Computerworld - Utility computing, sometimes called metered services, is a subset of on-demand computing in which IT resources are provided by an outside services firm, and the client company pays only for what it uses. (To many, utility computing and on-demand computing mean the same thing.)
Grid computing is the practice of applying multiple computers' processing power to a single problem simultaneously. Created as a way to use computers that would otherwise sit idle to solve complex scientific problems, grid computing is still most frequently used in the technical, scientific and academic communities.
The virtual data center entails pooling resources to make individual components behave as if they were a single entity.
Autonomic computing describes an infrastructure that monitors itself, allocating resources and even making repairs without human intervention.
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