Utility Computing

Abstract

In an attempt to explain utility computing, many vendors and analysts use electricity or telephone analogies, likening a utility service approach to picking up the phone or switching on the lights - a simple action on the end-user's part, carried out at will. Behind the scenes what's happening is greatly complex, but the end-user is shielded from complexity. In its widest meaning, utility computing refers to the practice of automatically matching centralized resources to an application's demands, then charging the business unit for usage. There is no single utility computing tool to accomplish this - and in some camps, utility computing is more a philosophy or management approach than it is a software or hardware tool.