Cloud computing is the technology, which allows on-demand utilization of a shared, infinite amount of compute resources or computing power via the Internet, is fast becoming mainstream all over the world. Recently the businesses have started hosting their IT systems in cloud rather than outsourcing them. They rely on clouds for managing and integrating their systems besides outsourcing them. Further, survey firms indicate that revenues from cloud services will pass $56.3 billion this year to reach $150 billion by 2013 globally.

Here are 10 major categories or patterns of cloud computing technology that can be explored by firms as per their requirements.

Storage-as-a-service:
SaaS is a type of software deployment whereby a provider licenses an application to customers for use as a service on demand and disabling it after use or after the on-demand contract expires.
SaaS software vendors may host the application on their own web servers or download the application to the consumer device.

Platform-as-a-service:
Here, the services provide the entire infrastructure needed to run applications over the Internet just as electricity supply. Further, the services are delivered on the subscription model where the users only pay for what they use.

Infrastructure-as-a-service:
It is a type of datacenter as a service, where the service provider remotely offers access to its computing resources. Here, the firms hire the whole datacenter or a part of datacenter for all practical purposes.

Security-as-a-service:
These services refer to the protection against cyber-risk. It provides security applications, which is internet-based service, on-demand, to consumers and businesses. It consists of log management, filtering services and asset tracking including anti-virus, anti-spam and anti-spyware.

Information-as-a-service:
It accepts the suggestion that data resides within many systems and repositories, for example stock price information. It refers to the ability to consume firms’ information, remotely hosted, through a well defined interface such as API.

Application-as-a-service:
It is also known as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or on-demand software. Here, the services offer various application delivered over a network to the end user, for example Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar.

Testing-as-a-service:
The services can test other cloud applications by using testing software and services, which are remotely hosted. Also, these services include various features and functions that are present within traditional EAI technology, but delivered as a service.

Database-as-a-service:
Here, it allows users to access services on the remotely hosted database, which can be easily shared with other users. It can save lots of money in hardware and software licenses.

Process-as-a-service:
These services allow users to attach various resources together to create business processes, which can be present within the same cloud computing resource or remote.

Integration-as-a-service:
These services were started back in 80s, from the slow evolution of the Business-to-business Integration market. In starting, Value Added Networks, provide such EDI services. But now, these services include integration with applications, semantic mediation, flow control, integration design, etc.

Source:http://www.itvoir.com/portal/boxx/knowledgebase.asp?iid=1708&Cat=23