What Is Cloud Computing Pdf
Antenor Ketkaew
Cloud computing is defined as the use of hosted services, such as data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software over the internet. Since cloud computing began, the world has witnessed an explosion of cloud-based applications and services in IT, which continue to expand. Almost every application we use resides on the cloud, helping us save storage space, expenses, and time. This article discusses the types of cloud computing and 10 trends to watch out for.
Cloud computing refers to the use of hosted services, such as data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software over the internet. The data is stored on physical servers, which are maintained by a cloud service provider. Computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, are available on-demand, without direct management by the user in cloud computing.
Instead of storing files on a storage device or hard drive, a user can save them on cloud, making it possible to access the files from anywhere, as long as they have access to the web. The services hosted on cloud can be broadly divided into infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS). Based on the deployment model, cloud can also be classified as public, private, and hybrid cloud.
Further, cloud can be divided into two different layers, namely, front-end and back-end. The layer with which users interact is called the front-end layer. This layer enables a user to access the data that has been stored in cloud through cloud computing software.
The layer made up of software and hardware, i.e., the computers, servers, central servers, and databases, is the back-end layer. This layer is the primary component of cloud and is entirely responsible for storing information securely. To ensure seamless connectivity between devices linked via cloud computing, the central servers use a software called middlewareOpens a new window that acts as a bridge between the database and applications.
Cloud computing can either be classified based on the deployment model or the type of service. Based on the specific deployment model, we can classify cloud as public, private, and hybrid cloud. At the same time, it can be classified as infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS) based on the service the cloud model offers.
In a private cloud, the computing services are offered over a private IT network for the dedicated use of a single organization. Also termed internal, enterprise, or corporate cloud, a private cloud is usually managed via internal resources and is not accessible to anyone outside the organization. Private cloud computing provides all the benefits of a public cloud, such as self-service, scalability, and elasticity, along with additional control, security, and customization.
Public cloud refers to computing services offered by third-party providers over the internet. Unlike private cloud, the services on public cloud are available to anyone who wants to use or purchase them. These services could be free or sold on-demand, where users only have to pay per usage for the CPU cycles, storage, or bandwidth they consume.
Public clouds can help businesses save on purchasing, managing, and maintaining on-premises infrastructure since the cloud service provider is responsible for managing the system. They also offer scalable RAM and flexible bandwidth, making it easier for businesses to scale their storage needs.
In a hybrid cloud model, companies only pay for the resources they use temporarily instead of purchasing and maintaining resources that may not be used for an extended period. In short, a hybrid cloud offers the benefits of a public cloud without its security risks.
Platform as a service or PaaS is a type of cloud computing that provides a development and deployment environment in cloud that allows users to develop and run applications without the complexity of building or maintaining the infrastructure. It provides users with resources to develop cloud-based applications. In this type of service, a user purchases the resources from a vendor on a pay-as-you-go basis and can access them over a secure connection.
Globally, cloud computing is a highly mature and steadily growing market. It was valued at $321 billionOpens a new window in 2019 (including all cloud types and service models) and is expected to reach $1025.9 billion in seven years. 2021 is a landmark year for cloud computing due to the accelerated pace of adoption in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has fueled new trends, focus areas, and opportunities.
The public cloud has the fewest barriers to entry and is the most accessible for small businesses, startups, and independent professionals alike. For this reason, the public cloud segment is slated to grow by 18.4% in 2021, reaching a valuation of $304.9 billion as per Gartner estimates.
This includes software-as-a-service (SaaS), which occupies the largest market share, and platform-as-a-service (PaaS), which will grow the fastest. Distributed teams and the need for digital collaboration have increased demand for cloud computing and cloud-based applications, also extending to areas of IT operations through cloud-based cybersecurity, network management, and service provisioning.
Containers offer an independent virtual environment to develop and run applications, regardless of the parent hosting environment (on-premise servers, cloud, or hybrid). Essentially, it allows companies to set up tiny, segregated clouds within their own infrastructure to improve their development capabilities.
In 2021, container adoption is slow, but there is significant interest and the promise of steady growth. Containers enable key benefits like application portability, a sandbox environment for secure testing, cost savings through more efficient hardware utilization, and support for CI/CD and DevOps pipelines.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) lets you stream the desktop image remotely without coupling the desktop with the physical client device. An important use case for VDI is remote worker productivity, as applications and services can be easily deployed to a remote client without any complex installation or configuration.
A vital part of cloud evolution is the decentralization of remote hosting and processing through edge infrastructure. While cloud was already an area of focus for cybersecurity providers (as shared resources imply shared security risks), the edge is the next frontier.
This culminates in significant interest around secure access service edge (SASE) in 2021, covering the entire IT landscape across clouds, data centers, SaaS, and edge devices. Gartner reports that enterprise SASE adoption will take place over several years, and 2021 could be when you outline your strategic roadmap.
Cloud-based tools allow for collaborative coding, collaborative document management, business intelligence collaboration, and a host of other productivity drivers. As a result, cloud-based communication and collaboration through unified-communication-as-a-service (UCaaS), contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS), and communication-platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) will be top use cases in 2021.
Serverless architecture enables a type of enterprise IT design where code is modular and isolated. It is a cloud computing execution model where resources are provided as per real-time demand, assigned to each isolated module. Typically, serverless is limited to technology companies and platform providers who need to ensure maximum downtime for their products.
However, in 2021, this technology will grow in adoption with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.7%Opens a new window globally. Importantly, deployments will extend outside the technology industry, with sectors like healthcare, government agencies, and MSPs gaining from it.
This is a vital trend, one that has been persistent for the last five years, according to a recent survey by Flexera. On average, organizations waste around 30% of their total cloud spends, and optimizing cloud costs is a top priority for 61% of companies.
A different survey by Pepperdata found that one in three businesses faced up to 40% cloud budget overruns in 2020. Therefore, we can expect this to be a challenge this year as well due to growing cloud adoption, making dedicated cloud cost optimization technologies essential.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly in demand across all business horizontals and verticals. Cloud computing and the availability of cloud-hosted AI libraries, modeling engines, and algorithms will be crucial to its adoption.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are recognized as the Big Three in the public cloud segment. AWS has been rapidly gaining market share for some time, and experts have predicted the possibility of a market monopoly.
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of IT resources over the Internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. Instead of buying, owning, and maintaining physical data centers and servers, you can access technology services, such as computing power, storage, and databases, on an as-needed basis from a cloud provider like Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Organizations of every type, size, and industry are using the cloud for a wide variety of use cases, such as data backup, disaster recovery, email, virtual desktops, software development and testing, big data analytics, and customer-facing web applications. For example, healthcare companies are using the cloud to develop more personalized treatments for patients. Financial services companies are using the cloud to power real-time fraud detection and prevention. And video game makers are using the cloud to deliver online games to millions of players around the world.