Net-centric computing is a set of principles that have been heavily adopted by the nonprofit organization Cloud Security Alliance. Cloud computing is here to stay, but the cloud ecosystem can be complex to navigate. This article will look at net-centric principles and break them down for you in plain English.

The cloud is a computer network of remote computing servers, made accessible on-demand to users who may be located anywhere. The cloud gives you the ability to access, store and share your information and data from any Internet-connected device.

The cloud has revolutionized the way that companies store and share information in comparison to traditional on-premise infrastructures. However, not all organizations have yet taken advantage of this technology. The Cloud Computing Service Provider industry includes those firms are as follows:

• IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
• PaaS (Platform as a Service)
• SaaS (Software as a Service)

SaaS is basically the application delivery over the Internet. The application is installed on to the cloud provider’s servers and each user has a web browser interface to access the applications. The data that you store in this environment can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.

PaaS offers a platform over the cloud where each user can access resources such as databases, storage, and bandwidth with a single login. The platform enables users to develop and deploy applications in which they can use applications programming interfaces (API).

IaaS provides storage, processor power, memory, operating systems, and networking capabilities to customers so that they do not have to buy and maintain their own computer system infrastructure.

For more details please read the Cloud-Based Services article.

Net-Centric:

Net-Centric is a way to manage your data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. Net-centric cloud computing can be considered an evolution of Software as a Service (SaaS). It leverages the power of the Internet to provide an environment for data, applications, and infrastructure on demand. It allows you to manage everything from one interface without worrying about hardware or server management issues.

The term net-centric combines network-based computing with its integration of various types of information technology resources – servers, storage devices, servers, computers – into centralized repositories that are served using standard Web-based protocols such as HTTP or HTTPS via a global computer communications network like the internet.

Net-centric computing allows organizations to focus on their core business needs without limiting themselves by software or hardware limitations imposed on their infrastructure. In other words, when an organization adopts net-centric principles, they are able to completely virtualize its IT footprint while still being able to take advantage of modern networking technologies like LANs and WANs.

Net-centric cloud computing service is a combination of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. What this means is that instead of buying hardware and software for your own data center, you buy it from the cloud provider. This gives you the ability to move your data to the cloud and access it from anywhere.

Net-centric computing service allows you to centralize your applications with a single interface. It provides fully managed services according to user’s specific requirements, which are invoked in real-time as needed rather than being provided on-demand or already provisioned for use. The concept of net-centric computing enables multiple distributed clients to access a single entity’s applications in real-time.

Benefits of Net-Centric Computing:

Net-centric computing allows organizations to effectively manage their IT infrastructure via a unified application that is more flexible and easier to maintain without the added overhead of operating multiple hardware platforms. In turn, organizations of all sizes can now enjoy the same benefits that larger more traditional enterprises are able to with their own data centers. The net-centric virtualization platform establishes a single management point for security, performance, and capacity, as well as cloud applications and services.

In cloud computing, there are many advantages over traditional data center technologies. Cloud computing allows for agility on a business level by not having to invest in maintaining multiple physical data centers.

Cloud computing has gained traction with both enterprises and consumers. It is expected that CSPs will continue to embrace this technology as it becomes the norm for organizations of all kinds. As a result, CISOs need to be trained on how to adopt net-centric principles for managing the cloud without limits in order to be successful within this new market.