< General Studies Home Page 

Content

• Introduction
• Advantages
• Concerns

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Introduction

Cloud computing is a type of Internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand. It is a model for enabling ubiquitous, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources which can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management efforts.

E.g.

• Computer networks, Storage (OneDrive, Google Drive etc.), Servers, applications, and services

Advantages

Reduced upfront cost; focus on core business; Faster deployment of application; Scalability and Elasticity; pay as you Go model; Agility; Device and Location independence; Maintenance, Multitenancy, Performance and Better Security.

Concerns

• Loss of control over certain sensitive data
• Limited customization options
  • e.g., a restaurant with a limited menu is cheaper than a personal chef who can cook anything you want.

Technology behind cloud

There are two vital technologies at the heart of Cloud Computing:

• Virtualization: It lets computer resource to be shared through multiple virtual machines.
• Network: It lets data requests flow to and from the datacenters or the Cloud through the Internet.

In cloud computing hardware resources are distributed across multiple locations and there is diverse choice of software that is available to consumers.

Service Models

• Infrastructure as service (IaaS)
  • Refers to online services that abstract the user from the details of infrastructure like physical computing resources, location, data partitioning, scaling, security, back up etc.
  • g. AWS, Microsoft Azure.
• Platform as Service (PaaS)
  • The provider typically develops toolkit and standards for development and channels for distribution and payment.
  • In PaaS model, cloud providers deliver a computing platform, typically including operating system, programming-language, execution environment, database, and web server.
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • User gain access to application software and databases (e.g. Google Photos – In this consumer pays based on the giga-bytes that is required to store photos.)
  • Cloud providers manage the infrastructure and platforms that run the applications.

Conclusion: When cloud computing’s potential is used well, one can launch rich features faster and put customers on cloud nine.