Cloud Computing

Before explaining what cloud computing is, let’s first see where it is actually being used. You use cloud computing almost every time you work on the Internet, even if you don’t realize it. When you watch movies or live stream videos of high quality, the resources you use are hosted on a cloud server. That’s why many video streaming websites provide you the option to play the same movie on multiple servers. A variety of organizations, from tiny-startups to global corporations, government agencies and nonprofits, use cloud computing technology for all sorts of applications.

What is cloud computing?

When you use a messaging app like Telegram, where is the data stored such that you can access it anytime? The answer to this is the cloud.

The cloud is basically a huge cluster of data-centers managed by different organizations like Amazon, Microsoft and Google known as cloud providers. Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources (especially data storage and computing power), without direct active management by the user. So, the cloud is essentially a platform, providing services like computational power, storage, software and other tools to individuals and companies.

Categories of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is broadly classified into three major categories:

1. Software as a Service (SaaS): Here, users need not think about how the service is maintained or how the underlying infrastructure is maintained. They only need to be concerned about how they will use the software. Hence, SaaS provides a completed product that is run and managed by the service provider. Eg. Gmail, WhatsApp.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS): In PaaS, the need for the user to manage the underlying infrastructure (usually hardware and operating system) is eliminated. It allows users to focus only on the deployment and the management of their application. Eg. Windows Azure.
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): In Iaas, users are given access to basic hardware and are free to customize it to their use case. For instance, they are provided access to the machine and can choose the OS they would like to configure and other system details. Eg. DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services (AWS).
4. Anything as a service: Most of the cloud service providers today offer anything as a service which is a compilation of all of the above services including some additional ones.

Types of Cloud Deployments

A cloud deployment model is a configuration of certain cloud environment parameters like storage size, accessibility and proprietorship. Based on this cloud deployments are classified as follows:

1. Public Cloud: All hardware, software and other supporting infrastructure is owned and managed by the cloud provider. The users access these services and manage their account using a web browser.
2. Private Cloud: Cloud computing resources are exclusively used by a single organisation in which the services and infrastructure are maintained on a private network. A private cloud can be physically located on the company’s on-site datacenter.
3. Hybrid Cloud: It is a combination of public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them. By allowing data and applications to move between private and public clouds, they provide greater flexibility and more deployment options.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

• Eliminates the process of estimating the storage requirements.
• Users can avail services according to requirements. They can access as much or as little as they need, and scale up or down when required within a few minutes.
• Increased speed and agility.
• Quick and easy upgrades and addition of tools.
• Eliminates the workload of running and maintaining data centers. All maintenance is carried out by service providers. So, users can focus on the real work.
• Easy to Launch applications worldwide. Organizations can easily deploy their application in multiple regions around the world with just a few clicks.
• Service providers provide inexpensive services to attract more users thus increasing their profits in the long run. Users also only pay for what they consume and need not invest heavily in data centres and servers before knowing how to use them. This is a win-win situation for both parties.

Hence, with the cloud, businesses no longer need to plan for and procure servers and other IT infrastructure weeks or months in advance. They can instantly spin up thousands of servers in minutes and deliver results faster.

Disadvantages

1. Network connection is always required. You need a network in order to send or receive files from the cloud. You need a network to be able to use your virtual machines even if you opt for an IaaS. If network connection is lost due to a storm or an outage, you may experience some downtime.
2. Limited Features: When you use cloud computing for storage and backup, you should ideally be offered unlimited bandwidth and storage space. However, you only get limited storage space and accessibility. SaaS usually offers free software initially or on a trial basis, but charges for extra space and premium versions.
3. Loss of Control: You have to trust that your provider’s data centers are compliant and secured both physically and online.

Cloud Storage vs Cloud Computing 

Cloud storage needs more storage space while cloud computing needs robust processors to keep applications running smoothly.

Cloud storage is simply a data store and sharing medium while cloud computing gives us the ability to remotely work on and transform data. For instance, coding an application remotely. Rolling out upgrades, updates and patches is fast, simple and easy with cloud computing since it only needs to be performed on the virtual server not on every single device.

Future of cloud computing

Although the cloud is far from a new idea, its true capabilities are yet to be realized. It has been predicted that Cloud will provide the digital infrastructure of tomorrow’s cities which will home 6 billion people by 2045. The cloud will support emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and help them to adapt to new platforms. Therefore, cloud computing is considered to be a technological milestone which the world is leaping toward.

Why it’s useful for me!

Most startups and businesses today prefer cloud computing. So it is a great technology to learn. Whether you want to deploy a website on the net, or perform tedious computation which require GPUs, we turn to cloud computing. Sometimes a task may not be possible on personal computers. In such situations which require high performance, cloud computing can accomplish tasks and reach our goals (Ex: Machine Learning). Major Cloud service providers (Ex. AWS) provide free trials for a certain period or free credit for students. So get started today!

– Abhishek Patil