With all the hype around “the cloud,” it’s difficult not to be skeptical about its value. While cloud computing seems complex, it is possible to understand the building blocks that help make the cloud more tangible for businesses of all sizes. In fact, understanding the innovation the cloud delivers can profoundly impact critical parts of your business and may be the key in providing business growth and scalability. However, before diving into cloud adoption, it’s worth doing your homework.
There are many terms in the cloud computing lexicon, including popular terms like IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). As the owner of a growing business, you will likely have direct experience with SaaS – software applications most often hosted in the cloud. You’ll find that the SaaS market is considerably larger than the PaaS or IaaS markets, and SaaS adoption continues to grow. According to a recent Techaisle survey on SMB Business Application Cloud Computing, over 70 percent of respondents have already implemented cloud business applications in the past three years and plan to add an average of 2.9 cloud business applications to their current suite in 2012. In any case, let’s break down these terms as they relate to the cloud, removing needless complexities and using a language even technophobes can understand.

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