All About Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over multiple locations, each location being a data center. Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, typically using a “pay-as-you-go” model which can help in reducing capital expenses but may also lead to unexpected operating expenses for unaware users.
Cloud Computing is a huge number of physical servers that are divided (virtualized) and then distributed as services or resources to customers via the Internet. Cloud computing refers to any kind of hosted service delivered over the internet. These services often include servers, databases, software, networks, analytics, and other computing functions that can be operated through the cloud. Several companies sell access to servers or server services via the Internet, like the technology industry and all.
Knowingly or unknowingly we all are using clouds. We maintain our friendships via apps and many companies move their data to the cloud. So directly or indirectly we all are benefitted from it. Files and programs stored in the cloud can be accessed anywhere by users on the service, eliminating the need to always be near physical hardware. In the past, for example, user-created documents and spreadsheets had to be saved to a physical hard drive, USB drive, or disk. Without some kind of hardware component, the files were completely inaccessible outside the computer they originated on. Thanks to the cloud, few people worry anymore about fried hard drives or lost or corrupted USB drives. Cloud computing makes the documents available everywhere because the data lives on a network of hosted servers that transmit data over the internet.
There are plenty of reasons to choose Cloud Computing. Here we will be discussing one by one to get a complete overview. Among the former, we may name Amazon & Microsoft. The companies like IBM and Google can be found with a wide range of IT-related services like SAP and ORACLE and many others. n the IT industry, “Cloud Computing” is most often categorized into three main categories: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Let us briefly explain what these abbreviations cover. In IaaS You don’t need to purchase physical servers or physical network infrastructure. Though you can expand the server capacity and turn it off without affecting physical servers.
In IaaS is mainly people’s purchase of server capacity, storage, backup, etc. The engine room has been moved out, and the customer has full control over everything and is thus also responsible for setting up and managing the servers’ configuration, backup, etc. ex- Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
How Does Cloud Computing Work?
The cloud is a decentralized place to share information through satellite networks. Every cloud application has a host, and the hosting company is responsible for maintaining the massive data centers that provide the security, storage capacity and computing power needed to maintain all of the information users send to the cloud.
Most importantly “cloud computing ” is not about moving all IT systems rather it is about opportunities to take advantage of several solutions, which are usually reserved for very large, international companies. It’s a solution for sharing documents so that a number of your systems can continue to the most prominent companies hosting the cloud are major players like Amazon (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft (Azure), Apple (iCloud), and Google (Google Drive), but there’s also a plethora of other players, large and small. These hosting companies can sell the rights to use their clouds and store data on their networks, while also offering the end-user an ecosystem that can communicate between devices and programs (e.g., download a song on your laptop and it’s instantly synced to the iTunes software on your iPhone).
Here the supplier will provide a programming interface as well as document management, application, and database service, on which you can then build your ESDH without setting up servers and/or configuring web and database servers. Though PaaS is not that popular so companies like Microsoft are investing heavily in software development for future use. The customer experience less flexibility as they can add users, build business rules and upload documents/content with fewer “moving parts” to keep track of.
As far as the legislation Cloud Computing is at least as important to get a handle on responsibility, uptime, back up – what you can collectively call “Governance”. Remember that “going in the cloud” is very much about sharing the responsibility for IT-related tasks between several parties, one of which (the supplier) often has a rather square attitude on their part.
Cloud computing follows three deployment models:
Hybrid: Hybrid cloud computing is a combination of the public and private models. The two cloud types are linked over the internet and can share resources when needed (e.g., if the private cloud reaches storage capacity or becomes corrupted, the public cloud can step in and save the day).
Public: This is the most common and all of the players mentioned above (Amazon, Microsoft, Apple & Google) run public clouds accessible anywhere with login credentials and the right web app.
Private: This model offers the same kind of flexibility as the public cloud, but with the infrastructure needs (hosting, data storage, IT staff, etc.) provided by the companies or users of the service. Additionally, the restricted access and hands-on management of hosting give the private model an extra layer of security.
