What is Cloud Computing?

What is Cloud Computing?

In the simplest terms, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the cloud. These services include servers, databases storage, software analytics, intelligence, and networking. Over the internet, these services are faster, innovative, and offer economies of scale. Instead of buying, owning, and maintaining physical data centers and servers, you can access a wide range of technology services on an as-needed basis from any cloud service provider.

Cloud computing has transformed IT infrastructure into a utility, as it lets you plug into infrastructure via the internet. It enables you to offload costs, as the whole effort and expense of on-premise infrastructure is saved. With the cloud, you can start using applications immediately, rather than waiting for months for the configuration and installation of your software. It is convenient, quick, cost-effective, and flexible. Cloud provides elasticity to scale up or down as required. As cloud services are usually spread across the globe, you get the opportunity to give the same exposure to your applications, too.

There are four types of cloud, each with its own set of features and benefits. We will go through?them to understand every?model better:

1.???On-premise Cloud

On-premise Cloud is sometimes mislabeled as 'private cloud' see point 4. It is a cloud environment where the entire cloud setup from the infrastructure to computing resources is dedicated to one customer and is in your own data center.

Many organizations prefer an On-premise cloud as it helps reap the benefits of the cloud in a secure private setup. Also, it is an easier way to keep up with regulatory compliance requirements. The elasticity, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility of cloud computing stay the same. The only add-on is the resource customization of an on-premise, private infrastructure. Some organizations also prefer on-premise cloud as they deal with confidential data such as intellectual property, medical records, financial or other sensitive information.

With an on-premise cloud setup, you wouldn't need to rely on an Internet connection to access data. The physical control of the server is entirely in your hands, and no third party has access to any of your data. Although it may be slightly expensive compared to other cloud setups such as hybrid or public, an on-premise cloud setup is perfect for organizations dealing with confidential data.

2.???Hybrid Cloud

A combination of public and on-premise clouds, the hybrid cloud setup is a blend of the best features of both. A hybrid cloud setup connects an organization's private and public cloud services into a single, blended infrastructure. This flexible setup helps run the organization's applications while handling the workloads effectively. The mobility between cloud environments ensures greater flexibility and agility to companies in their data deployment options.

The whole idea of a hybrid cloud is to mix the resources and features of on-premise and public clouds. On-premise cloud technology may be expensive for organizations, and for such companies, a hybrid cloud is a better alternative. It offers the cost-effectiveness of a public cloud and the safety of a private cloud.

A hybrid setup offers better support for a remote workforce. This is because, in a hybrid cloud, organizations can move their sensitive, confidential data to their private on-premise cloud, whereas pivotal applications and services will be available on the public cloud. In case of increased demand, organizations with a hybrid cloud infrastructure can avoid huge expenditures to expand their setup. Instead, they only pay for the cloud resources they use, which are flexible as per changing demands.

A hybrid cloud is an essential part of business continuity solutions, as it helps organizations backup critical data. Even when demands increase, the private servers of the business won't end up getting overburdened. The cloud is effective enough to absorb fluctuating demands in any given organization.

3.???Public Cloud

The public cloud is the most cost-effective and flexible model amongst all three alternatives. In this setup, the cloud service provider makes computing resources accessible to users over the public internet. These services include SaaS applications, individual virtual machines, development platforms, or even enterprise-grade infrastructure. The services offered may be free or a paid subscription.

The public cloud service provider owns, manages, and takes over the complete responsibility for the entire infrastructure, inclusive of data centers and other hardware. Thanks to the flexible and cost-effective features, the demand for public cloud services has shot up worldwide, and this upward trend is here to stay. Many organizations are switching parts of their computing infrastructure to the public cloud because of the elasticity, scalability, and flexibility. Those looking for greater efficiency in a limited budget can simply opt for public cloud services.

Quick to set up, you can have your public cloud up within a matter of a few hours. It is easily configurable and can be set up remotely with an internet connection. The upkeep and maintenance of the network, hardware, and software lie with the cloud service provider. You need not worry at all about security aspects and upgrades.

Public cloud systems are well-suited for small organizations that typically do not want to enter into long-term contracts. The reason may vary – they may not have enough budget at the moment or may not want to commit to a specific storage capacity. Most of the time, small businesses that have just started are often unsure of their precise requirements. In such scenarios, public cloud computing comes to their rescue, as it offers pay-as-you-grow models that do not require huge investment or long-term commitment.

The public cloud features a vast network of servers that offers protection against failure. Almost all public cloud servers out there provide more than 99% uptime, with virtually no risk of loss. The presence of multiple servers ensures that even if one server fails, the other server automatically takes over the workload. This ensures seamless, glitch-free functioning.

4. Private Cloud

Earlier, we talked about On-Premise cloud, and I stated that sometimes they call this private cloud, and I called this a misnomer. The reason I did that is that a private cloud can also be obtained from a cloud provider. This would mean that the cloud provider corners off a set of hardware for the private cloud and guarantees that nobody can get to it.

It will give a lot less flexibility than a Public Cloud, but you guarantee hardware and security.

Summing Up

Irrespective of the scale of a business, cloud computing is proving to be beneficial for them all. Additionally, the four flexible models of cloud computing make it all the more accessible to even the smallest of all businesses. From the four available setups – on-premise, hybrid, public, and private you can choose one that best fits the requirements of your business. Companies that are customer-facing, web-based, and have multiple users connecting from different locations and devices can make the most of this fantastic technology. If you are considering switching to the cloud, this is the perfect time to do it!

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