This book was written during the Cloud Wars, the most aggressive and competitive software development period I have witnessed in the technology industry. The wars are not over. Cloud vendors vie for market share with new features being released on an ongoing basis as they attempt to gain an advantage over the competition.
Completing this book to a standard I am satisfied with during this time of massive change would not have been possible without the love, support, encouragement, and friendship of my wife, Dr. Ameetha Garbharran. I am also fortunate to receive positive energy and loads of support from my parents, Harriesagar and Sabita Devi Ramklass.
I am grateful, too, for the meticulous attention to detail of the technical editor, Simon Pane, who kept me focused on the quality of this endeavor. I appreciate the support from my friend and colleague Christine Kivi and the team at Eclipsys Solutions led by Michael Richardson.
Finally, thank you to the team at McGraw-Hill, specifically Lisa McClain, Claire Yee, Emily Walters, and Radhika Jolly, who kept me on track with my deadlines and showed patience and understanding while I realized that the more things changed in the Cloud space, the more they stayed the same.