Cloud Computing, a computing paradigm is one of the easiest means of accessing and storing data over the Internet, rather than storing data on the computer’s hard drive. It is also recognized as a large group of systems that help us stay connected to public or private networks and provide a dynamically scalable infrastructure for data, file storage, and applications.
With the launch of this technology, it significantly reduced content storage, delivery, compute cost, and application hosting. It has the potential to transform a data center from a capital intensive setup to a variable price environment.
According to one of the research industries, Forrester, defines cloud computing as a group of abstracted, highly scalable and managed computing infrastructure capable of hosting end-customer applications and billed by consumption. Whereas the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed the definition of cloud computing as a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (eg. g., networking, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
The Cloud Computing feature is self-service, where a customer can request and manage their own computing resources. Wide web access makes the service available to private networks or the Internet. This technology provides a pool of shared resources, where the client relies on a pool of computing resources, usually in a remote data center.
Cloud computing service models
Cloud computing services are grouped into three categories: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Software as a Service (SaaS)
In this service model, cloud-based applications are offered to the customer, as an on-demand service. It is a single instance of the service that runs on distant “cloud” computers owned and operated by others and connects to users’ computers via the Internet and, typically, a web browser. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Google are examples of SaaS, although users can access the services through any Internet-enabled device.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
The platform as a service (PaaS) model is one level above the software as a service setup and provides hardware, network, and operating system so that a customer can design their own application and software. To meet application requirements such as scalability and manageability, PaaS providers offer a predefined combination of OS operating system and application servers, such as restricted J2EE, LAMP platform (Linux, Apache, MySql and PHP) , etc. for example, at each stage of the process to develop, test, and ultimately host their websites, web developers can use individual PaaS environments.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a basic compute and storage capability that provides a standardized service over the network. This model has eased the workload by pooling data center space, storage systems, network equipment, servers, etc. together and making them available. In addition, the customer can develop and install their own operating systems, software and applications.
Cloud Computing Deployment Models
To make available and deploy applications, companies can choose Cloud Computing in public, private or hybrid clouds. In determining the right cloud path for each organization, cloud integrators play a vital role.
public cloud
In general, the services provided by a public cloud are offered over the Internet and are owned and operated by companies, which use them to provide quick access to reasonable computing resources to other organizations or individuals. Through this deployment model, consumers do not need to purchase supporting infrastructure, hardware, or software, which is owned and managed by providers.
private cloud
In this deployment model, the cloud infrastructure is operated solely by a specific organization and is managed by the organization or by a third party. While providing greater control over resources and preventing multi-tenancy, private clouds exist to take advantage of the various efficiencies of the cloud.
hybrid clouds
This Cloud Computing deployment model merges the public and private cloud models. A service provider can fully or partially use third-party cloud providers in the midst of hybrid clouds, thereby increasing computing flexibility.
Therefore, for the everyday computer user, this technology provides numerous options, as well as for businesses large and small. And for organizations and individuals, Cloud Computing offers benefits, and the action moves to the interface flanked by multiple groups of consumers and service providers.