avings SO that businesses don't spend less money on overall IT services. Usage fees from employees' extra computing and data access can eliminate expected savings as employees use more computing resources than initially envisioned. Both large and small organizations look to cloud computing to maximize their attention and assets on core missions. They may consider some IT applications to be utilities better managed by IT experts at cloud companies. For example, they may use Microsoft Azure's cloud-based Office applications for word processing, collaboration, presentations and spreadsheets to avoid managing and upgrading these applications. With Office in the cloud, upgrade responsibilities are taken care of at Microsoft's data centers. www.TechnicalPDF.com An important advantage of cloud computing is the speed at which new applications can be implemented in the cloud. This can equate to competitive advantages. For example, customer service or sales applications can increase sales revenue. Faster access to company analytical data about sales and customers are other examples of how the speed of developing applications can help businesses grow or retain current customers. In fact, while saving money may be the initial motivation, it is often not the key advantage of using cloud computing. Agility in business operations, the ability to launch strategic applications, and the ability to scale and shrink as required are stronger motivations for using the cloud. The following is a quote from an IT Director in the Boston area: We ordered Oracle one day and the next day it was launched in the cloud. Without the cloud it would have taken three months and additional staff time. When we purchase new software, we always look for applications that are cloud ready. Three Categories of Cloud Services-Layers in the Cloud There are three generally agreed upon but sometimes overlapping classifications of cloud computing offerings. It's not unusual for providers to offer more than one of these types of services. The classifications ar