Cloud Providers

• Cloud computing providers

Cloud computing providers deliver applications via the internet, which are accessed from a web browser, while the business software and data are stored on servers at a remote location. In some cases, legacy applications (line of business applications that until now have been prevalent in thin client Windows computing) are delivered via a screen-sharing technology, while the computing resources are consolidated at a remote data center location; in other cases, entire business applications have been coded using web-based technologies such as AJAX.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/06/cloud-computing-guide-history-naughton

• Architectural Evolution: From Middleware to The Cloud

The emerging solution to the challenges we have faced with the EJB and POJO Component Architectures is the Cloud Component Architecture.
SMTP / outbound email is a simple example where the Cloud Component Architecture makes a lot of sense. With the EJB and POJO Component Architectures I’d find a SMTP

component that simply sends email. Then configure my server to be able to send emails that aren’t considered spam. I’d also need to deal with constant blacklisting

challenges and a larger management surface. Or in a Cloud Component Architecture I could simply sign-up with one of the SMTP as a Service providers like AuthSMTP or

SendGrid and then just use the Component as a Service.