Cloud Computing

Contents
• History
• Definition
• Cloud Computing Architecture
• Services
• Features
• Cloud Computing Tools
• Some Commercial Cloud Offerings
• Advantages of Cloud Computing
• Limitations and disadvantages
• Security and Privacy
• References
 History

• Since 2000, cloud computing has come into existence.

• In August 2006, Amazon introduced its Elastic Compute Cloud.
• In April 2008, Google released Google App Engine in beta.
• In early 2008, NASA's OpenNebula, enhanced in the RESERVOIR
European Commission-funded project, became the first open-source
software for deploying private and hybrid clouds, and for the federation
of clouds.
• In February 2010, Microsoft released Microsoft Azure, which was
announced in October 2008.
• In July 2010, Rackspace Hosting and NASA jointly launched an open-
source cloud-software initiative known as OpenStack. The OpenStack
project intended to help organizations offering cloud-computing services
running on standard hardware.
 History Cont…

• On March 1, 2011, IBM announced the IBM SmartCloud framework

to support Smarter Planet. Among the various components of
the Smarter Computing foundation, cloud computing is a critical
part.
• On June 7, 2012, Oracle announced the Oracle Cloud. This cloud
offering is poised to be the first to provide users with access to an
integrated set of IT solutions, including the Applications (SaaS),
Platform (PaaS), and Infrastructure (IaaS) layers.
• In May 2012, Google Compute Engine was released in preview,
before being rolled out into General Availability in December 2013.
 Definition

• Cloud Computing is a general term used to describe a new class of

network based computing that takes place over the Internet,
• a collection/group of integrated and networked hardware, software
and Internet infrastructure (called a platform).
• Using the Internet for communication and transport provides
hardware, software and networking services to clients
• Works on Distributed System Environment.
• These platforms hide the complexity and details of the underlying
infrastructure from users and applications by providing very simple
graphical interface or API (Applications Programming Interface).
• Strongly Supports Virtualization.
• Cloud Types- Public and Private.
Cloud Computing Architecture
 Services

•SaaS-Software as a service is a software distribution model in which a third-

party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over
the Internet. SaaS is typically accessed by users using a thin client via a web
browser.
Ex-Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, Salesforce, CRM, Online
Gaming, email (Gmail, Yahoo mail etc), Social Networking sites (Facebook etc)
•PaaS- Platform as a service is a cloud computing model in which a third-party
provider delivers hardware and software tools -- usually those needed for
application development -- to users over the internet. A PaaS provider hosts the
hardware and software on its own infrastructure. As a result, PaaS frees users
from having to install in-house hardware and software to develop or run a new
application. 
Ex- Online Compiler
•IaaS- In an IaaS(Infrastructure as a service) model, a cloud provider hosts the
infrastructure components traditionally present in an on-premises data center,
including servers, storage and networking hardware, It refers to online services
that provide high-level APIs 
Ex- firewalls, Virtual OS
 Virtualization
– Run operating systems where the physical hardware is
unavailable,
– Easier to create new machines, backup machines, etc.,
– Software testing using “clean” installs of operating systems
and software,
– Emulate more machines than are physically available,
– Timeshare lightly loaded systems on one host,
– Debug problems (suspend and resume the problem
machine),
– Easy migration of virtual machines (shutdown needed or
not).
 Features
•Agility for organizations may be improved, as cloud computing may increase users'
flexibility with re-provisioning, adding, or expanding technological infrastructure
resources.
•Cost reductions are claimed by cloud providers. A public-cloud delivery model
converts capital expenditures (e.g., buying servers) to operational expenditure.
•Device and location independence enable users to access systems using a web browser
regardless of their location or what device they use.
•Maintenance of cloud computing applications is easier, because they do not need to be
installed on each user's computer and can be accessed from different places.
•Performance is monitored by IT experts from the service provider, and consistent and
loosely coupled architectures are constructed using web services as the system interface.
•Resource pooling is the provider’s computing resources are commingle to serve multiple
consumers using a multi-tenant model with different physical and virtual resources
dynamically assigned and reassigned according to user demand. There is a sense of
location independence in that the consumer generally have no control or knowledge
over the exact location of the provided resource.
 Features Cont…

• Productivity may be increased when multiple users can work on the same data
simultaneously, rather than waiting for it to be saved and emailed. Time may be
saved as information does not need to be re-entered when fields are matched, nor
do users need to install application software upgrades to their computer.
• Reliability improves with the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes well-
designed cloud computing suitable for business continuity and disaster recovery
• Resource pooling is the provider’s computing resources are commingle to serve
multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model with different physical and virtual
resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to user demand. There is
a sense of location independence in that the consumer generally have no control
or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resource.
• Productivity may be increased when multiple users can work on the same data
simultaneously, rather than waiting for it to be saved and emailed. Time may be
saved as information does not need to be re-entered when fields are matched, nor
do users need to install application software upgrades to their computer.
• Reliability improves with the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes well-
designed cloud computing suitable for business continuity and disaster recovery.
 Cloud Computing Tools
Cloud is not a new term and almost all enterprises use it in some way but the bottleneck is to manage the
huge Cloud Infrastructure. There are many Cloud vendors those continuously provides new tools to help
enterprise IT to build, buy, manage, monitor, tweak and track cloud services. But their fees might prick the
companies budget pocket. So, here are some open source tools which help you to build, manage and monitor
networks of virtual machines, private or hybrid clouds, tweak and track cloud services and much more…

• 1. OpenStack -OpenStack software allows data centers to pool the compute, storage, and networking
resources and manage them through a dashboard or via the OpenStack API.

• 2. CloudStack-Apache CloudStack is designed to deploy and manage large networks of virtual machines.
This Apache Project offers a turnkey Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud computing platform. It’s used
both by public cloud computing vendors and by organizations running their own private clouds.

• 3. Eucalyptus-Eucalyptus allows organizations to easily migrate apps and data to build private or hybrid
cloud environments that are compatible with Amazon Web Services.

• 4. Synnefo-Synnefo is a complete cloud infrastructure stack that provides Network, Image, Volume and
Storage service. It manages Google Ganetti, OpenStack, and KVM.

• 5. FOSS-Cloud-The FOSS-Cloud is a Software that enables you to create your own Private or Public Cloud.
It is an integrated infrastructure to provide cloud-Services, Windows or Linux based SaaS. FOSS-Cloud
covers all of the aspects of an Open Source IT environment.This multi-faced cloud computing solution
includes virtualization, cloud desktop, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS capabilities.
 Cloud Computing Tools Cont…

•6. openQRM-openQRM software manages a data center’s infrastructure to build private,

public and hybrid IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) clouds. This enterprise-class tool combines
data center management system administration and IaaS provisioning into a single tool.

•7. OpenShift-OpenShift’s helps you to make your job easier by taking care of all the messy IT
aspects of app development and allows you to focus on your job by Coding your Application
and satisfying your customers.
 
•8. Cloud Foundry-Cloud Foundry is used to deploy your applications on a variety of
infrastructures, including Amazon Web Services, OpenStack, and vSphere. It supports Java,
Ruby, and Node applications out of the box.
• 9. Docker-Docker provides a highly reliable, low-cost way to quickly build, ship, and run
distributed applications at scale. It gives developers the freedom to define environments and
create apps faster and easier and flexibility for IT ops to quickly respond to change.

•10. Salt Stack-SaltStack software is easy enough to get running in seconds, scalable enough
to manage tens of thousands of servers, and fast enough to control and communicate with
them in milliseconds. SaltStack delivers a dynamic infrastructure communication bus used for
remote execution, configuration management and much more.
Some Commercial Cloud Offerings

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 Advantages of Cloud Computing
• Lower computer costs:
– You do not need a high-powered and high-priced computer
to run cloud computing's web-based applications.
– Since applications run in the cloud, not on the desktop PC,
your desktop PC does not need the processing power or hard
disk space demanded by traditional desktop software.
– When you are using web-based applications, your PC can be
less expensive, with a smaller hard disk, less memory, more
efficient processor...
– In fact, your PC in this scenario does not even need a CD or
DVD drive, as no software programs have to be loaded and
no document files need to be saved.

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Advantages of Cloud Computing Cont…
• Improved performance:
– With few large programs hogging your computer's
memory, you will see better performance from your PC.
– Computers in a cloud computing system boot and run
faster because they have fewer programs and processes
loaded into memory…
• Reduced software costs:
– Instead of purchasing expensive software applications, you
can get most of what you need for free-ish!
• most cloud computing applications today, such as the Google Docs suite.
– better than paying for similar commercial software
• which alone may be justification for switching to cloud applications.

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 Advantages of Cloud Computing Cont…
• Instant software updates:
– Another advantage to cloud computing is that you are no longer faced
with choosing between obsolete software and high upgrade costs.
– When the application is web-based, updates happen automatically
• available the next time you log into the cloud.
– When you access a web-based application, you get the latest version
• without needing to pay for or download an upgrade.

• Improved document format compatibility.

– You do not have to worry about the documents you create on your
machine being compatible with other users' applications or OSes
– There are potentially no format incompatibilities when everyone is
sharing documents and applications in the cloud.

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 Advantages of Cloud Computing Cont…
• Unlimited storage capacity:
– Cloud computing offers virtually limitless storage.
– Your computer's current 1 Tbyte hard drive is small compared to
the hundreds of Pbytes available in the cloud.
• Increased data reliability:
– Unlike desktop computing, in which if a hard disk crashes and
destroy all your valuable data, a computer crashing in the cloud
should not affect the storage of your data.
• if your personal computer crashes, all your data is still out there in the
cloud, still accessible
– In a world where few individual desktop PC users back up their
data on a regular basis, cloud computing is a data-safe
computing platform!

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Advantages of Cloud Computing Cont…
• Universal document access:
– That is not a problem with cloud computing, because you do
not take your documents with you.
– Instead, they stay in the cloud, and you can access them
whenever you have a computer and an Internet connection
– Documents are instantly available from wherever you are
• Latest version availability:
– When you edit a document at home, that edited version is
what you see when you access the document at work.
– The cloud always hosts the latest version of your documents
• as long as you are connected, you are not in danger of having an outdated
version

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Advantages of Cloud Computing Cont…
• Easier group collaboration:
– Sharing documents leads directly to better collaboration.
– Many users do this as it is an important advantages of cloud
computing
• multiple users can collaborate easily on documents and projects
• Device independence.
– You are no longer tethered to a single computer or network.
– Changes to computers, applications and documents follow
you through the cloud.
– Move to a portable device, and your applications and
documents are still available.

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 Limitations and disadvantages

• The downside is that you will have limited customization options. Cloud computing is cheaper because
of economics of scale. A restaurant with a limited menu is cheaper than a personal chef who can cook anything
you want.
• Fewer options at a much cheaper price: it's a feature, not a bug." He also suggests that "the cloud provider
might not meet your legal needs" and that businesses need to weigh the benefits of cloud computing against
the risks.
• In cloud computing, the control of the back end infrastructure is limited to the cloud vendor only. Cloud
providers often decide on the management policies, which moderates what the cloud users are able to do with
their deployment.
• Cloud users are also limited to the control and management of their applications, data and services.
• Privacy and confidentiality are big concerns in some activities, might face problems regarding sensitive
data that are not encrypted.
• Cloud computing is beneficial to many enterprises; it lowers costs and allows them to focus on competence
instead of on matters of IT and infrastructure. Nevertheless, cloud computing has proven to have some
limitations and disadvantages, especially for smaller business operations, particularly regarding security and
downtime.
• Technical outages can occur sometimes when cloud service providers become overwhelmed in the process of
serving their clients. This may result to temporary business suspension. Since this technology's systems rely on
the internet, an individual cannot be able to access their applications, server or data from the cloud during an
outage.
 Security and Privacy

• Cloud computing poses privacy concerns because the service provider can
access the data that is in the cloud at any time. It could accidentally or
deliberately alter or even delete information.
• Many cloud providers can share information with third parties if necessary
for purposes of law and order even without a warrant.
• According to the Cloud Security Alliance, the top three threats in the cloud
are Insecure Interfaces and API's, Data Loss & Leakage, and Hardware
Failure—which accounted for 29%, 25% and 10% of all cloud security
outages respectively. Together, these form shared technology
vulnerabilities.
• In a cloud provider platform being shared by different users there may be a
possibility that information belonging to different customers resides on
same data server. Therefore, Information leakage may arise by mistake
when information for one customer is given to other.
 Security and Privacy Cont…
• It is said that hackers are spending substantial time and effort
looking for ways to penetrate the cloud. "There are some real
Achilles' heels in the cloud infrastructure that are making big holes
for the bad guys to get into". Because data from hundreds or
thousands of companies can be stored on large cloud servers,
• hackers can theoretically gain control of huge stores of information
through a single attack—a process he called "hyperjacking". Some
examples of this include the Dropbox security breach, and iCloud
2014 leak. Dropbox had been breached in October 2014, having
over 7 million of its users passwords stolen by hackers .By having
these passwords, they are able to read private data as well as have
this data be indexed by search engines (making the information
public).
 Security and Privacy Cont…
• There is the problem of legal ownership of the data (If a user stores
some data in the cloud, can the cloud provider profit from it?). Many
Terms of Service agreements are silent on the question of ownership. 
• Physical control of the computer equipment (private cloud) is more
secure than having the equipment off site and under someone else's
control (public cloud).
•  Some small businesses that don't have expertise in IT security could
find that it's more secure for them to use a public cloud. There is the
risk that end users do not understand the issues involved when
signing on to a cloud service (persons sometimes don't read the
many pages of the terms of service agreement, and just click
"Accept" without reading). investment from the user.
 The Future
• Many of the activities loosely grouped together under cloud
computing have already been happening and centralised
computing activity is not a new phenomena
• Grid Computing was the last research-led centralised
approach
• However there are concerns that the mainstream adoption of
cloud computing could cause many problems for users
• Many new open source systems appearing that you can install
and run on your local cluster
– should be able to run a variety of applications on these systems

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 References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing.
• https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/overview/what-is-cloud-
computing/.
• http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/cloud-
computing.