CLOUD COMPUTING
WHAT IS THE CLOUD?
The Cloud is shorthand to describe the huge interconnected network of servers designed to deliver computing resources without a sense of location. In other words, The Cloud feels to users like a giant formless mass of computing power that runs everything from email to mapping to mobile applications.
In business terms, there is no “The Cloud.” Cloud computing is really a collection of licensed services provided by different vendors. Cloud services take technology management and technology acquisition away, and replace it with products that are managed elsewhere and are only active when needed.
TYPES OF CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing can be broken down into three main categories: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Each is discussed below in more detail.
1.SAAS (SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE)
Software as a Service is so common in the modern Internet age that it is almost overlooked as part of the cloud computing field. Software as a Service describes any Internet-based product that provides a specific set of operations. This includes everything from email to contact management.
Interacting with a SaaS product had traditionally been done through a web browser. This has been slowly changing with the ubiquity of mobile devices. Most SaaS products now include web and mobile device clients.
EXAMPLES
? Email services: Gmail, Outlook.com
? Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Salesforce
? Business Productivity: Office.com, Dropbox, Box.com, Google Docs
? Application Support: InsideOps, Logentries, Google Forms
Service Agreement: The agreement controlling your use of the service might require legal review
? Reliability: Most PaaS products have uptime in the high 90% range, but outages do happen
? In-House Development Still a Factor: Internal employees might need to spend time tweaking, fixing, or enhancing applications
BENEFITS
? Managed Service: Customers of a SaaS product are able to focus on using it; there is no need to worry about the software or hardware required to make it run
? Quick and Regular Updates: The product is the main focus of the company; the vendor is constantly improving, fixing, and patching to improve their tool’s usefulness
? Portability: Enterprise-grade SaaS products will usually work on all modern browsers and a wide range of mobile devices
? Dedicated Customer Support: If something needs to be fixed, your internal resources don’t have to slow their work down to fix it CONS
? Product Growth is Outside Your Control: The roadmap of the tool’s development and the features being added are outside your control. However, most vendors have a method for customers to request features
? Service Agreement: The agreement controlling your use of the service might require legal review
? Customization Can Be Difficult: Customizing the product to specifically meet your company’s needs might not be possible or might be costly
? Reliability: Most SaaS products have uptime in the high 90% range, but outages do happen
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2.PAAS (PLATFORM AS A SERVICE)
Platform as a Service products has received less attention than their SaaS and IaaS siblings until recently.
The power that a platform can provide is becoming much more appreciated in recent days, which has led to a boom in PaaS products. PaaS products sit in the middle between IaaS and SaaS. PaaS services allow customers to create a customized experience on top of an existing set of tools.
EXAMPLES
? Customized Interactive Running Tournaments: RaceLink
? Application Building: Google App Engine, SAP Hana, Cloud Foundry
BENEFITS (SIMILAR TO SAAS PRODUCTS)
? Quick and Regular Updates: The product is the main focus of the company; the vendor is constantly improving, fixing, and patching to improve their tool’s usefulness
? Portability: Applications built on enterprise-grade PaaS products will usually work on all modern browsers and a wide range of mobile devices
? Customization: The ability to use the PaaS product as a starting point means the applications built on it can be more closely tied to your business and its processes
? RAD (Rapid Application Development): Getting applications built, and in the hands of your employees or customers happens much more quickly than traditional application development
CONS (SIMILAR TO SAAS PRODUCTS)
? Product Growth is Outside Your Control: The roadmap of the tool’s development and the features being added are outside your control. However, most vendors have a method for customers to request features
? Service Agreement: The agreement controlling your use of the service might require legal review
? Customization Can Be Difficult: Customizing the product to specifically meet your company’s needs might not be possible or might be costly
? Reliability: Most SaaS products have uptime in the high 90% range, but outages do happen
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3. IAAS (INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE)
IaaS emulates the hardware that companies traditionally purchased to create internal and external networks. The chore of installing hardware and connecting it to physical networks has been replaced with the task of creating robust configurations. Almost every part of a traditional network is offered as a cloud service.
EXAMPLES
? Servers
? Firewalls
? Routers
? Load Balancers
? CDN (Content Delivery Network)
BENEFITS
? No Hardware: No need to invest in equipment
? Cost is a Function of Usage: Initial investments are much cheaper than equipment acquisition
? Scalability: A network can easily scale, retract, or transform without taking a financial impact from leasing clauses or acquisition
? Swift Management: Ability to react to network problems or improve network configurations quickly
CONS
? Learning Curves are Steep: It takes time and effort to be able to use an IaaS service to its fullest potential
? Outside your control: The resources supporting the network are controlled by another company
? Service Agreement: The agreement controlling your use of the service might require legal review
? Subject to Network Reliability: Most IaaS vendors can boast of uptime in the 99% area so there is very little to worry about, but outages do occur