Book excerpt: Cloud computing has revolutionized computer systems, providing greater dynamism and flexibility to a variety of operations. It can help businesses quickly and effectively adapt to market changes, and helps promote users’ continual access to vital information across platforms and devices. Cloud Computing Advancements in Design, Implementation, and Technologies outlines advancements in the state-of-the-art, standards, and practices of cloud computing, in an effort to identify emerging trends that will ultimately define the future of the cloud. A valuable reference for academics and practitioners alike, this title covers topics such as virtualization technology, utility computing, cloud application services (SaaS), grid computing, and services computing.