What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud Computing is the process of storing and accessing data and computing services via the internet. It does not involve the storage of data on a personal computer. Instead, cloud computing involves the on-demand provision of computer services such as servers, data storage, network, database, etc. The primary objective of cloud computing is the provision of access to data centres for a large number of users. Additionally, users can access data from remote servers.
Examples of cloud computing services include AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
What's with the name cloud?
The term "Cloud" is derived from a form of network design that network engineers employed to represent the position and interconnectivity of different network devices. This network design took the form of a cloud.
Why Cloud Computing?
As the number of computer and Mobile users increases, data storage becomes a top priority in all industries. Both large and small businesses today thrive on data and spend a lot of money on maintaining it. It requires strong IT support and a storage hub. However, not all businesses can afford the high cost of internal IT infrastructure and backing up support services. Therefore, for them, Cloud Computing is a more affordable option. Its efficiency in data storage, and computing and less maintenance cost may have attracted even bigger businesses.
Cloud computing reduces the need for hardware and software from the user's side. All that the user needs to do is to be able to run the Cloud computing systems interface software (which can be as easy as a Web browser) and the Cloud network will do the rest. We have all used cloud computing at some point in our lives. Some of the most popular cloud services that we have used or are still using are Mail services like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo etc.
When we access the e-mail service, our data is on the cloud server, not on the computer. The cloud technology and infrastructure is invisible. It doesn’t matter if the cloud services are HTTP-based, XML-based, Ruby-based, PHP-based, or other specific technologies, as long as they are easy to use and work. A single user can connect to the cloud system from their desktop, laptop, or mobile device.
Cloud computing takes advantage of small businesses’ limited resources. It gives them access to technologies that were previously out of reach. It helps small businesses turn their maintenance costs into revenue.
Types of Clouds
Private Cloud: Computing resources are deployed for a single organization. This is more commonly used for business-to-business (B2B) interactions. Where computing resources can be owned, controlled, and operated by one or more organizations.
Community Cloud: Computing resources for a community or community-based organization.
Public Cloud: Public clouds are typically used for Business to Consumer (B2C) interactions. Here, the computing resources are owned, controlled and operated by a government, an academic, or a business organization.
Hybrid Cloud: Hybrid clouds can be deployed for both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) interactions. This deployment method is known as a hybrid cloud because the computing resources are connected together by different clouds.
What are the advantages of cloud computing?
The main reason for cloud services adoption is the potential for cost savings. Cloud computing allows you to use services according to your needs and only pay for what you need. Cloud computing has made it possible to run your IT operations as an outsourced unit, without having to spend a lot of resources in-house.
Reduce IT infrastructure and computing costs for users.
Improve performance.
Reduce maintenance issues.
Provide instant software updates.
Improve compatibility between operating systems.
Provide backup and recovery.
Improve performance and scalability.
Increase storage capacity.
Increase data security.
Examples of Cloud Computing
Examples of cloud computing applications include:
Health Care:- Cloud computing enables medical professionals to perform diagnostic tests, host information and analyze patients remotely. This allows doctors to exchange information quickly from any location. It also reduces costs by allowing for rapid transfers of large data files. In conclusion, cloud technology helps medical teams to provide the best possible care to patients without any unnecessary delays. Patients can be updated in seconds through remote conferencing services.
Education:- Cloud computing is used in educational institutions to provide distance learning services to thousands of students worldwide. Companies such as Google and Microsoft provide various services free of cost to faculty, teachers, professors and students from various educational institutions around the world. Various educational institutions use these services to increase their efficiency and productivity.
Government:- The US military and government were one of the first to adopt cloud computing. Their cloud incorporates social, mobile and analytics technologies. However, they must comply with strict compliance and security regulations such as the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), Federal Information Security Management Standard (FISMA) and Federal Document Access Management Standard (FEDRAMP).
Big data analytics:- Cloud computing allows data scientists to analyze various data patterns and insights for making better predictions and decision-making. Open-source tools such as Cassandra and Hadoop are available for this use case.
Communication:- Cloud computing allows network access to communication tools such as emails and social media platforms. WhatsApp, for example, has its own cloud-based infrastructure for user communications. All data is stored in the hardware of the service provider.
Business Processes:- In recent years, many business processes such as emails, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and document management have moved to the cloud. SaaS (Software as a Service) has become the most important method for enterprises. Examples of SaaS services include Salesforce and HubSpot.
You can use Facebook, Dropbox, Gmail, etc. to store your files. You can automatically synchronize your files from your desktop, tablet or mobile device. You can store and access your files for free with Dropbox. You can easily back up your files with Dropbox.
Facebook and other social networking sites need powerful hosting to store and manage your data in real-time. You can use cloud-based communication to make calls from your social networking sites. You can also use the cloud for instant messaging.
You can use cloud technology to manage your citizen services. You can store, manage, update your citizen details, acknowledge forms, verify the status of your applications, etc.
Cloud Computing Services
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a way of distributing software that lets you access it over the Internet. It's becoming more and more popular because it's based on technology that supports SOA or Web Services, and it's available to people all over the world. In the past, you had to buy the software and then install it on your computer, but with SaaS, you can subscribe to it and use it on a monthly basis. It's compatible with all kinds of internet-connected devices, and it can be used for a lot of different tasks, from accounting to sales to invoicing to planning.
Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud-based platform and environment that enables developers to create applications and services. It is accessible to users through the internet and is constantly updated with new features. PaaS is suitable for software developers, web developers, and businesses alike, as it provides a platform to facilitate the development of applications. It includes a range of services, such as software support and management, storage and networking, deployment, testing, collaboration, hosting, and maintenance.
IaaS stands for Infrastructure As A Service, and it's one of the main service models of cloud computing. It's like a virtualized version of the internet, where you can access computing resources like virtual servers, networks, bandwidth, and load balancers. The hardware resources are pulled from different servers and networks, so you don't have to worry about redundancy or reliability. It's a great option for small businesses that want to save money on their IT infrastructure since they don't have to spend a ton of money on maintenance and new components every year.
Concerns about the security of Cloud Computing
When it comes to cloud computing, the main concern of the users is its security. One of the main concerns is that the cloud providers themselves may be able to access the unencrypted data of the customers, whether it is on disks, in memory or over the network. Another concern is that some countries governments may search through the data without informing the owner, depending on the location of the data, which is not accepted and is considered a violation of privacy.
Cloud computing service providers have partnered with Trusted Computing Group (TCG) which is a non-profit organization that regularly publishes a set of specifications for securing hardware, creating self-encryption drives and improving network security. TCG has expanded its security measures to cover various devices such as hard disk drives, mobile phones, etc. It provides the ability to create a single data protection policy for all clouds. Some trusted cloud services include Amazon, Box.net, Gmail and many others.
Summary
Data and computing services are stored and accessed over the Internet.
The term “cloud” was coined by network engineers to describe the location and interconnectivity of various network devices.
Today, many large and small businesses rely on their data and spend large amounts of money on maintaining it.
Cloud computing architecture helps organizations reduce their IT infrastructure and computing costs per user.
There are four types of clouds: Private, Community, Public, and Hybrid.
Important Cloud Computing Services include Software as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Infrastructure as a Service.
Grid Computing is the middleware that coordinates disparate IT resources across the network, enabling them to work together as a whole.
Utility computing is the practice of providing service through on-demand billing methods.
Privacy is a major obstacle for users to adopt Cloud Computing systems.
