The Era of “Cloud Computing”

Story Highlights

• What is Cloud Computing?
• Five Characteristics of Cloud Computing
• Cloud Computing Delivery Models
• Cloud Computing Deployment Models

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The Era of Cloud Computing

With introduction of cloud computing in today’s era it is possible for us to access information from anywhere. A traditional computer setup requires being in the same location as data storage device, the cloud takes it in different manner. The cloud removes the need to be in the same physical location as the hardware that stores data. Cloud
provider can both own and house the hardware and software necessary to run home or business applications.

As shown in Figure 1 , it refer to organization or individual who uses a Web application for every task rather than installing software or storing data on computer. Hence, what do we mean by Cloud Computing ?

Cloud Computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of three things – Five essential characteristics, Three delivery models and Four deployment models.

Five Characteristics of Cloud Computing

• On Demand Service
• Ubiquitous Network Access
• Location Independent Resource Pooling
• Rapid Elasticity
• Measured Service

Cloud Computing Delivery Models

• Software as a Service (SaaS) – Software deployment model whereby a provider licenses an application to customers for use as a service on demand
• Platform as a service (PaaS) – Optimized IT and developer tools offered through Platform as a Service (PaaS) for Database and Testing Environments
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – On-demand, highly scalable Computing, Storage and Hosting Services

Cloud Computing Deployment Models

• Private Cloud – Operated solely for an organization.
• Community Cloud – Shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns
• Public Cloud – Made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.
• Hybrid Cloud – Composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability

Key Benefits

• Significant Cost Reduction – Computing available at a fraction of the cost, eliminate upfront capital expenditures and dramatically reduce administrative burden on IT resources.
• Increased Flexibility – On-demand computing across technologies, business solutions and large ecosystems of providers, reducing time to implement new solutions from months to days.
• Elastic Scalability – Scale up or down instantaneously based on actual consumption and pay for only what is used.
• Rich Business Tools – Unlock tools and capabilities offered within the industry that significantly increase time to market and offer rich functionality.

I hope that you enjoyed this article. Please provide your feedback in comments section or if you want to add anything to this article. Keep the technology moving…