CONCEPTUAL BASIS OF CLOUD PROVIDERS

The paradigm of cloud computing and its associated technology is gaining momentum among IT companies because they allow you to use expensive technology at a low cost. Currently, cloud providers provide package services that include software and infrastructure elements with different payment models. Cloud technology is an alternative to the traditional model of local hardware and software use. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical and methodological approaches to the definition of the essence and features of the operation of cloud data centers, and the development of classification of the sources of productivity and business models of cloud providers. We find in the literature some works describing the structures and architectures of cloud providers, but there is a lack of general systematization that would cover all economic aspects of their work. The processes of creating and using cloud services have their own economic component, they are characterized by labor costs and funds on the one hand, and the receipt of direct or indirect income - on the other. Cloud provider can be regarded as a company that leases to its customers a number of reliable virtual resources (any hardware or software) according to a certain business model. The complexity of modern clouds determines the need to apply methods of economic and mathematical modeling. The essence of this article is to systematize the data on the sources of performance and business models of cloud providers and to analyze them from the point of view of resource management systems, hardware and performance indicators. We have discovered common features among cloud providers in an attempt to establish a common terminology, identify areas that are well covered by existing solutions, and identify critical areas that require further research and classification.