Cloud Computing: Making Life easier for companies

Nadeem Khan
Nov 2 · 6 min read

Before diving into Microsoft Azure, we should familiarize ourselves with basics of cloud computing, this will help us building a strong solid foundation. All Cloud providers( Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, Digital Ocean, etc.) follows same principle.

What is Cloud Computing?

Before the existence of cloud computing, people used to host servers on their local Data center. System Administrator was responsible for managing every thing, and this job was limited to people who are versed in hardware. We will not be discussing more about ‘LIFE BEFORE CLOUD COMPUTING’, since this is out of scope, and I have never experience this scenario, because I started from AWS, then moved to Azure.

Below are the definition by few cloud providers:

Microsoft:

Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services — including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence — over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. You typically pay only for cloud services you use, helping lower your operating costs, run your infrastructure more efficiently and scale as your business needs change.

Amazon:

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of compute power, database, storage, applications, and other IT resources via the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.

Google:

In cloud computing, the capital investment in building and maintaining data centers is replaced by consuming IT resources as an elastic, utility-like service from a cloud “provider” (including storage, computing, networking, data processing and analytics, application development, machine learning, and even fully managed services).

Whereas in the past cloud computing was considered the province of startups and aggressively visionary enterprise users, today, it is part of the enterprise computing mainstream across every industry, for organizations of any type and size.

If we see, every one has their own version, but if we see closely, they all are saying same thing, but in different way.

We can clearly see that CLOUD COMPUTING is all about,

  • providing on demand delivery,
  • pay-as-you go model( you pay only for what you use),
  • easy accessibility of various resources like Database, Virtual Machines,
  • making easy interface for developers,
  • scaling on demand.

Cloud Computing doesn’t means that now everything is sitting in cloud, even now as well everything is still in Data centers, but they are now managed by few companies like Microsoft Amazon, Google, etc, not by every other company who wants to host their apps, websites, database. And with older approach companies used to pay lot more than what they need to, because it is really hard to compute, exact configuration of resources required to host website or database, or something else. And most of their servers are sitting ideally most of the time, and even then as well they require regular maintenance. And not forget about nightmares, when we need to setup everything manually, and how much time it takes.

With Cloud Computing everything became very easy, we can easily spin up new Virtual machine, database very quickly, we can scale up or down with just the help of sliders, we can decommission Virtual Machines whenever it is no longer required, we can delete database, when we are done with it, and it all can be with just a single click. We can also automate the task of scaling, decommissioning, deleting, with help of simple scripts.

This all is nothing, if we do not want to worry about scaling, managing resource provided by cloud, we can go for managed services, and then it will be all managed by your provider, you don;t need to worry about anything.

See, how much easy it is now, if we compare with old times, and what ever I have mentioned it just a surface of ocean, it is lot deeper and easier. We will dive deeper in cloud, specifically in Microsoft Azure, in my future blogs.

Little History

  • First player in cloud computing which actually started making life easier for companies, is Amazon(Amazon web Service) in August 2006.
  • Then came next big player, Google( Google App Engine ) in 2008, it was the beta release by Google, GA( General Availability) was available from 2013.
  • Then last but not least, Microsoft jumps into cloud computing business, they announced Microsoft Azure on October 2008, its first release was made on Feb, 2010. Since then Microsoft azure is fulfilling needs of customers. You all will see, how big is Microsoft Azure Cloud, we will dive deep in all possible component of Azure.

Cloud Computing Tree

Based on deployment model

Public Cloud

These type of cloud are owned by 3rd Party, Companies just pay for what they use. It provides multiple tenants on same cloud ( called as multi-tenancy).

This is very similar to Renting things and using them, and when you are done using them, you can return that, and get something new, and if rent something so it is companies responsibility to manage them.

Private Cloud

These type of clouds are owned by single company, it can be hosted On-Premise as well as on Cloud Provider site. But it will be specific to company.

This is very similar to buying a house, either you can built your own house or buy a flat at Apartment which is owned by 3rd Party. In both scenario, since it is your property, so you need to manage it, or you can ask someone else to manage it for you according to your need.

Hybrid Cloud

This includes both private and public cloud, so that we can get best out of both.

It is very similar to buying a house, then renting furniture, so that you can get your own house, and keep changing furniture when there is something new in market.

Based on service offered

IaaS( Infrastructure as a Service)

In this infrastructure will be provided by your cloud provider, and you will be responsible to install, configure and manage services running in that infrastructure.

e.g. Data center, Storage

It is very similar to buying a new laptop, and then configuring it according to your need, and if laptop hardware fails, then it will be the responsibly of the company who provided this hardware to you.

We can also think it as you are at your friend house, and you are hungry, so to you go to market and buy whatever you need to cook. In this scenario,

  • Your friend: Cloud Provider
  • Your friend’s house: Infrastructure provided by cloud

PaaS( Platform as a Service )

In this you will get configured resources, so that you need to worry about installing and performing admin level stuffs, you can simply start using it after buying it. In this most of time, you will not get the access of hardware.

e.g. Operating system, Development tools

It is very similar to buying a laptop which is pre configured i.e OS is pre installed, utility software are pre installed, management tools are pre installed, you can start building things on the top of features you got.

We can also think it as you are at your friend house, and you are hungry, so your friend looks into his fridge, so that he can take those out you, and you can cook something out of it. In this scenario,

  • Your friend: Cloud Provider
  • Your friend’s house: Infrastructure provided by cloud
  • Food in friend’s fridge: Software provided by your cloud provider, you only need to pick what you need, and then use it according to your need.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

In this , you cloud provider don’t allow you to manage hardware and software, you just simply use the product, but you can customize it according to your need.

e.g. Calendar, Apps, Websites.

It is very similar to, as you are at your friend house, and you are hungry, so to your friend looks into his fridge, so that he can take those out you, and he can cook something out of it for you. But you can still add something extra to cooked food, if needed. In this scenario,

  • Your friend: Cloud Provider
  • Your friend’s house: Infrastructure provided by cloud
  • Food in friend’s fridge: Software provided by your cloud provider, you only need to pick what you need, and then use it according to your need.
  • Cooked food: Final product which user consume.

Any Questions and comments are most welcomed.

Stay tuned for more azure related blogs. Thanks for reading this.

Nadeem Khan

Written by

Azure Developer and Architect at Crowe LLP

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