Cloud computing is a new processing model to offer and deliver and utilize IT services. It covers hardware, software, information and other resources and can be accessed via Internet or a company network or both.

In this model different users can have access IT resources like public utilities such as water, electricity and telephone based on their needs and in a flexible manner.

"Cloud" means customers don't know anything about hardware and software of the services, so they don't need to pay for infrastructure and its management. AHS is going to deliver cloud computing services with 99, 99% availability. The services are divided to:

a)    Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

      Needed software and applications of a company are delivered as a service. For example in Exchange environment which has been provided by AHS and through multi domain, mail boxes are available to the users. They can use them from anywhere in anytime. The cost is also depends on the scale of using mailboxes. In this way a company can reduce investment costs and it's enough to pay for using of mailboxes. In fact the company only pays for operation costs.

SharePoint is another service which can be published on Internet and be used by the customers. Here AHS is responsible for SharePoint service management. Also databases like Oracle and SQL can be delivered to the customers as a service.

b)    Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

      In PaaS services, AHS provides any platform on virtual servers and delivers them to the customer with all tools for using & managing them. All fundamental software like Active Directory, DHCP, DNS and Oracle and SQL databases, web servers and SharePoint can be provided for the customer too.

c)    Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

      IaaS means virtual server is delivered to the customer. Virtual servers with required Operating System and different performance & computing power in various levels of availability from 99.5 to 99.9 are provided.

Customers can define the specifications of the servers they want and have a full control over them. The quality of delivered services is based on the SLA between AHS and the customer.

Another service in this group is using network storages. Companies can save their backups on the storages or buy storage as a service for themselves.

Another service is virtual desktop which can be delivered through Internet via any device which connects to Internet like mobile devices. So the customer has an access to his desktop and in fact he has his PC to work with.

If a customer wants to buy any service of IaaS group, he can log in to Internet purchasing page and define the hardware specifications of his server, for example the number of CPU, hard disk space & memory. After customer submits this part, the next page which is related to SLA between AHS and the customer will appear and after that is payment stage.

As soon as the payment is done, the server is provided for the customer and he can connect to his server via remote desktop using his username and password which have been emailed to him. Now he can start his work; this instant access is one of the cloud computing advantages. The customer has his service as soon as he pays.