Cloud Computing
Cloud computing: What is it?
Cloud computing, or computing in the cloud, is what the terms
"cloud" and "computer" mean respectively. There are several definitions for cloud computing, but we'll focus on the one provided
by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), which describes
it as "on-demand, self-service access via a telecommunications network to
shared, configurable computing resources".
Another definition of cloud computing is a concept that offers simple, on-demand access across a network to a pool of configurable computing resources that can be quickly made accessible to customers.
Examples of these resources include networks, servers, storage, applications, and services. One of the fundamental benefits of cloud services is their rapid provisioning and decommissioning, as the majority of them are available without obligation.
Cloud Computing History
On March 10, 2000, the Internet
bubble peaked. Over the ensuing weeks, it progressively deflated thanks to a
major sell-off of shares by well-known technology companies like Dell and
Cisco.
Businesses are being forced to reconsider or modify their client offers
and business structures to survive. One of the most current is that
many people are choosing to offer services based on the Internet rather than
using it for ordering products or corresponding with clients.
A good moment to start or invest in an online business was in the late
1990s and early 2000s. It was the perfect time for cloud computing to take off
thanks to the development of multi-tenant designs, the widespread use of
broadband, and the adoption of universal interoperability standards amongst
applications.
In 1999, Salesforce.com was introduced. It was the first website to
provide enterprise software through a straightforward, ordinary website that
could be accessed using a web browser. This is now referred to as cloud
computing.
In 2002, Amazon.com introduced Amazon Web Services. This innovative service
lets users save data and uses a huge number of people's skills for
really little tasks (like those on Amazon Mechanical Turk).
Inadvertently turning the Cloud into a personal service, Facebook was
launched in 2004 and revolutionized how users share and keep their own data
(pictures and videos).
Amazon created its Cloud services in 2006. Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
was the first to emerge, allowing customers to access computers and run their
own programs on them all within the Cloud. Simple Storage Service (S3) is the
second service to go live. Customers and the industry at large are introduced
to the pay-per-use model, which is now standard practice.
Then, in 2007, Salesforce.com introduced Force.com. Developers can
create, store, and operate all the applications and websites they require for
their businesses on the Cloud using this platform as a service (PaaS).
In 2009, Google Apps launched, enabling users to create and store all their documents on the cloud.
More recently, cloud computing companies have worked to increase the
integration of their products. In 2010, SalesForce.com launched its Cloud database with Database.com for developers, paving the way for the development of
cloud computing services that can be used on any device, executed on any
platform, and written in any programming language.
The various Cloud Computing services :
There are now three main models for using the cloud, each with distinct
traits and maturation levels:
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
1. SaaS (software as a service)
Applications are made available to customers in this kind of service. A
web browser can be used to manipulate applications, and users don't need to
worry about performing updates, installing security patches, or guaranteeing
service availability.
An illustration of such a service is Gmail. It provides customers with
an email service, and the customer is not concerned with how the service is
supplied. Other examples of software sold as a service include Office Web Apps,
Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Apps, and IBM LotusLive.
A provider of software as a service may run a platform as a service
operation, which may leverage infrastructure as a service.
Additional services include the following:
- NaaS: Network as a Service: Based on the Software Defined Networking (SDN) idea, Network as a Service is the provision of network services.
- WaaS: Workplace as a Service (WaaS):
This virtual work environment, which is accessible from any location and on any
device, gives business end-users secure, ongoing access to their company apps
and data.
Examples are Colt's workspace as a service and Econocom's workspace as a
service.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
The operating system and infrastructure tools are the provider's duty in this sort of service, which is immediately above the previous one. Applications are customizable, and users are free to add new tools.
The situation is
comparable to that of web hosting, where the customer rents the use of servers
on which the supplier has installed and is in control of the essential tools.
The systems are mutualized and offer a high degree of elasticity—the
capacity to adjust automatically to demand—in contrast to a traditional web
hosting solution, where adaptation occurs in response to a formal request from
the customer.
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS)
The lowest level of service is
infrastructure as a service. Access to a virtualized IT environment is what it
entails. Customers can install an operating system and applications on virtual
computers.
Hardware purchases are no longer necessary as a result. The trend is
toward higher-level services that do away with technical specifics, and this
service is comparable to conventional data center hosting services.
Cloud Computing solutions
Private Cloud
An IT consumption model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, etc.) based on resources (server, storage, network, software licenses, etc.) made exclusively available to a firm is known as the private cloud.
The location of these resources can either be at an integrator or
service provider (referred to as a managed or hosted private cloud) or
internally within the business (referred to as an internal private cloud).
Internal private clouds, also known as hosted private clouds, are run
entirely by the client's own IT departments. External private clouds, on the
other hand, are run by an outside service provider.
Services are made available through a portal's service catalog, are
automatically commissioned, and have consumption-based billing.
Public Cloud
The Public Cloud is an adaptable, unrestricted setup supplied by
a third party. Through the Internet, numerous users (individuals or businesses)
can access it. Multiple organizations can share the same computing resources
(provided by the supplier) via the public cloud.
Hybrid Cloud
The hybrid cloud is a mixed structure that blends the public cloud's
exterior resources with the private cloud's internal resources. If a corporation
uses a hybrid cloud, it might occasionally access the public cloud during
periods of high activity and rely on internal resources the rest of the time.
Since its inception in the early 2000s, cloud computing has undergone
significant development and today supports three primary service models:
software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure
as a service (IaaS). These services have also spawned more specialized ones
like Storage as a Service (STaaS), Data as a Service (DaaS), and Business
Process as a Service (BPaaS). Additionally, there are other ways to install
cloud computing, including private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud
setups. This technology has revolutionized how companies use and access IT
resources, making it a crucial component of the current digital world.
See also: