What is Cloud Computing in 2019?

Posted by Rishav Sen on November 16th, 2019

Cloud computing is a unique terminology which means that in place of all the computer hardware and software components you're using sitting on your desktop, or somewhere inside your company's network, it's given for you as a service by another company and accessed over the International network, usually in a completely smooth way. Exactly where the hardware and software components are located and how it all works doesn't matter to you, the user-it's just somewhere up in the nebulous "cloud" that the Internet represents.

Cloud computing is a new term that means different things to different people. The services that we use are provided by someone else and managed on our behalf. If you're using Google Documents service, you don't have to think about buying expensive licenses for word-processing software or keeping them up-to-date nor do you have to worry about threats that might affect your computer or about backing up the resources you create. Google will do all that for you. One basic concept of cloud computing is that you no longer need to think how the service you're buying is going to be provided, you simply concentrate on whatever your work is and leave the problem of providing reliable computing to someone else.

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.

Right now, the most basic example of a device that is completely cloud-centric is the Chromebook. These are systems that have just enough local storage and power to run the Chrome OS, which essentially turns the Google Chrome Web browser into an operating system.

Working:

In cloud computing, there's a clear workload shift. Local computers don't need to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computer systems that make up the cloud network handles them instead. Hardware and software demands on the user's side decreases significantly. The only thing the user's system needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system's software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud's network takes care of the rest of the things.

Sharing and Storing Data:

By using cloud storage, we don’t have to store the memory on your own hard disk. Instead, we can access it from any geographical area and download it onto any device of our wish, including laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Most importantly, we can also edit files, such as Word documents or PowerPoint presentations, simultaneously with other users, making it easier to work away from the office.

There are different types of cloud computing services present to cater to different needs. While some cater to individual users who want to store pictures, documents, and videos, others are directed towards companies that need extensive platforms to develop IT applications and other things

Many in the industry have been advised to use the combination of DevOps and AWS in the transformation of any company. You can join DevOps Training and AWS Training if you are willing to join the change in the tech industry.

Cloud Delivery Models:

Cloud computing can be divided into several categories on the basis of the physical location of the computing resources and who can access that information. Public cloud vendors provide their computing services to everyone in the general public. They make large data centers full of computing hardware, and their customers share access to the hardware components.

A private cloud is a cloud environment set aside for the use of an organization. Some large enterprises choose to keep some information and applications in a private cloud for security measures, and some are required to use private clouds in order to comply with various regulations.

Organizations have two different options for the geographic location of a private cloud: they can set up a private cloud in their own data centers or they can use a hosted private cloud service. With a hosted private cloud, a public cloud vendor agrees to set aside certain computing resources and allows only one consumer to use those resources. A hybrid cloud is a combination of both a public and private cloud with some portion of blend between the two. For example, in a practice called "cloud bursting" a company may run Web servers in its own private cloud almost of the time and use a public cloud service for extra capacity during times of peak usage. A multi-cloud environment is similar to a hybrid cloud because the consumer is using more than one cloud service. However, a multi-cloud environment does not necessarily have blend among the various cloud services, the way a hybrid cloud does. A multi-cloud environment can include only public clouds, only private clouds or a mix of both public and private cloud.

Common Cloud Service Models

1. Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS is a software delivery way that provides access to software and its working remotely as a Web-based service.  Instead of paying an expensive way to purchase and/or license software, 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 being provided as a service. Here the platform is outsourced in place of data centers purchasing and working on its own hardware and software layers. Most PaaSes are made for developers and aim to simplify the process of creating and deploying software. 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 providers 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 provided as a service.  IaaS is popular with enterprises that appreciate the smoothness of having the cloud vendor manage their IT infrastructure. The leading IaaS providers include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, IBM, and Google Cloud Platform.