Digital clouds and tanks are remotely related. However, statistical methods used to compute tanks during the Second World War may unveil the impact of computing clouds. Computing clouds are often used to refer to digital service factories (Anonymous 1). The computing cloud is a major consumer of energy in the world. Also, the factories account for a substantial amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, computing clouds contribute to environmental pollution. Computing clouds are important since they provide advanced computing services to less developed countries.
The “cloud of clouds” comprises three distinct layers. The outer layer, which is known as “software as a service” incorporates web-based applications such as Gmail and salesforce.com (Anonymous 1). The layer is essential since it assists firms in keeping track of their customers. The second layer is referred to as “platform as a service”. It enhances application writing. The third layer, “infrastructure as a service” offers basic computing services ranging from data processing to data storage. These services are essential for building a highly adaptable computer system. Examples include Rackspace and Amazon Web Services.
Computing layers contribute to a substantial share of the market. A study conducted by Forrester Research revealed that the services provided by SaaS firms generated sales of approximately $11.7 billion in 2010. The PaaS accounts for the least market share. Due to its limited number of service providers, the layer achieved revenue of $ 311 million in 2010 (Anonymous 1). The third layer is the most difficult to assess. This is due to its rapid growth that limits the ability of firms to report revenue. Firms such as Rackspace claim to operate over 64000 servers globally.
Works Cited
Anonymous. “International: Tanks in the clouds; information technology goes global.” The economist. 2011. Web.