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utility computing

. Utility computing involves treat-

ing all aspects of IT as a commodity service such as water, gas or electricity where payment 

is according to usage. A subscription is usually charged per month according to the number 

of features, number of users, volume of data storage or bandwidth consumed. Discounts 

will be given for  longer-  term contracts. This includes not only software which may be used 

on a  pay-  per-  use basis, but also using hardware, for example for hosting. An earlier term is 

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