Cloud Computing: An Introduction to the Cloud
September 29, 2023
Cloud Computing is one of the most popular terms in the technology sector. According to Statista, in 2022, 60% of corporate data was stored in the cloud, whereas, back in 2015, this figure stood at 30%. The fact that the proportion of data stored in the cloud has doubled in just seven years highlights the significant impact of this transformative technology on the business world.
What is cloud computing?
In simple terms, it can be defined as a technology that enables the development, storage, and delivery of information technology (IT) resources over the Internet. This allows access to all the infrastructure needed for the creation and maintenance of applications, systems, and technology services without the need to install complex local infrastructure.
Some globally renowned cloud infrastructure providers include Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and IBM Cloud.
Cloud computing deployment models
A cloud deployment model defines a specific type of cloud environment based on ownership, scale, access, and the nature and purpose of the cloud. There are three main types: private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud.
Private cloud
A private cloud provides an exclusive cloud environment dedicated to a single business entity. Because a private cloud can only be accessed by a single company, this model provides the highest level of security and control.
Public cloud
It uses the Internet to store and manage access to data and applications, which means that the entire computing infrastructure is located on the premises of the cloud provider, and the provider delivers services to the customer over the Internet. Because these resources are delivered over the web, the public cloud deployment model makes it easier for organizations to scale. Additionally, in this model, multiple tenants share the cloud provider's IT infrastructure.
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud is a combination of private and public clouds. Typically, hybrid cloud customers host their mission-critical applications on their own servers for added security and control, while also hosting their secondary applications with the cloud provider.
What are the benefits of cloud computing?
Among the numerous advantages of cloud computing, the following benefits stand out:
1. Flexibility: secure access to all information from anywhere. Cloud computing makes storage, retrieval, and sharing of information fast and easy.
2. Cost and easy scalability: instead of investing in data centers and servers, you can pay only when you consume cloud computing resources and pay only for what you use.
3. Speed and agility: in a cloud computing environment, new IT resources are just a click away, reducing the time required to make these resources available to developers from weeks to just a few minutes. This results in increased organizational agility as the cost and time required to experiment and develop these resources are significantly lower.
4. Reliability: cloud service providers continually refine their architecture to offer the highest standards of software and hardware to provide the best performance and availability. Meanwhile, third parties hosting your services keep them updated and provide easy access to customer support. There is a commitment to continuous improvement that makes them reliable.
Cloud Computing Service Models
Each cloud service model provides a different level of control, and there are three main types: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
In IaaS, the provider offers users remote access to servers, hardware, and storage resources. IaaS offers the highest level of flexibility and management control over IT resources. Some well-known examples are AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, offering computing platforms. These platforms typically include operating systems, databases, web servers, and a wide variety of applications. With PaaS, you no longer need to manage the underlying infrastructure and can focus on deploying and managing applications. Examples of such platforms include Heroku and Openshift.
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
The SaaS model is the most common, providing users with managed and complete software solutions as a service to end consumers, without the need for maintenance and control of the infrastructure. The main focus is on how you will use the specific software. Common examples include email, calendars, and Office tools (such as Microsoft Office 365).