Cloud Computing Essentials

Dilshan Madhuranga
10 min readAug 13, 2021

What is the cloud?

According to 20th century Information Technology Industry developed in very fast. We know in that time Information handling using on premises hardware system. In last 19s cloud term is came to the world. Actually, it is originally linked to the concept of distribution computing. If we can access something like servers, storage, data bases, etc. remotely over the internet, we can call it to cloud.

What is cloud computing?

We can divide this cloud computing into two words, cloud and computing. As we previous mention cloud is a something that can access remotely over the internet. Computing is any goal oriented activity requiring. So when merge those meanings cloud computing is remotely we can access something for do some special purpose, not only for the access. Coding an application remotely, control the server remotely, Access the whole application remotely as group are some example for cloud computing.

Basic requirements for cloud computing and its application

We living in enterprise oriented world. So people are try to start business and step by step enhance it. So basically all the business and also the other organization try to enhance their customers and reputation. User experience most probably important thing in here. So business or other organizations systems are deploying in cloud is the best and profitable thing in present day. So basically they are expecting several things from cloud,

1. Availability

This is main requirement in cloud that’s why cloud data centers are all implement in all over the world because of store data should available in every time and everywhere. So cloud vendors are using many techniques to back up and provide reliable service for their customers.

2. Portability data and application

Customers doesn’t like to centralize the one system. They always switch to the data and applications one system to another just like customers can to switch from one service providers to another. So portability data plays major roll in here.

3. Data security

Security is very important because data that store in the cloud are in unknown data center. So when that data someone stolen from data center, organization that data belongs to getting down. So security is important requirement for cloud. So they using difference encryption methods, networking monitoring methods to avoid those cyber-attacks.

4. Elasticity

We know organization not in same scale. It always increasing. So cloud services always enhance with upon to the scale of organization. We can say to elasticity. So that ability of cloud is very important requirement.

5. Manageability

When every aspect is get from cloud but when we can’t manage that cloud services it is huge problem. So customers always require easy and clean manageable place. So cloud vendors always provide those services that way.

6. Integra ability

As we know organization always interact with many services like data store, Email, online sale transaction. So they are should be interact with each other otherwise performance are getting worst.

Some cloud computing applications are given below,

· Document sharing options, such as Dropbox or google drive, Google Docs, Microsoft 365

· Social-media-and-telecommunications services, such as Facebook, Twitter and in Skype

· CRM and business performance management tools such as Salesforce and Atlassian

· ITSM and ITOM software, such as BMC Helix

· Online Streaming services such as Netflix, Sling, and Hulu

· Machine Learning and Big Data Analysis

· The Internet of Things

Cloud computing models

According to present day we have three kind of cloud computing models.

1. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

This is the starting model of the cloud computing. When using infrastructure as service in cloud, manage hardware system and also the storage, networking and other important resources. But other all the stuffs we able to manage ourselfs. Actually this the architecture that customize in fully applicable way. So most organization using this model to implement their systems because they can customize and all the infrastructure in here. AWS, Azure, Oracle cloud, Google compute engine, Digital ocean, Linode are some vendors who provide infrastructure as service cloud model.

2. Platform as a service (PaaS)

This is model reduce the on ourselves managing working process than infrastructure as a service model. It is mean user cloud manage hardware, storage, networking and also the Operating Systems, Middleware and runtime. So most developers are using this model for implement their programs in the cloud. Heroku, AWS Elastic beanstalk, Azure, Openshift some example for vendors who provides platform as a service cloud model.

3. Function as a service (FaaS)

In this model all the stuffs manage by cloud. Actually it is mean when some application run in the cloud which all the stuffs like hardware, networking, virtualization, storage, servers, Operating Systems, Middleware, Runtime, Data, Applications manage by cloud. So user can access, share, authentication and all the stuffs doing via cloud because cloud manage all the stuffs. Microsoft 365 is simple example for function as service model. We know that application implement in cloud so users can get any service from it. Google works space, Drop box, Sales force, etc. Today most of applications are beyond to this cloud model because it is very easy to user to do their works.

Figure 1

Public, Private, and Hybrid cloud

Users are every time try to scale their organization with more accessible and more cost effective way. Sometimes they hire the public cloud provider like azure and get services from them. Actually it is very cost effective way because cloud providers pay from customer what they access. So customer easily change their subscription how they want but thing is there are limitation. Sometimes authentication limitations, we can’t manage data and application our own way. So people solve that problem introducing the private cloud concept. It is very costly because every hardware, software, network, storage is able to build the user but most of limitation that has public cloud are solving in this way. Private cloud issue is cost, so people introduce hybrid cloud concept. So it is combination of public and hybrid cloud. So in here user access the public cloud and private cloud in cost effective and appropriate way because everything they don’t want to implement as private cloud they can use the public cloud also how they want. Cloud comparison show you to Figure 2.

Figure 2

Characteristics of cloud computing

Cloud computing is becoming more and more popular with each day. Continuously expanding, and the growth of the company and requires a lot of computing power and large storage systems. Cloud computing can help organizations to develop and secure transfer of data from the physical location to a “cloud” that can be accessed from anywhere. There are a lot of features of cloud computing, and that’s what makes it one of the most rapidly growing industries at the moment. The flexibility that is available in the cloud, in the form of a growing set of tools and techniques that have an impact on their adoption, and in a variety of industries. So mainly cloud has basic characteristics such as,

1. Resource Pooling

2. Region base, Availability zones architecture

3. The Self-Service-On-Demand

4. Easy to Maintain

5. To Be Scalable, Flexible, And Fast

6. Be creative

7. The Measurement And Reporting Of Service

8. Safety and security

9. Automation

10. Reliability and Availability

11. Broad Network Access

12. Network monitoring

Cloud computing benefits

As we previously mention people adopting to the cloud computing because of it provide so much of benefits than normal on premises works. As example when we want to build as server computer with redhat OS, first we want to implement the hardware systems and storage and networking and other stuffs but when we implement this system in cloud we can only want to choose the what kind of system we want, what kind of storage we want to and what kind network service we want. So we can do virtually anything like real implement system. And other thing is cloud vendors charge for only what we are used. So we easily manage that on also. So that is only one example there are many benefits from cloud, Such as,

1. Low cost

2. Safety and security

3. Flexibility

4. Mobility

5. Understanding

6. The Expansion of Co-Operation

7. Quality control

8. Disaster Recovery

9. In Order to Prevent Loss

10. The Automatic Software Update

11. Competitive advantage

12. Resistance

Cloud computing challenges

In January 2018, RightScale conducted its annual cloud-health survey (Figure 3) on the current trends in the business. Interviews-997 technical experts from many organizations in the implementation of their cloud-based infrastructure. Their findings have been made clear, particularly in relation to the current challenges in the use of cloud computing. In order to answer the question of what is cloud computing, the challenges are listed below, we elaborate on a few of their findings, and the additional cloud computing, the challenges that companies may be required in order to deal with them.

Figure 3

All the users connect to the public cloud via the internet. So security risk is always able to the transferring data but most cloud vendors using many techniques to enhance their security but it is challenging because rapidly this technology is changing and some vulnerabilities creating. Managing spending is another challenge but authentication methods most of time avoid that kind of problems. Cloud is emerging technology, so resources and expertise of this field is creating challenge to work in cloud but people are adopting to cloud very fast so it is challenge but it should be reducing. Public, hybrid cloud belongs to the vendor but after subscription user own that their part but we can’t control 100% because cloud has limitations. So performance of cloud and building private cloud are other main challenges. Actually users access cloud via network. So network has some issue then performance is reducing. And according private cloud, it is not easy to build because that architecture which build for the organization requirements. So expertise involvement is compulsory.

What is hybrid cloud?

A hybrid cloud is a cloud computing environment that uses a combination of on-premises, private, and other services in the public cloud, with the similarities between the systems. Usually it is the connection of a local data center to a public cloud. The ability to connect to its own assets, including the peripheral devices, or from other clouds. The hybrid cloud model allows businesses to deploy workloads in an in-house IT environment, and public clouds, and between them and the calculation of the needs and costs change. This will give the company more flexibility and more data deployment. A hybrid cloud is the load, including network, web, hosting, services, and applications.

Although the terms are sometimes considered synonymous, there is a fundamental difference between the new and the multi-cloud model. This is a hybrid, cloud, creates an environment for local, private funds and public cloud companies, such as AWS, Microsoft and Google. In a multi-cloud environment is made up of two or more public cloud providers, but it’s not necessary to use a private, or local significance.

Security issues (Public vs Private vs Hybrid)

Cloud is not the perfect system because when hacker can break the security facilities in cloud then probably that cloud is down. So all the explore to society. That is not easy thing but technology is rapidly change. So somehow manipulating the bug, it is a perfect target to hackers. So when we working via internet it has a risk. Cloud vendors know that so they were every time test and update the system and also monitor the network. So in here we speak about security issues of cloud.

Actually Public cloud has more risk because it is a public anyone can get the service via internet. Best cloud providers have millions of customers. So practically it is not easy to monitor all the behavior in the cloud but they hired most expertise of security and manage that risks. Private cloud has only one owner so basically others can’t engage it but they also want higher security because hackers never mind the it is private or public if it has vulnerability they attack to it. Usually there is an ongoing debate between It expertise whether or not private cloud is more secure. But it as I previous mention hackers never mind it is private or public or hybrid. All has same risks. So some specific risks are I mention below table (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Conclusion

Cloud emerging and valuable technology. It has several most important potentials like access, control systems remotely. So it increasing the organization efficiency and customer reputation. Other main thing is cost efficiency, probably public cloud and hybrid cloud is the most appropriate for cost reduction and thing is availability of data is around 99%. So all over the world we can connect and do our business process easily but everything has white side and also the black side. Security is main concerning point in cloud but cloud vendors always working to achieve. This is the emerging technology so people adopt to it step by step but in the future cloud will become virtual pro concept to the world.

References

http://arunkottolli.blogspot.com/2011/05/basic-requirements-of-cloud-computing.html

https://www.bmc.com/blogs/saas-vs-paas-vs-iaas-whats-the-difference-and-how-to-choose/

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.245.1453&rep=rep1&type=pdf

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