Here is the Cloud

Cloud computing is a kind of internet-based computing that provides shared processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand.

The Concept of Cloud Computing:

The Concept of Cloud Computing came into existence in 1950 with the implementation of mainframe computers, accessible via thin/static clients. Since then, cloud computing has evolved from static clients to dynamic ones from software to services.

Explanation of the Term Cloud computing:

What is cloud computing?

The term Cloud refers to a Network or the Internet. In other words, we can say that Cloud is something, which is present at a remote location. The cloud can provide Services over a network i.e.: on a public network or on a private network. i.e WAN, LAN or VPN.

Applications such as Email, Web Conferencing, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) all run in the cloud.

Cloud computing provides us with a means by which we can access applications as utilities over the internet. It also allows us to Create, Configure, and Customize Applications Online.

In cloud computing, the word “Cloud” is used as a metaphor for the internet so the phrase cloud computing means a type of internet-based computing where different services including Servers, Storage, and Applications are delivered to an organization’s computer and devices through the internet.

Cloud computing is also a type of computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications.

TYPES OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Enterprises can choose to deploy applications on Public, Private, or Hybrid clouds. Cloud integrators can play a vital part in determining the right cloud path for each organization.

Public Cloud:

Public Clouds are owned and operated by third parties; they deliver the superior scale of economies to customers as the infrastructure costs are spread among a mix of users, giving each individual client an attractive low-cost, “Pay-As-You-Go(PAYG)” model. All customers share the same infrastructure pool with limited configuration, security protections, and availability variances. These are managed and supported by the cloud provider. One of the disadvantages of a public Cloud is that it may be larger than an enterprise cloud, thus providing the ability to scale seamlessly on demand. (e.g.: Azure, AWS, GCP, Alibaba, etc.)

Private Cloud

Private clouds are built exclusively for a single / medium sized enterprise. They aim to address concerns about data security and offer greater control which is typically lacking in a public cloud.

Hybrid cloud

Hybrid Cloud is the combination of both Public and Private Cloud Models. With a Hybrid Cloud, service providers can utilize 3rd party cloud providers in a full or partial manner thus increasing the flexibility of computing. The hybrid cloud environment is capable of providing on-demand, externally provisioned scale. The ability to augment a private cloud with the resources of a public cloud can be used to manage any unexpected surges in workload.

CLOUD COMPUTING MODEL

Cloud providers offer services that can be grouped into three categories namely.

Software as a Service (SaaS): In this model, a complete application is offered to a customer as a service on demand. A single instance of the service runs on the cloud and multiple end users are serviced. Today, SaaS is offered by companies such as Google Workspace, Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Zoho, etc.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): Here, a layer of software or development environment is encapsulated and offered as a service, upon which other higher levels of services can be built. Some services here include deploying a storage service (MySQL, Postgres, Application Services, etc.). The customer has the freedom to build his own application which runs on the provider’s infrastructure. Some of the popular PaaS examples are Google’s App Engine, Azure Bastion, Azure App services, Azure SQL server, azure storage etc.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS provides basic storage and computing capabilities as standardized services over the network. The customer would typically deploy his software on the infrastructure. Some common examples are Amazon EC2 Instances, Azure Virtual machine, Compute engine, GoGrid, 3 Tera, etc.

CLOUD COMPUTING BENEFITS/FUNCTIONS

There is a need for enterprises to align their application so as to exploit the architecture models that Cloud Computing offers.

Cost Effective: There are a number of reasons to attribute cloud technology to lower costs. The billing model is pay per usage; the infrastructure; the infrastructure is not purchased thus lowering maintenance. Initial expenses and recurring expenses are much lower than traditional computing.

Large/Increased storage: With the massive infrastructure that is offered by cloud providers today, storage and maintenance of large volumes of data is a reality. Sudden workload spikes are also managed effectively and efficiently since the cloud can scale dynamically.

Flexibility: This is an extremely important characteristic. With enterprises having to adapt, even more rapidly, to changing business conditions, speed to delivery is critical. Cloud computing stresses on getting applications to market very quickly by using the most appropriate building blocks necessary for deployment.

In years to come following the rate of technological advancements, do you think cloud computing posits any risks?

CLOUD COMPUTING — THE CHALLENGES FACED.

Concerns regarding cloud computing still remain despite its growing influence. In my opinion, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and the model is worth exploring. Some of the common challenges are:

Data Protection: Data Security is a crucial element that warrants scrutiny. Enterprises are reluctant to buy an assurance of business data security from vendors. They fear losing data to competition and the data confidentiality of consumers. In many instances, the actual storage location is not disclosed, adding to the security concerns of enterprises. In the existing models, firewalls across data centers (owned by enterprises) protect this sensitive information. In the cloud model, service providers are responsible for maintaining. In the cloud model, service providers are responsible for maintaining g data security enterprises would have to rely on them.

Data Recovery and Availability: All business applications have service-level agreements that are stringently followed. Operational teams play a key role in the management of service-level agreements (SLAs) and runtime governance of applications.

Management Capabilities: Despite there being multiple cloud providers, the management of platforms and infrastructure is still in its infancy. Features like Auto scaling for example are a crucial requirement for many enterprises. There is huge potential to improve the scalability and load-balancing features provided today.

Regulatory and compliance Restrictions: In some of the European countries, Government regulations do not allow customers' personal information and other sensitive information to be physically located outside the state or country. In order to meet such requirements, cloud providers need to set up a data center or a storage site exclusively within the country to comply with regulations. Having such an infrastructure may not always be feasible and is a big challenge for cloud providers.

What Next?

What are your fears for not migrating your workloads to the cloud.

Culled from my medium post: Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is a kind of… | by Obiaozu Kelechi | Medium

Let's connect on Medium: obiaozukelechi.medium.com