What is Cloud Computing?

The term ‘cloud’ in technical terms, was used to refer to distributed computing as early as
1993. Cloud computing is basically the on-demand provision of computing resources like
storage, applications, networking capabilities, databases, software and services,
development tools, processing capabilities, and more, by service providers (known as
Cloud Service providers or CSP), to its users, via the internet. These services can be
provided with minimum management effort or service provider interaction. Cloud
computing is often referred to as internet-based computing. In simple terms, users can
access data, applications, and services hosted in remote services, instead of accessing it
from their computer’s hard drive.

Cloud service providers host these services at remote servers and charge their users on a
monthly basis or by their usage of the facility. It provides a large amount of computing
power (especially data storage) without direct active management of users. Users can
access their data anywhere in the world, from the ‘cloud’, with advanced security
provided by the service provider, all they need is a good internet connection. Cloud
servers require not to be in one place, they are frequently distributed over multiple
locations and are managed by the Cloud Service Providers. It is just like how internet
services providers do not let their users worry about how the internet is provided to them.

The ever-increasing demand for enormous storage by vast organizations as well as by

users is making cloud computing more and more popular. Companies are also
competing to provide more and more features along with storage services.

Cloud service providers offer their services based on the three most popular models-

 Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) refers to providing

infrastructure services such as physical computing resources, scaling, security,
storage, and networking to its users.
 Platform as a Service (PaaS): Platform as a Service (PaaS) refers to offering a
development environment (typically like operating system, database, Integrated
Development Environment, etc.).
 Software as a service (SaaS): In the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, users can
gain access to applications and software from anywhere in the world.

The various clouds available in the market today are- Amazon Web Services (AWS),
Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Salesforce, etc.

Characteristics of Cloud Computing

There are basically 5 essential characteristics of Cloud Computing.

1. On-demand self-services:
The Cloud computing services does not require any human administrators, user
themselves are able to provision, monitor and manage computing resources as
needed.
2. Broad network access:
The Computing services are generally provided over standard networks and
heterogeneous devices.
3. Rapid elasticity:
The Computing services should have IT resources that are able to scale out and in
quickly and on as needed basis. Whenever the user require services it is provided to
him and it is scale out as soon as its requirement gets over.
4. Resource pooling:
The IT resource (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) present
are shared across multiple applications and occupant in an uncommitted manner.
Multiple clients are provided service from a same physical resource.
5. Measured service:
The resource utilization is tracked for each application and occupant, it will provide
both the user and the resource provider with an account of what has been used.
This is done for various reasons like monitoring billing and effective use of
resource.

The other characteristics are,

Flexibility

Cloud Computing lets users access data or services using internet-enabled devices
(such as smartphones and laptops). Whatever you want is instantly available on the
cloud, just a click away. Sharing and working on data thus becomes easy and
comfortable. Many organizations these days prefer to store their work on cloud
systems, as it makes collaboration easy and saves them a lot of cost and resources. Its
ever-increasing set of features and services is also accelerating its growth.

Scalability

Scalability is the ability of the system to handle the growing amount of work by adding
resources to the system. Continuous business expansion demands a rapid expansion of
cloud services. One of the most versatile features of Cloud Computing is that it is
scalable. Not only does it have the ability to expand the number of servers, or
infrastructure, according to the demand, but it also offers a great number of features
that cater to the needs of its users. Scalability also adds a cost-effective dimension and
makes it suitable for business use. It can be scaled down when the demand is low and
can be exponentially increased when the demand is at its peak. Services return to their
original state when the demand subsides. It is just like when a restaurant can increase
its tables during rush hours, except it is a cloud. This indeed requires a lot of resources,
planning, and investment but cloud service providers take care of all these things.

Resource pooling

Computing resources (like networks, servers, storage) that serve individual users can
be securely pooled to make it look like a large infrastructure. This can be done by
implementing a multiple-tenant model, just like a huge apartment where each
individual has his own flat but at the same time every individual shares the apartment.
A cloud service provider can share resources among clients, providing each client with
services as per their requirements. In Public clouds, you share the same resources with
other organizations and users as well, while in private clouds, the computing resources
are used exclusively by one user or organization. A Hybrid cloud is a mixture of a
public cloud and a private cloud. The customer does not have to know where their
information is stored and how it is stored.

On-demand self-service

It is based on a self-service model where users can manage their services like- allotted
storage, functionalities, server uptime, etc., making users their own boss. The users can
monitor their consumption and can select and use the tools and resources they require
right away from the cloud portal itself. This helps users make better decisions and
makes them responsible for their consumption. Users can use resources on the basis of
their needs and requirements. Cloud service providers do not tell users how to manage
their services, they only charge them at the end of the billing cycle based on their usage
of the services.

Cost-effective

Since users can monitor and control their usage, they can also control the cost factor.
Cloud service providers do not charge any upfront cost and most of the time they
provide some space for free. The billing is transparent and entirely based upon their
usage of resources. Cloud computing reduces the expenditure of an organization
considerably. We must also take into consideration other indirect ways in which cloud
computing saves us some money like hardware and software set up costs (in the
beginning), data maintenance costs, etc. For companies that have just started, cloud
computing can save them fortunes by saving them the cost of purchasing physical
storage devices and software products. They don’t even have to worry about extra
costs such as power cost, maintenance, and repair. All these extra costs have to be
taken care of by the vendors.
Security
Data security in cloud computing is a major concern among users. Cloud service
providers store encrypted data of users and provide additional security features such
as user authentication and security against breaches and other threats. Authentication
refers to identifying and confirming the user as an authorized user. If the user is not
authorized, the access is denied. Cloud vendors provide several layers of abstraction
to improve the security and speed of accessing data. A copy of data is often stored in a
separate location to prevent data loss in case of a disaster (such as abrupt power loss,
or server damage). Besides all these measures, data servers are secured physically as
well. These servers are generally housed in an isolated location that is well guarded,
preventing people from accessing or disrupting them. Creating a backup of data in the
cloud is also easy. All these measures seem to have paid off as there are no reports of a
cloud security breach to date.

Automation

Automation enables IT teams, and developers, to create modify and maintain cloud
resources. Cloud infrastructure requires minimum human interaction. Everything,
from configuration to maintenance and monitoring, is most of the time automated.
Automation is a great characteristic of cloud computing and is very much responsible
for the increase in demand and rapid expansion of cloud services.

Maintenance

Maintenance of the cloud is an easy and automated process with minimum or no extra
cost requirements. With each upgrade in cloud infrastructure and software,
maintenance is becoming more easy and economical.

Resilience

Resilience in cloud computing means its ability to recover from any interruption. A
Cloud service provider has to be prepared against any disasters or unexpected
circumstances since a lot is at stake. Disaster management earlier used to pose
problems for service providers but now due to a lot of investments and advancements
in this field, clouds have become a lot more resilient. Like, for example, cloud service
providers arrange many backup nodes (server). In case one server goes down, these
emergency servers can manage the load till the main server is being repaired.
Advanced backup and recovery methods make sure that your data is always safe.

The key Benefits of Cloud Computing are:

 Business agility in upfront cost-cutting.
 The capital expenditure of hardware maintenance and management is fairly
reduced.
 Cloud leverages the power and performance of the service by accessing the remote
resources.
 And if your computer breaks down don’t worry all your data are in cloud.
 There by ensuring data security and compliance.
 The accuracy and speed of software implementation is greatly achieved.
 The growth prospects is maintained in time to market business strategy.
 Complexity is much lowered with the help of middleware as a service.
 Highly portable, the data, apps, service deployments can be made possible
anywhere anytime at any device provided you are connected via internet.

CHALLENGES IN CLOUD ADOPTION

If you are looking to power your business to rapid growth, scale workloads to meet real-time
needs, looking for high availability, productivity, and cost-effectiveness, in that case, cloud
computing is the way to go. Sometimes, the migration challenges are more compared to the
advantages of migrating to the cloud itself. Here is a list of top challenges in cloud
migration and how to overcome them with careful planning, selection, design, and use of tools
and partners.

1. SETTING A BUSINESS OBJECTIVE

Setting clear and flexible objectives and plans based on business requirements is important in any cloud
migration.

Create a clear migration plan, factoring in projected costs, downtime, training needs, migration
time, etc. Be prepared with risk mitigation plans as well.

2. FINANCIAL COSTS

Though cloud migration brings in a lot of returns and benefits, in the long run, getting there is usually
expensive and time-consuming.

Costs include architecture changes, human resources, training, migration partners, cloud
provider, and bandwidth costs. Proper planning and a phase-wise migration will reduce
financial risks.

3. WHAT TO MIGRATE, WHAT NOT?

Decision on what to migrate and what to leave behind is important for a successful migration strategy.
Therefore, careful selection is very important.

To reduce risks, one can migrate applications with lesser dependencies, lesser criticality,
compatible with clouservices, or those aligned with critical business goals. A phase-wise
migration approach is always better.
4. DATA SECURITY

Data security is the biggest concern when enterprises store their sensitive data with a third-party cloud
provider. If data is lost, leaked, or exposed, it could cause severe disruption and damage to the business

Make a strategy to keep mission-critical data at your premises or ensure complete data security
at rest and in transit while you migrate to a cloud environment. Follow and implement the best
practices and policies to protect data and access. Seek the help of a consultant/team with
previous experience in setting up security in cloud environments.

5. CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER

The availability of multiple similar cloud service providers makes it a hurdle to choose the right one.

Goals, budget, priorities of the organization, along with the services offered, security,
compliance, manageability, cost, etc., of the service provider are the main factors to be
considered in selections. Opt for Hybrid Cloud to reduce vendor lock-in.

6. COMPLEXITY & LACK OF EXPERTISE

Most organizations are scared of the complexity of cloud environments and migration processes.
However, surveys show that complexity is still a blocking factor in cloud adoptions.

If you do not have enough in-house expertise in dealing with cloud, migration processes, and
compliance requirements, better engage a partner with previous experience. Encourage
maximum automation with the right hassle-free automation tools and technologies.

7. COMPLIANCE

For companies operating under strict regulatory and compliance frameworks, it is hard to migrate to the
cloud.

Cloud migration should ensure compliance with local and global regulatory requirements. For
example, data should be protected at rest and in transit; integrated audit trails, dashboard, and
incident management systems should also be available to meet regulatory compliance
requirements.

8. RESISTANCE TO ADOPTION

Resistance to change is inherent. Therefore, building organization-wide acceptance is key to any

transition and its success.

An enterprise ensuring leadership buy-in right from the start and a business case with clear
reasons behind the changes is likely to get more acceptance and adoption. In addition,
employees’ knowledge of the value that the change brings in will create a positive difference.

9. TRAINING & RESOURCES

Cloud environments and cloud migration processes are still complex to understand and practice.
Moreover, lack of expertise and training resources are a concern even today for many enterprises.
The skill gap is one of the main reasons for the slowdown of cloud migration. Therefore,
providing proper training and support to employees, using hassle-free migration platforms and
experienced partners are critical to a successful and timely migration.

10. MIGRATION STRATEGY

Whether to rebuild, lift and shift, re-host(IaaS), refactor (PaaS), replace (SaaS) or opt for a combination?
is always a challenging question during migration.

This decision is specific to the nature of applications, infrastructure, network, security, privacy,
scalability, regulatory, and business requirements of the organization. A detailed analysis of all
these factors, including the budget, risk, time, etc., will help arrive at the right distribution
strategy.

11. DOWNTIME!

Downtime can be catastrophic to business in terms of revenue and reputation to many organizations.

Adopt a methodology that minimizes disruption and ensures business continuity. For example,
test migration offline, use the right tools, and end-to-end automation tools to reduce risks and
downtime.

12. POST-MIGRATION

One of the other key concerns is the data privacy, security, and monitoring capabilities of the application
running on the cloud.

Ensure there is complete observability on the build, deployment, and running of applications
and data on the cloud. Use the right tools, which provide logs, audit trails, alerts, visual
dashboards, and approval workflows to control and monitor the entire stack and operations.