Cloud computing basics explained
Cloud computing is one of the leading modern day solutions to handle critical applications on the Internet. The cloud computing is nothing but on-demand delivery of computing power, database storage, and other IT resources. Here, we explain in more detail about cloud computing.
In addition, cloud computing is a pool of configurable computing resources. The platform basically relies on the sharing of resources. The cloud services are generally provided over the Internet.
Furthermore, most of the services are provided on ‘Pay As You Go’ basis. This model is extremely beneficial. You can scale up and scale down the resources for your application in seconds. It saves the cost and your application will not be down irrespective of the number of users. It saves lots of upfront investment for new companies and startups.
The advantage of cloud computing
The most useful benefit of cloud computing is its agility and availability of vast resources on the go. New IT companies don’t need to invest in buying hardware and start from scratch. Hence, the capital expenses are converted into operational expenses.
The large economies of scale in the cloud helps to reduce the cost of the ‘Pay as you go’ model. So, you pay less in comparison with your own infrastructure. Another benefit of the cloud is its flexibility. So, you can simply scale up and scale down in few clicks. Hence, your resources are never idle.
The Cloud helps to work you from anywhere irrespective of the device and operating system. However, you just need a browser and a working internet connection. The users can work on the same application at the same time from different locations. Thus, you save a significant amount of time. Maintainance and performance monitoring on the application is very easy and can be done irrespective of the location.
Working of cloud computing explained
The cloud provides all the computing resources, databases, storages and set of other application services over the Internet. The service provider maintains and owns all the network connected hardware. The user then creates its own application and use it over the Internet.
Types of cloud computing
The cloud has three main types Viz. IaaS (Infrastructure as a service), PaaS (Platform as a service) and SaaS (Software as a Service).
The Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) model includes the provision of all resources such as computational power, storage, security, scaling and backup over high-level API. In this model, the user has no control over all infrastructure but can control over the deployed application, storage, and operating system.
In the Platform-as-a-service model (PaaS), the user can deploy the application using tools like programing language, services, and libraries provided by the service provider. The user has no control over underlying infrastructures like a server, network, and storage but can control the deployed application including its hosting environment.
Furthermore, in the Software-as-a-service(SaaS) model, the user has access to the application and its database. The service provider installs the software in the cloud and maintains the hardware infrastructure. Whereas, the users access the software from various locations and use it. This eliminates the need for installing the application on the user computer. Thus, the user can access the application from any device.
The security and cloud computing
The biggest concern in cloud computing is data security. A service provider can access the data any time and share it to the third parties as per agreement. The potential consequences are severe as it causes the data leaks or miss use of data.
In addition, the user may delete the data accidentally which leads to severe economic damage. The cloud ecosystem is spread across the globe; causing potential legal challenges as law varies from country to country.
Furthermore, the user has less control over the data as it is stored remotely in the cloud. The user may have limited customization options. The user may not access the data during outages at the service provider. In conclusion, cloud computing has more advantages. It is cheap and scalable in seconds and hence, gaining popularity.
Image & video courtesy: Amazon Web Services
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