Basics of Cloud Computing
What is Cloud Computing?
The practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, instead of a local server or a personal computer. You can access technology services, such as computing power, storage, and databases, on-demand from a cloud provider. Cloud computing service providers usually maintain multiple copies of the data to mitigate instances of security threats, data loss, data breach, etc.
How it Works?
To understand how cloud computing works, it can be divided into two groups front-end and backend.
The front end is the side of the computer user or client which enables the user to access the data stored in the cloud .
The back end is the cloud section of the system, which consists of servers, computers, databases, and central servers.
They are connected to each other through a network, usually the Internet.
Category or Service Models of Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing mainly divided into 3 categories or It has 3 Service Models.
- IaaS => Infrastructure as a Service.
IaaS contains basic of a computing infrastructure, provisioned and managed over the internet.
- PasS => Platform as a Service.
PaaS provides a platform which allows the customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure. It basically allows you to focus on the deployment and management of your applications.
- SaaS => Software as a Service.
SaaS provides a complete product to user to connect and use cloud-based apps over the Internet.You don’t have to think about how the service and infrastructure is maintained.
Cloud Vs Non-Cloud
The above diagram shows that the difference between the categories of cloud computing and the non-cloud.
We can clearly see that in non-cloud we have to take care of everything, where as in cloud the service provider have to take care according to the service we choose.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Scalability
We can scale cloud services according to our requirements. It scales on demand to support fluctuating business need. By relying on a service provider to take care of all networking and infrastructure, we’ll have more time to devote toward the aspects of our business.
Efficiency
We don’t have to spend huge amounts of money on purchasing and maintaining the equipment. We can access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection.We only pay for the resources they use.Most cloud-computing services are pay as you go. This means that if we are not using it, at least we won’t have to pay for it.
Security
Cloud offers many advanced security features that guarantee that data is securely stored and handled.Service providers implement baseline protections for their platforms and the data they process. i.e Virtual Private Cloud , encryptions, APIs Keys etc. According to a report 90% of business saw an improvement in security and meet government compliance requirements after switching to cloud.
Disasters- recovery
Data loss is a major concern for all organisations, along with data security.
If we rely on traditional on-premises approach, all our data will be stored locally, on computers. Despite our best efforts, computers can malfunction from various reasons — from malware and viruses, hardware deterioration etc.
But, if we upload our data to the cloud, it remains accesible for any computer with an internet connection, even if our equipments is damaged it provide quick data recovery for all kinds of emergency scenarios — from natural disasters to power outages.
