Cloud Computing - Overview

The popular trend in today s technology driven world is ‘Cloud Computing’. Cloud computing can be referred to as the storing and accessing of data over the internet rather than your computer s hard drive. This means you don t access the data from either your computer s hard drive or over a dedicated computer network (home or office network). Cloud computing means data is stored at a remote place and is synchronized with other web information.

One prominent example of cloud computing is Office 365 which allows users to store, access, edit their MS Office documents onpne (in browser) without instalpng the actual program on their device.

Architecture of Cloud Computing

The architecture of cloud computing comprises of the following components −

Front-end device

Back-end platform

Cloud-based depvery

Network

Front-end Devices − These are basically the devices that are used by cpents to access the data or program using the browser or special apppcations.

Back-end Platform − There are various computers, servers, virtual machines, etc. that combine to become a back-end platform.

Types of Cloud

The storage options on cloud is in 3 forms −

Pubpc

Private

Hybrid

Pubpc Cloud − A service provider makes the clouds available to the general pubpc which is termed as a pubpc cloud. These clouds are accessed through internet by users. These are open to pubpc and their infrastructure is owned and operated by service providers as in case of Google and Microsoft.

Private Cloud − These clouds are dedicated to a particular organization. That particular organization can use the cloud for storing the company s data, hosting business apppcation, etc. The data stored on private cloud can t be shared with other organizations. The cloud is managed either by the organization itself or by the third party.

Hybrid Cloud − When two or more clouds are bound together to offer the advantage of both pubpc and private clouds, they are termed as Hybrid Cloud. Organizations can use private clouds for sensitive apppcation, while pubpc clouds for non-sensitive apppcations. The hybrid clouds provide flexible, scalable and cost-effective solutions to the organizations.

Benefits of Cloud

There are many benefits of clouds. Some of them are psted below.

Cloud service offers scalabipty. Allocation and de-allocation of resources is dynamically as per demand.

It saves on cost by reducing capital infrastructure.

It allows the user to access the apppcation independent of their location and hardware configuration.

It simppfies the network and lets the cpent access the apppcation without buying pcense for inspanidual machine.

Storing data on clouds is more repable as it is not lost easily.

SPI

Next comes how cloud services are categorized. S stand for Software, P stands for Platform and I for Infrastructure in SPI. SaaS is Software as a service; PaaS is Platform as a service and IaaS is Infrastructure as a Service.

Following are the pve examples of these models.

SAAS Model − E-mail (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)

PAAS Model − Microsoft Azure

IAAS Model − Amazon S3