What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of applications, platforms, data storage, operating systems, and other computing resources over the Internet with a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
Who is Using Cloud Computing?
Organizations of every type, size, and industry are using cloud computing to address a wide variety of use cases. These include: data back-up, disaster recovery, email, software development and testing, business intelligence and analytics, enterprise applications, and customer-facing applications. For example, financial services companies use the cloud to power real-time fraud detection and prevention. Video game makers are using the cloud to deliver online games to millions of gamers around the world.
What are the Benefits of Cloud Computing?
- Elasticity – Scale up and down quickly to meet fluctuating workloads as you need them. No need to pay for resources that you don’t need.
- Affordability – Pay for what you use, with minimum upfront hardware and IT costs (CAPEX). You no longer need to invest in data centers and physical hardware, all these expenses are offloaded to the cloud provider.
- Availability – 24/7 cloud system access from anywhere and on any device. You can expand to new geographies in minutes. You no longer need to have a team of experts to help you address system security and scalability.
- Security – Improved compliance, data protection, and risk management with continuous security updates.
- Innovation – Quickly adopt new technologies to innovate faster while simplifying IT’s role.
- Agility – Setup and react quickly to changing market conditions and business requirements. Services can be deployed in a matter of minutes rather than days. This gives you the ability to experiment and test ideas quickly and easily.
Types of Cloud Computing
There are three types of cloud computing, each provides a different level of control, flexibility, and management.
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – IaaS is considered to be the basic building blocks of the cloud. It usually provides access to networking, computer, and data storage. IaaS gives you the highest level of flexibility and control over your IT resources. It is most similar to the existing IT resources that many IT departments and developers are familiar with.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) – PaaS removes the need for you to manage the underlying infrastructure (hardware and operating systems) and instead enables you to vous on the deployment and management of your applications. This helps you be more efficient as you don’t need to work about procuring infrastructure resources and instead jump right into software development.
- Software as a Services (SaaS) – SaaS provides you with a complete product that is run and managed by the service provider. SaaS are end-user applications and are typically provisioned on the fly using a credit card. You don’t need to worry about the infrastructure or the platform the software runs on, it’s all about being up and running using the application with as little complexity and management as possible. Examples include email, sales, and e-commerce applications.
IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS
Types of Cloud Deployment
There are three different types of cloud deployment: public, private, and hybrid.
- Public cloud – Services are delivered to customers over a network that is open for public use. Public clouds offer affordability and efficiency and are often multi-tenant – cater to multiple clients off of the same resources in a shared environment.
- Private cloud – Services are maintained on a private network protected by a firewall. You can build a private cloud in your own data center or subscribe to one hosted by a vendor.
- Hybrid cloud – A combination of public and private cloud and on-premise infrastructure. Hybrid clouds enable you to keep sensitive data in a traditional data center or private cloud, while taking advantage of public cloud resources simultaneously.