.