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A common issue raised in the present day for storing data is the limitation of the memory devices. One can store data only up to the maximum limit of the storage device. If data exceeds that limit a new device comes into the picture to store the remaining data. This cycle of events is fine while dealing with the small quantity of data and data which is generated at larger intervals of time. But when this case gets reversed and you have to deal with huge amount of data this approach is not advisable. To overcome the limitations in memory storage devices, a new concept is introduced called Cloud Computing.
Cloud Computing is storing and accessing your data and applications over the internet rather than your own hard drive. In other terms, Cloud computing relies on shared computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. Cloud Computing is the delivery of computing services such as storage, servers, databases, software, networking, analytics and many more over the cloud (the Internet).
Now-a-days most of the data is moved to the cloud, running in the cloud, accessed from the cloud and/or stored in the cloud. Cloud Computing is taking services and moving them outside organization’s firewall.
The Cloud Monitoring tool constantly analyses the data flow on your cloud application and will alert as soon as some “weird” stuff starts happening on your application. Cloud Monitoring tool will have advanced machine learning algorithms which log normal system behavior. The tool, managing access, will list all the users who are using the system. Hence you can track every individual and wipe him/her out of the system.
Cloud Computing Characteristics
On-Demand self-service: This means that cloud customers can sign up and pay for using cloud resources very quickly on their own without help from a sales agent.
Broad network access: Customers access to cloud services via the Internet.
Resource pooling: Many different customers (individuals, organizations or different departments within an organization) use the same servers, storage or other computing resources.
Rapid elasticity or expansion: Cloud customers can easily scale their use of resources up or down as their needs change.
Measured service: Customers pay for the number of resources they use in a given period of time rather than paying for hardware or software upfront. (Note that in a private cloud, this measured service usually involves some form of charge-backs where IT keeps track of how many resources different departments within an organization are using.)
Common Cloud Service Models
Cloud services are typically deployed based on the end-user (business) requirements. The primary services include the following:
1. Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS is a software delivery method that provides access to software and its functions remotely as a Web-based service. SaaS customers pay a recurring (often monthly or annual) fee to subscribe to the service. In general, they can access the SaaS from any Internet-connected device, any time day or night. Well-known examples of SaaS include Salesforce.com, Microsoft Office 365, Google G Suite, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud and others.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS is a computing platform which is delivered as a service. The Cloud Provider gives the ability to the customer to deploy customer created an application using programming languages, tools etc. that are provided by the Cloud Provider. PaaS has a feature of point-and-click tools that enables non-developers to create web applications.
For example, a Web developer might use a PaaS that includes operating system software, Web server software, a database and related Web development tools. The leading PaaS vendors include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, IBM and Google Cloud Platform.
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Computer infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking delivered as a service. The Cloud Provider provides the customer with virtual machines and other resources as a service, they abstract the user from the physical machine, location, data partitioning etc. IaaS is popular with enterprises that appreciate the convenience of having the cloud vendor manage their IT infrastructure. They also sometimes see cost savings as a result of paying only for the computing resources they use. The leading IaaS vendors include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, IBM and Google Cloud Platform.
While SaaS, PaaS and IaaS are the three most common types of cloud services, cloud computing vendors sometimes also use other "as a service" labels to describe their offerings. For example, some offer database as a service (DBaaS), mobile back-end as a service (MBaaS), functions as a service (FaaS) or others
Cloud Delivery Models
Cloud computing can be divided into several sub-categories depending on the physical location of the computing resources and who can access those resources.
Public Cloud: vendors offer their computing services to anyone in the general public. They maintain large data centers full of computing hardware, and their customers share access to that hardware.
Private Cloud: It is a cloud environment set aside for the use of one organization. Some large enterprises choose to keep some data and applications in a private cloud for security reasons, and some are required to use private clouds in order to comply with various regulations. They can set up a private cloud in their own data centers or they can use a hosted private cloud service.
Hybrid Cloud: It is a combination of both a public and private cloud with some level of integration between the two. For example, A company may run Web servers in its own private cloud most of the time and use a public cloud service for additional capacity during times of peak use.
Multi-Cloud: This environment is similar to a hybrid cloud because the customer is using more than one cloud service.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Accessibility: Stored files can be accessed from anywhere via an Internet connection.
Cost Savings: Businesses and organizations can often reduce annual operating costs by using cloud storage.
Resiliency and Redundancy: One of the benefits of a private cloud deployment is that you can get automatic failover between hardware platforms and disaster recovery services to bring up your server set in a separate data center should your primary data center experience an outage.
Security: Data in the cloud should be stored in encrypted form. To restrict a client from accessing the shared data directly, proxy and brokerage services should be employed.
Flexibility: Users can scale services to fit their needs, customize applications and access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection.
Famous Cloud Providers
Azure: It’s a cloud computing platform by Microsoft founded in 2010.It is a cloud computing service created by Microsoft for building, testing, deploying, and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers.
AWS: Amazon Web Services is a cloud computing platform by Amazon in 2006. Amazon Web Services provides a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries around the world.
