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.

Rather than keeping files on a proprietary hard drive or local storage device, cloud-
based storage makes it possible to save them to a remote database. As long as an
electronic device has access to the web, it has access to the data and the software
programs to run it.

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.

“virtualization” and “cloud computing”

The terms “virtualization” and “cloud computing” are often used interchangeably,
but they're not the same thing. The software that powers cloud technology is
virtualization, while cloud computing is a digital service. Virtualization and cloud
computing technologies share a unique relationship and often work together.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Cloud computing is the delivery of different services through the Internet,

including data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software.
 Cloud storage has grown increasingly popular among individuals who need
larger storage space and for businesses seeking an efficient off-site data back-
up solution.
 Cloud-based storage makes it possible to save files to a remote database and
retrieve them on demand.
 Services can be both public and private—public services are provided online for
a fee while private services are hosted on a network to specific clients.
  Cloud security has become an increasingly important field in IT.

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.

Cloud computing takes all the heavy lifting involved in crunching and processing data
away from the device you carry around or sit and work at. It also moves all of that work
to huge computer clusters far away in cyberspace. The Internet becomes the cloud,
and voilà—your data, work, and applications are available from any device with which
you can connect to the Internet, anywhere in the world.

Cloud computing can be both public and private.

Public cloud services provide their services over the Internet for a fee.

Private cloud services, on the other hand, only provide services to a certain number of
people. These services are a system of networks that supply hosted services. There is
also a hybrid option, which combines elements of both the public and private services.

Types of Cloud Services

Regardless of the kind of service, cloud computing services provide users with a series
of functions including:

 Email
 Storage, backup, and data retrieval
 Creating and testing apps
 Analyzing data
 Audio and video streaming
  Delivering software on demand

Cloud computing is still a fairly new service but is being used by a number of different
organizations from big corporations to small businesses, nonprofits to government
agencies, and even individual consumers.

Deployment Models

There are various types of clouds, each of which is different from the other. Public
clouds provide their services on servers and storage on the Internet. These are
operated by third-party companies, who handle and control all the hardware, software,
and the general infrastructure. Clients access services through accounts that can be
accessed by just about anyone.

Private clouds are reserved for specific clientele, usually one business or organization.
The firm's data service center may host the cloud computing service. Many private
cloud computing services are provided on a private network.

Hybrid clouds are, as the name implies, a combination of both public and private
services. This type of model allows the user more flexibility and helps optimize the
user's infrastructure and security.

Newer forms of cloud computing services include the community cloud, the big data
cloud, and the multicloud.

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).
 1. 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
2. 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.12
3. 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.3 4
4. Serverless computing

Overlapping with PaaS, serverless computing focuses on building app

functionality without spending time continually managing the servers and
infrastructure required to do so. The cloud provider handles the setup, capacity
planning, and server management for you. Serverless architectures are highly
scalable and event-driven, only using resources when a specific function or
trigger occurs.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

Top benefits of cloud computing

Cloud computing is a big shift from the traditional way businesses think about IT
resources. Here are seven common reasons organizations are turning to cloud
computing services:
Cost
 Moving to the cloud helps companies optimize IT costs. This is because cloud
computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and software and
setting up and running onsite datacenters—the racks of servers, the round-the-
clock electricity for power and cooling, and the IT experts for managing the
infrastructure. It adds up fast.

Speed
 Most cloud computing services are provided self service and on demand, so
even vast amounts of computing resources can be provisioned in minutes,
typically with just a few mouse clicks, giving businesses a lot of flexibility and
taking the pressure off capacity planning.

Global scale
 The benefits of cloud computing services include the ability to scale elastically. In
cloud speak, that means delivering the right amount of IT resources—for
example, more or less computing power, storage, bandwidth—right when they’re
needed, and from the right geographic location.

Productivity
 Onsite datacenters typically require a lot of “racking and stacking”—hardware
setup, software patching, and other time-consuming IT management chores.
Cloud computing removes the need for many of these tasks, so IT teams can
spend time on achieving more important business goals.

Performance
 The biggest cloud computing services run on a worldwide network of secure
datacenters, which are regularly upgraded to the latest generation of fast and
efficient computing hardware. This offers several benefits over a single corporate
datacenter, including reduced network latency for applications and greater
economies of scale.

Reliability
  Cloud computing makes data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity
easier and less expensive because data can be mirrored at multiple redundant
sites on the cloud provider’s network.

Disadvantages of the Cloud

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.

The World of Business

Businesses can employ cloud computing in different ways. Some users maintain all
apps and data on the cloud, while others use a hybrid model, keeping certain apps and
data on private servers and others on the cloud.

When it comes to providing services, the big players in the corporate computing sphere
include:

 Google Cloud
  Amazon Web Services (AWS)
 Microsoft Azure
 IBM Cloud
 Alibaba Cloud

Amazon Web Services is 100% public and includes a pay-as-you-go, outsourced

model.8 Once you’re on the platform you can sign up for apps and additional services.
Microsoft Azure allows clients to keep some data at their own sites. Meanwhile, Alibaba
Cloud is a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group.9

What Is an Example of Cloud Computing?

Today, there are several examples of cloud computing applications used by both
businesses and individuals. One type of cloud service would be streaming platforms for
audio or video, where the actual media files are stored remotely. Another would be
data storage platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box.

What Are the Main Types of Cloud Computing?

The main types of cloud computing services include Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS),

Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).10

 IaaS provides IT infrastructure to end-users via the internet and is commonly

associated with serverless computing.
 PaaS serves both software and hardware to end-users, who are generally
software developers. PaaS allows the user to develop, run, and manage their
own apps without having to build and maintain the infrastructure.
 SaaS is a software licensing model, which allows access to software on a
subscription basis using external servers without having to download and install
them locally.

Is Cloud Computing Safe?

Because software and data are stored remotely in cloud computing, data security and
platform security are a big concern. Cloud security refers to the measures undertaken
to protect digital assets and data stored on cloud-based services. Measures to protect
this data include two-factor authorization (2FA), the use of VPNs, security tokens, data
encryption, and firewall services, among others.

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Types of cloud computing

Not all clouds are the same and no single type of cloud computing is right for everyone.
Several different models, types, and services have evolved to help offer the right
solution for your needs.

First, you need to determine the type of cloud deployment, or cloud computing
architecture, that your cloud services will be implemented on. There are three different
ways to deploy cloud services: on a public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud.

Public cloud

Public clouds are owned and operated by third-party cloud service providers, which
deliver computing resources like servers and storage over the internet. Microsoft Azure
is an example of a public cloud. With a public cloud, all hardware, software, and other
supporting infrastructure is owned and managed by the cloud provider. You access
these services and manage your account using a web browser.

Private cloud
A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single
business or organization. A private cloud can be physically located on the company’s
onsite datacenter. Some companies also pay third-party service providers to host their
private cloud. A private cloud is one in which the services and infrastructure are
maintained on a private network.

Hybrid cloud

Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by technology that
allows data and applications to be shared between them. By allowing data and
applications to move between private and public clouds, a hybrid cloud gives your
business greater flexibility and more deployment options and helps optimize your
existing infrastructure, security, and compliance.

Uses of cloud computing

You’re probably using cloud computing right now, even if you don’t realize it. If you use
an online service to send email, edit documents, watch movies or TV, listen to music,
play games, or store pictures and other files, it’s likely that cloud computing is making it
all possible behind the scenes. A variety of organizations—from tiny startups to global
corporations, government agencies to non-profits—have embraced cloud computing
technology for all sorts of reasons.

Here are a few examples of what’s possible with cloud services from a cloud provider:

 Create cloud-native applications

Quickly build, deploy, and scale applications—web, mobile, and API. Take
advantage of cloud-native technologies and approaches, such as
containers, Kubernetes, microservices architecture, API-driven communication,
and DevOps.

 Store, back up, and recover data

 Protect your data more cost-efficiently—and at massive scale—by transferring
your data over the internet to an offsite cloud storage system that’s accessible
from any location and any device.

 Stream audio and video

Connect with your audience anywhere, anytime, on any device with high-
definition video and audio with global distribution.

 Deliver software on demand

Also known as software as a service (SaaS), on-demand software lets you offer
the latest software versions and updates to customers—anytime they need,
anywhere they are.

 Test and build applications

Reduce application development cost and time by using cloud infrastructures that
can easily be scaled up or down.

 Analyze data

Unify your data across teams, divisions, and locations in the cloud. Then use
cloud services, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, to uncover
insights for more informed decisions.

 Embed intelligence

Use intelligent models to help engage customers and provide valuable insights
from the data captured.