Cloud Computing Overview

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the delivery of different services through the Internet. These resources include tools and applications like data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software.
Cloud computing is a popular option for people and businesses for a number of reasons including cost savings, increased productivity, speed and efficiency, performance, and security.

Cloud Computing

Understanding Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is named as such because the information being accessed is found remotely in the cloud or a virtual space.
Companies that provide cloud services enable users to store files and applications on remote servers and then access all the data via the Internet.
This means the user is not required to be in a specific place to gain access to it, allowing the user to work remotely.

Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is not a single piece of technology like a microchip or a cellphone. Rather, it's a system primarily comprised of three services: software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and platform-as-a-service (PaaS).

Cloud Services Models

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) involves the licensure of a software application to customers. Licenses are typically provided through a pay-as-you-go model or on-demand. This type of system can be found in Microsoft Office's 365.1.
Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) involves a method for delivering everything from operating systems to servers and storage through IP-based connectivity as part of an on-demand service. Clients can avoid the need to purchase software or servers, and instead procure these resources in an outsourced, on-demand service. Popular examples of the IaaS system include IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure.2
Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) is considered the most complex of the three layers of cloud-based computing. PaaS shares some similarities with SaaS, the primary difference being that instead of delivering software online, it is actually a platform for creating software that is delivered via the Internet. This model includes platforms like Salesforce.com and Heroku.

Types of Cloud Services

Benefits of cloud computing

The cloud’s main appeal is to reduce the time to market of applications that need to scale dynamically.
Increasingly, however, developers are drawn to the cloud by the abundance of advanced new services that can be incorporated into applications, from machine learning to internet of things (IoT) connectivity.
Although businesses sometimes migrate legacy applications to the cloud to reduce data center resource requirements, the real benefits accrue to new applications that take advantage of cloud services and “cloud native” attributes.
The latter include micro-services architecture, Linux containers to enhance application portability, and container management solutions such as Kubernetes that orchestrate container-based services.
Cloud-native approaches and solutions can be part of either public or private clouds and help enable highly efficient devops-style workflows.
Cloud computing, public or private, has become the platform of choice for large applications, particularly customer-facing ones that need to change frequently or scale dynamically.
More significantly, the major public clouds now lead the way in enterprise technology development, debuting new advances before they appear anywhere else.
Workload by workload, enterprises are opting for the cloud, where an endless parade of exciting new technologies invite innovative use.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

Cloud-based software offers companies from all sectors a number of benefits, including the ability to use software from any device either via a native app or a browser.
As a result, users can carry their files and settings over to other devices in a completely seamless manner.
Cloud computing is far more than just accessing files on multiple devices.
Thanks to cloud computing services, users can check their email on any computer and even store files using services such as Dropbox and Google Drive.6 7 Cloud computing services also make it possible for users to back up their music, files, and photos, ensuring those files are immediately available in the event of a hard drive crash.
It also offers big businesses huge cost-saving potential. Before the cloud became a viable alternative, companies were required to purchase, construct, and maintain costly information management technology and infrastructure.
Companies can swap costly server centers and IT departments for fast Internet connections, where employees interact with the cloud online to complete their tasks.

Disadvantages of the Cloud Computing

With all of the speed, efficiencies, and innovations that come with cloud computing, there are, naturally, risks.
Security has always been a big concern with the cloud especially when it comes to sensitive medical records and financial information.
While regulations force cloud computing services to shore up their security and compliance measures, it remains an ongoing issue.
Encryption protects vital information, but if that encryption key is lost, the data disappears.
Servers maintained by cloud computing companies may fall victim to natural disasters, internal bugs, and power outages, too.
The geographical reach of cloud computing cuts both ways: A blackout in California could paralyze users in New York, and a firm in Texas could lose its data if something causes its Maine-based provider to crash.
As with any technology, there is a learning curve for both employees and managers. But with many individuals accessing and manipulating information through a single portal, inadvertent mistakes can transfer across an entire system.