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Back in the Stone Age before the internet, every personal computer on someone’s desk was a self-contained “brain” of sorts. That is, every function – be it word processing or working a spreadsheet – was happening within the hardware and inside the memory boards of that unit.
Then the internet came along, and suddenly, the self-contained but highly limited computer brain was free to expand into a wonderfully open cyber universe.
The Next Stage
The next “evolutionary stage” of the internet was the advent of cloud computing. In short, the workload or the “action” of what the user was doing shifted from that formerly confined “brain” on the desk to a vast multifaceted database consisting of thousands of servers operating all over the planet.
Several Types of Cloud Computing
What we all know about the internet is that it never stops evolving. Cloud computing soon took on different forms. The primary ones to know are:
Public Cloud
The public cloud is the realm of third-party service providers. Collectively, these providers own the supporting infrastructure of the cloud. This infrastructure consists of hardware, such as data storage banks, and the software that runs all the stuff.
The public cloud is accessed by web browsers. It’s also managed via web browsers. All this is financed by a “pay-as-you-go” pricing system.
Private Cloud
Private clouds are for the exclusive use of businesses, organizations, or other entities. That means they are often located on-site of the party that uses it. The infrastructure is maintained and managed by the owner of the private cloud network. The public at large or anyone outside the party of ownership cannot get access.
Hybrid Cloud
This is a combination of public and private clouds. Data can travel through both components if that’s the way it is set up. The advantages of a hybrid cloud are that it allows greater flexibility and nimbler deployment options. It works in concert with the existing infrastructure of the users who have reason to access this cloud. Hybrid clouds can ensure total compliance with all terms of use.
Working with a Cloud Manager
While millions of people use “the cloud” every day as part of all kinds of internet-based activities they perform, the owners of formal business models require enhanced, specific, and highly secure cloud computing contracts with a provider that specializes in cloud managed services.
The latter case is generally a private or hybrid cloud. There are several types of cloud services offered. They are:
IAAS
That stands for Infrastructure as a Service. This is a cloud that is managed and services via the internet. It can be scaled up or down according to the needs of the client. An advantage of IAAS is significant cost savings on items like hardware infrastructure. That’s because the cloud management service provider manages the infrastructure as well as the software and middleware. Essentially, the client is renting the services it needs.
PAAS
PAAS is “Platform as a Service”. It’s often modeled as a pay-as-you-go arrangement. The user is offered a development and deployment cloud-based environment. There are many advantages to PAAS. For example, there is no need to purchase costly software licenses. All the needs of PAAS subscribers are provided by the service management provider. Furthermore, PAAS includes IAAS, middleware, database management, and even things like business intelligence services and deployment tools.
Serverless Computing
This is a cloud execution model under which the cloud service provider handles hardware resources on demand and also takes care of services according to the needs of the customer. The client does not have to deal with managing the infrastructure. All infrastructure provisioning and management are taken care of by the service provider. This kind of cloud computing service can be had for a flexible pay-as-you-go arrangement.
Cloud Computing’s Many Advantages
It’s fair to say that cloud computing has revolutionized the way business gets done for many kinds of companies and organizations.
One of the biggest advantages is eliminating the need for a company to spend large amounts of cash on hardware, software, and ancillary infrastructure. The system eliminated the need to hire expensive in-house technical experts to provide management and maintenance.
Cloud computing enables any entity located anywhere to access resources regardless of home office location.
There’s More, But…
Listing the plus-side wins of cloud computing would require several more pages. Just keep in mind that all the advantages of cloud computing tend to be inextricably tied to the quality of the managed service provider.
