CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing services,
such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics,
over the internet ("the cloud"). Instead of buying, owning, and
maintaining physical IT infrastructure, you can access these resources
from a cloud provider and pay only for what you use. This allows
businesses to scale faster, operate more efficiently, and lower IT costs.
Cloud computing is the on-demand, pay-as-you-go delivery
of IT resources like servers, storage, and software over the internet,
allowing users to access technology services from a remote provider
instead of owning and maintaining physical hardware.
Cloud Computing is a technology that allows you to store
and access data and applications over the internet instead of using your
computer’s hard drive or a local server.
In cloud computing, you can store different types of data
such as files, images, videos, and documents on remote servers, and
access them anytime from any device connected to the internet.
This approach provides flexibility, scalability, and cost
savings, as users only pay for the resources they consume and can access
them from any internet-connected device. Common examples include
online services like email (Gmail), document storage (Google Drive),
and streaming services (Netflix).
Infrastructure: Cloud computing depends on remote network
servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data.
On-Demand Access: Users can access cloud services and resources
on demand, scaling up or down without having to invest in
physical hardware.
Types of Services: Cloud computing offers various benefits such as
cost saving, scalability, reliability, and accessibility. It reduces
capital expenditures, and improves efficiency.
How it works
Remote servers: Data and applications are stored and managed on
remote servers hosted by cloud providers.
On-demand access: Users can access these resources and services
whenever needed, scaling up or down as their requirements
change.
Pay-as-you-go model: Instead of large capital investments, users
pay for the computing power, storage, and other services they
actually use.
Architecture Of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing architecture refers to the components and sub-
components required for cloud computing. These components typically
refer to:
1. Front end (Fat client, thin client)
2. Back-end platforms (Servers, Storage)
3. Cloud-based delivery and a network (Internet, Intranet, Intercloud)
Cloud Computing Architecture
1. Front End (User Interaction Enhancement)
The User Interface of Cloud Computing consists of 2 sections of clients.
The Thin clients are the ones that use web browsers facilitating portable
and lightweight accessibilities and others are known as Fat Clients that
use many functionalities for offering a strong user experience.
2. Back-end Platforms (Cloud Computing Engine)
The core of cloud computing is made at back-end platforms with several
servers for storage and processing computing. Management of
Applications logic is managed through servers and effective data
handling is provided by storage. The combination of these platforms at
the backend offers the processing power, and capacity to manage and
store data behind the cloud.
3. Cloud-Based Delivery and Network
On-demand access to the computer and resources is provided over the
Internet, Intranet, and Intercloud. The Internet comes with global
accessibility, the Intranet helps in internal communications of the
services within the organization and the Intercloud enables
interoperability across various cloud services. This dynamic network
connectivity ensures an essential component of cloud computing
architecture on guaranteeing easy access and data transfer.
service models
Cloud computing services are categorized into three main types, each
offering different levels of management and control.
1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
4. Function as a Service (Faas)
1,Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): The provider manages the
entire application and its underlying infrastructure. Users access the
software through a web browser or a client application, such as
Microsoft Office 365 or Google Docs.
Here are some key benefits of using IaaS:
Flexibility and Control: IaaS comes up with providing virtualized
computing resources such as VMs, Storage, and networks
facilitating users with control over the Operating system and
applications.
Reducing Expenses of Hardware: IaaS provides business cost
savings with the elimination of physical infrastructure investments
making it cost-effective.
Scalability of Resources: The cloud provides in scaling of
hardware resources up or down as per demand facilitating optimal
performance with cost efficiency.
2.Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): The provider offers a
platform and environment for developers to build, deploy, and manage
applications, without the complexity of managing the servers and
infrastructure beneath it. Examples include AWS Elastic Beanstalk and
Google App Engine.
For example, AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a PaaS offered by Amazon Web
Services that helps developers quickly deploy and manage applications
while AWS takes care of the needed resources like servers, load
balancing, and scaling.
Here are some key benefits of using PaaS:
Simplifying the Development: Platform as a Service offers
application development by keeping the underlying Infrastructure
as an Abstraction. It helps the developers to completely focus on
application logic ( Code ) and background operations are
completely managed by the AWS platform.
Enhancing Efficiency and Productivity: PaaS lowers the
Management of Infrastructure complexity, speeding up the
Execution time and bringing the updates quickly to market by
streamlining the development process.
Automation of Scaling: Management of resource scaling,
guaranteeing the program's workload efficiency is ensured by
PaaS.
3.Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): This is the most basic
category, offering foundational IT resources like virtual machines,
storage, and networking. It gives users the highest level of control and
flexibility over their IT resources on a pay-as-you-go basis.
A common example is Google Docs. You can write and share documents
online without downloading any software.
Here are some key benefits of using SaaS:
Collaboration And Accessibility: Software as a Service (SaaS)
helps users to easily access applications without having the
requirement of local installations. It is fully managed by the AWS
Software working as a service over the internet encouraging
effortless cooperation and ease of access.
Automation of Updates: SaaS providers manage the handling of
software maintenance with automatic latest updates ensuring users
gain experience with the latest features and security patches.
Cost Efficiency: SaaS acts as a cost-effective solution by reducing
the overhead of IT support by eliminating the need for individual
software licenses.
4.Function as a Service (Faas): Function as a service (Faas)
is a cloud-computing service that allows customers to run code in
response to events, without managing the complex infrastructure. You
just write the code, upload it and the cloud provider runs it only when
it's needed. You pay only for the time your code runs.
For example, with AWS Lambda, you can write a function that
resizes images whenever someone uploads a photo to your website.
You don’t need to keep a server running all the time AWS runs your
function only when a photo is uploaded.
Here are some key benefits of using SaaS:
Event-Driven Execution: Faas helps in the maintenance of
servers and infrastructure making users worry about it. Faas
facilitates the developers to run code as a response to the events.
Cost Efficiency: Faas facilitates cost efficiency by coming up with
the principle "Pay as per you Run" for the computing resources
used.
Scalability and Agility: Serverless Architectures scale effortlessly
in handing the workloads promoting agility in development and
deployment.
Main deployment models
There are three primary ways to deploy cloud services:
Public cloud: A third-party provider owns and operates the
infrastructure, delivering services over the internet to the public.
Resources are shared among multiple customers (multitenant) and
typically offered with a pay-as-you-go model.
Private cloud: Cloud computing resources are used exclusively by
a single organization. It can be physically located at a company's
on-site data center or hosted by a third-party provider. It offers
greater control and security.
Hybrid cloud: This model combines a public cloud and a private
cloud, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
This approach offers flexibility by keeping sensitive functions on a
private cloud while leveraging the scalability of the public cloud.
Cloud Security
Cloud security recommended to measures and practices designed to
protect data, applications, and infrastructure in cloud computing
environments. The following are some of the best practices of cloud
security:
1. Data Encryption
Encryption is essential for securing data stored in the cloud. It ensures
that data remains unreadable to unauthorized users even if it is
intercepted.
2. Access Control
Implementing strict access controls and authentication mechanisms
helps ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive data and
resources in the cloud.
3. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide
multiple forms of verification, such as passwords, biometrics, or security
tokens, before gaining access to cloud services.
Use Cases of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing provides many use cases across industries and various
applications:
Scalable Infrastructure:Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) enables
organizations to scale computing resources based on demand without
investing in physical hardware.
Efficient Application Development:Platform as a Service (PaaS)
simplifies application development, offering tools and environments
for building, deploying, and managing applications.
Streamlined Software Access:Software as a Service (SaaS)
provides subscription-based access to software applications over the
internet, reducing the need for local installation and maintenance.
Data Analytics: Cloud-based platforms facilitate big data analytics,
allowing organizations to process and derive insights from large
datasets efficiently.
Disaster Recovery:Cloud-based disaster recovery solutions offer
cost-effective data replication and backup, ensuring quick recovery
in case of system failures or disasters.
Essential features of cloud computing
On-demand self-service: Users can provision computing resources,
such as server time and network storage, automatically and without
human interaction with the service provider. This enables
immediate access to resources and accelerates deployment.
Broad network access: Cloud services are available over the
internet and can be accessed by a wide variety of client devices,
including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This allows for
increased mobility and supports remote and hybrid work
environments.
Resource pooling (Multi-tenancy): A provider's computing
resources are pooled to serve multiple customers using a multi-
tenant model. These physical and virtual resources are dynamically
assigned and reassigned according to demand. While customers
share the same infrastructure, their data and applications remain
separate and secure.
Rapid elasticity: Resources can be scaled up or down rapidly and
elastically to meet fluctuating demand. This capability helps handle
sudden traffic spikes and ensures high performance without
requiring users to purchase and maintain excess hardware.
Measured service (Pay-as-you-go): Resource usage is
automatically monitored, controlled, and reported. This allows for
a "pay-as-you-go" or consumption-based pricing model, so
customers only pay for the resources they actually use.
Additional important features
High availability and reliability: Cloud platforms are designed for
maximum uptime and resilience. They typically use redundant
systems and geographically distributed data centers to ensure
uninterrupted service, protect against data loss, and guarantee
business continuity.
Automatic updates and maintenance: Cloud providers handle the
regular software updates, security patches, and hardware
maintenance for their infrastructure. This offloads routine IT tasks,
reduces vulnerabilities, and ensures users always have access to the
latest features.
Robust security: Major cloud providers invest heavily in security
measures to protect customer data. These include encryption,
firewalls, and strict access controls. They also offer tools to help
businesses meet compliance requirements for specific industries.
Automation: Automated processes, such as auto-scaling and
infrastructure-as-code, reduce manual efforts and improve
efficiency. This helps manage repetitive tasks and minimizes the
potential for human error.
Cost optimization: The pay-as-you-go model and resource
elasticity prevent over-provisioning and allow businesses to align
spending with actual usage. This reduces initial capital expenditure
and optimizes operational costs.
Examples of cloud services:
Storage: Services like Google Drive and iCloud store files
remotely.
Software: Applications like Microsoft Office 365 and Google
Docs run directly from the cloud.
Infrastructure: Businesses can use cloud platforms from
providers like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services for their
computing needs.
Top Leading Cloud Computing Companies
The following tables show the top leading cloud computing companies
along with key details about their cloud services:
Company Cloud Service Name Key Offerings
AWS (Amazon Web Compute, Storage, AI/ML,
1. Amazon Services) Databases, Networking
2. Cloud computing, AI, Analytics,
Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud
Google Cloud AI/ML, Big Data, Kubernetes,
3. Google Platform (GCP) Cloud Storage
IaaS, AI, Big Data, Cloud
4. Alibaba Alibaba Cloud Security, CDN
Enterprise Cloud, Databases,
5. Oracle Oracle Cloud SaaS, PaaS
AI, Quantum Computing,
6. IBM IBM Cloud Hybrid Cloud, Security
7.
Salesforce Salesforce Cloud CRM, SaaS, AI, Analytics
AI, Gaming Cloud, IoT, Big
8. Tencent Tencent Cloud Data
