Cloud computing: The Cloud that rains Data
In the field of technology, the cloud is now its inseparable part. But many people using technology don’t get this terminology or some think that it is just for storage. So, let’s understand A-Z about cloud computing.
Why named cloud?
As an actual cloud don’t have a fixed location, it collects water from one place and rains at another place. Similarly, in cloud computing, it collects data from one system and then can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
When the cloud came into existence?
Technically it was always there, the email service we have been using since 1978 is the easiest example of cloud as we can access our emails anytime from any place by just filling in the credentials. But word cloud has been in discussion for the last 5 years due to its sudden increase in application and ideas.
Let’s hit the table!
When we save a file in a system that can be accessed from that particular system only. This is an offline task. But if we want to access a file from another system without actually transferring it. Here comes the cloud computing services which is used to store the data and can be accessed from any other system. A proper section of people who use mobile phone uses cloud but they don’t know about it. Many people think that it’s the only task of the cloud but other than file storage, the cloud is used to create a cloud-native application, store backup and recovery of data, stream audio and video, deliver software on demand, analysis of data, test and build application It’s a format of delivering computing services through the cloud which mainly includes servers, databases, storage, networking, software, analytics and intelligence. These all can be accessed through the internet only.
From a small start-up to a big MNC everyone is using and dependent on the cloud because of its easy interface and cost-efficient. User can even edit out files online and can transfer them regardless of their size. Even if, the local system gets crashed in which the file is saved, it can still be accessed using the cloud. In the cloud, clients don’t have to think about data centres and hire people to manage that.
Many free services providers are out there but for limited storage. We can always buy more storages according to our convenience. It is quite secure, affordable and reliable. Some examples of cloud are Google drive, Dropbox, one drive, Gmail, Picasa, HubSpot, Flickr, Aws.
Types of cloud computing.
A single type of basic cloud computing can be everyone’s requirement. In the era of technology, everyone has their own requirement according to the business they are running. Based on the cloud’s location there are four types of cloud.
Public cloud: The cloud operated by 3rd party service providers which provide services like servers and storage. It is deployed globally. In this, all software, hardware, interface and infrastructure are owned by the service provider. This user can access this service using a web browser. For example, Microsoft Azure, Google cloud
Private cloud: It’s for an organisation or a company that can be located on a company’s data server or the organisation can make its cloud managed by a third-party. It is deployed locally. Here service and infrastructure are managed on a private network. This is not that cost-efficient as public cloud
Hybrid cloud: This is a combination of public and private cloud. This has all the advantages of both public and private cloud. Here data is transformed between these clouds. Companies using this type of cloud gets more flexibility and development opportunities. Also, optimise companies’ infrastructure and security. This is the most cost-efficient of all types.
Community cloud: The cloud is shared between homogeneous format companies who have similar goals and form a community combined. Only members of that particular community can access this cloud.
Delivery models of the cloud
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS):
The cloud service provider makes the infrastructure available for the client to use it, for as long time as the client wants to use it with enhanced scalability and flexibility. Here inside that infrastructure all the management regarding operating system, virtual machine and its storage and many more, is managed by the client itself. The client gets full control of the infrastructure which is owned by the service provider. The service provider assigns an IP address to that particular infrastructure, also the maintenance of physical machines and server is done by the service provider.
Software as a service (SaaS):
In this, the service is provided for the front end of software to use for the client. The user gets the service from the provider regardless of the back-end strategy that how and where data is stored and processed, servers, physical or virtual machines used in the software. The customers of this service are mainly those who don’t need to know about the back end or those who don’t have much technical knowledge like virtualisation, memory elements used in the service. For example, start-ups related to fashion or food. In SaaS, all the back end of the infrastructure is managed by the vendor. The user is not bounded to the platform used in it.
Platform as a service (PaaS):
In this service, a runtime environment is provided to the user. In this development and deployment tools are available for the users to develop their own platform or software. Like SaaS, access to the operating system is not given to the client. The main thing is that there is no need to buy expensive software and hardware for development if you are using PaaS. This is a service provided by the vendor, where we have less access to the infrastructure in comparison to IaaS and a little bit more access than SaaS.
So, the cloud is not just about storing the files and accessing them. It is a channel through which many multinational companies are working and they rely on cloud services for their continuous growth. Many freelancers are working and getting clients just by having their own space on the cloud.
