Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
A beginner's guide
Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing servicesservers, storage, databases,
networking, software, analytics and moreover the Internet (the cloud). Companies offering these
computing services are called cloud providers and typically charge for cloud computing services
based on usage, similar to how you are billed for water or electricity at home.
Still foggy on how cloud computing works and what it is for? This beginners guide is designed to
demystify basic cloud computing jargon and concepts and quickly bring you up to speed.
How to choose a cloud provider
Browse a dictionary of common cloud computing terms
1. Cost
Cloud computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and software and setting up and
running on-site datacentersthe racks of servers, the round-the-clock electricity for power and
cooling, the IT experts for managing the infrastructure. It adds up fast.
2. Speed
Most cloud computing services are provided self service and on demand, so even vast amounts of
computing resources can be provisioned in minutes, typically with just a few mouse clicks, giving
businesses a lot of flexibility and taking the pressure off capacity planning.
3. Global scale
The benefits of cloud computing services include the ability to scale elastically. In cloud speak, that
means delivering the right amount of IT resourcesfor example, more or less computing power,
storage, bandwidthright when its needed and from the right geographic location.
4. Productivity
On-site datacenters typically require a lot of racking and stackinghardware set up, software
patching and other time-consuming IT management chores. Cloud computing removes the need for
many of these tasks, so IT teams can spend time on achieving more important business goals.
5. Performance
The biggest cloud computing services run on a worldwide network of secure datacenters, which are
regularly upgraded to the latest generation of fast and efficient computing hardware. This offers
several benefits over a single corporate datacenter, including reduced network latency for
applications and greater economies of scale.
6. Reliability
Cloud computing makes data backup, disaster recovery and business continuity easier and less
expensive, because data can be mirrored at multiple redundant sites on the cloud providers network.
Types of cloud services: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
Most cloud computing services fall into three broad categories: infrastructure as a service (IaaS),
platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (Saas). These are sometimes called the cloud
computing stack, because they build on top of one another. Knowing what they are and how they are
different makes it easier to accomplish your business goals.
Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)
The most basic category of cloud computing services. With IaaS, you rent IT infrastructureservers
and virtual machines (VMs), storage, networks, operating systemsfrom a cloud provider on a pay-
as-you-go basis. To learn more, see What is IaaS?
Platform as a service (PaaS)
Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) refers to cloud computing services that supply an on-demand
environment for developing, testing, delivering and managing software applications. PaaS is
designed to make it easier for developers to quickly create web or mobile apps, without worrying
about setting up or managing the underlying infrastructure of servers, storage, network and databases
needed for development. To learn more, see What is PaaS?
Public cloud
Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider, which deliver their
computing resources like servers and storage over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a
public cloud. With a public cloud, all hardware, software and other supporting infrastructure is
owned and managed by the cloud provider. You access these services and manage your account
using a web browser.
Private cloud
A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single business or
organisation. A private cloud can be physically located on the companys on-site datacenter. Some
companies also pay third-party service providers to host their private cloud. A private cloud is one in
which the services and infrastructure are maintained on a private network.
Hybrid cloud
Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows data and
applications to be shared between them. By allowing data and applications to move between private
and public clouds, hybrid cloud gives businesses greater flexibility and more deployment options.
By Eric Knorr
Editor in Chief, InfoWorld | JUL 10, 2017
Thinkstock
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But theres another, more precise meaning of cloud computing: the virtualization and central
management of data center resources as software-defined pools. This technical definition of
cloud computing describes how public cloud service providers run their operations. The key
advantage is agility: the ability to apply abstracted compute, storage, and network resources to
workloads as needed and tap into an abundance of pre-built services.
[ Download the public cloud megaguide PDF: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and Joyent
compared. | Also: InfoWorlds David Linthicum explains how to move into a cloud career
from traditional IT. | Stay up on the cloud with InfoWorlds Cloud Computing Report
newsletter. ]
From a customer perspective, the public cloud offers a way to gain new capabilities on demand
without investing in new hardware or software. Instead, customers pay their cloud provider a
subscription fee or pay for only the resources they use. Simply by filling in web forms, users can
set up accounts and spin up virtual machines or provision new applications. More users or
computing resources can be added on the flythe latter in real time as workloads demand those
resources thanks to a feature known as auto-scaling.
[ Go deeper at InfoWorld: Learn more about what is IaaS (infrastructure as a service), what
is PaaS (platform as a service), and what is SaaS (software as a service). | Then get ready for
the latest trend in cloud computing: What is multicloud? The next step in cloud computing.
]
Private cloud
The private cloud downsizes the technologies used to run IaaS public clouds into software that
can be deployed and operated in a customers data center. As with a public cloud, internal
customers can provision their own virtual resources in order to build, test, and run applications,
with metering to charge back departments for resource consumption. For administrators, the
private cloud amounts to the ultimate in data center automation, minimizing manual provisioning
and management. VMwares Software Defined Data Center stack is the most popular
commercial private cloud software, while OpenStack is the open source leader.
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud is the integration of a private cloud with a public cloud. At its most developed,
the hybrid cloud involves creating parallel environments in which applications can move easily
between private and public clouds. In other instances, databases may stay in the customer data
center and integrate with public cloud applicationsor virtualized data center workloads may be
replicated to the cloud during times of peak demand. The types of integrations between private
and public cloud vary widely, but they must be extensive to earn a hybrid cloud designation.
Data integration is a key issue for any sizeable company, but particularly for those that adopt
SaaS at scale. iPaaS providers typically offer prebuilt connectors for sharing data among popular
SaaS applications and on-premises enterprise applications, though providers may focus more or
less on B-to-B and ecommerce integrations, cloud integrations, or traditional SOA-style
integrations. iPaaS offerings in the cloud from such providers as Dell Boomi, Informatica,
MuleSoft, and SnapLogic also enable users to implement data mapping, transformations, and
workflows as part of the integration-building process.
Collaboration platforms
Collaboration solutions such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and HipChat have become vital
messaging platforms that enable groups to communicate and work together effectively.
Basically, these solutions are relatively simple SaaS applications that support chat-style
messaging along with file sharing and audio or video communication. Most offer APIs to
facilitate integrations with other systems and enable third-party developers to create and share
add-ins that augment functionality.
Vertical clouds
Key players in such industries as financial services, healthcare, retail, life sciences, and
manufacturing provide PaaS clouds to enable customers to build vertical applications that tap
into industry-specific, API-accessible services. Vertical clouds can dramatically reduce the time
to market for vertical applications and accelerate domain-specific B-to-B integrations. Most
vertical clouds are built with the intent of nurturing partner ecosystems.
Although businesses sometimes migrate legacy applications to the cloud to reduce data center
resource requirements, the real benefits accrue to new applications that take advantage of cloud
services and cloud native attributes. The latter include microservices architecture, Linux
containersto enhance application portability, and container management solutions such
as Kubernetes that orchestrate container-based services. Cloud-native approaches and solutions
can be part of either public or private clouds and help enable highly efficient devops-style
workflows.
When you multiply this effort across dozens or hundreds of apps, itns easy to see why the
biggest companies with the best IT departments arennt getting the apps they need. Small
and mid-sized businesses dont stand a chance.
Cloud-based apps can be up and running in days or weeks, and they cost less. With a cloud
app, you just open a browser, log in, customize the app, and start using it.
Businesses are running all kinds of apps in the cloud, like customer relationship
management (CRM), HR, accounting, and much more. Some of the worlds largest
companies moved their applications to the cloud with salesforce.com after rigorously testing
the security and reliability of our infrastructure.
A third party hosts elements of infrastructure, such as hardware, software, servers, and
storage, also providing backup, security, and maintenance.
Using the cloud, software such as an internet browser or application is able to become a
usable tool.
The branch of cloud computing that allows users to develop, run, and manage applications,
without having to get caught up in code, storage, infrastructure and so on.
There are several types of PaaS. Every PaaS option is either public, private, or a hybrid mix
of the two. Public PaaS is hosted in the cloud and its infrastructure is managed by the
provider. Private PaaS, on the other hand, is housed in on-site servers or private networks,
and is maintained by the user. Hybrid PaaS uses elements from both public and private,
and is capable of executing applications from multiple cloud infrastructures.
PaaS can be further categorized depending on whether it is open or closed source, whether
it is mobile compatible (mPaaS), and what business types it caters to.
When choosing a PaaS solution, the most important considerations beyond how it is hosted
are how well it integrates with existing information systems, which programing languages it
supports, what application-building tools it offers, how customizable or configurable it is, and
how effectively it is supported by the provider.
As digital technologies grow ever more powerful and available, apps and cloud-based
platforms are becoming almost universally widespread. Businesses are taking advantage of
new PaaS capabilities to further outsource tasks that would have otherwise relied on local
solutions. This is all made possible through advances in cloud computing.
When you multiply this effort across dozens or hundreds of apps, its easy to see why the
biggest companies with the best IT departments arent getting the apps they need. Small
and mid-sized businesses dont stand a chance. The affordability of cloud-hosted data
makes it an essential tool for these types of situations. Here are some other benefits of
cloud computing.
Adaptable
Cloud computing allows for adaptable programs and applications, that are customizable,
while allowing the owners control over the core code.
Multi-tenancy
Cloud software provides the opportunity to provide personalized applications and portals to
a number of customers or tenants.
Reliable
Because it is hosted by a third party, businesses and other users have greater assurance of
reliability, and when there are problems, easy access to customer support.
Scalability
With the Internet of Things, it is essential that software functions across every device and
integrates with other applications. Cloud applications can provide this.
Secure
Cloud computing can also guarantee a more secure environment, thanks to increased
resources for security and centralization of data.