Technical writing
Three types of Cloud Computing- An Introduction
What is Cloud Computing?
The Oxford Dictionary defines Cloud Computing as ," The practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.''
In the simplest of terms, cloud computing is the on demand remote availability and access to data storage and computing power. Cloud computing can be rightly termed as the technology of today and almost all industries have started to rely heavily on cloud services.
So what is it that makes cloud computing so immensely popular? Cloud computing services have drastically reduced the IT infrastructure costs to companies. Moreover, it helps industries streamline their activities and improve their agility. It has helped solved many challenges that industries face by providing cloud based storage and access to said files from anywhere at any given time. Cloud computing also provides users access to a high capacity network and low cost storage.
In short, with cloud computing today, not only can organizations benefit from the services of specialized providers for massive computing capacity, they also profit from the reduced cost of these services owing to the efficiencies of shared infrastructure. A person who is an expert in building this infrastructure as a code can help any business reach heights of success.
The major players in cloud computing and those offering the most competitive services are listed below;
Amazon Web Service (AWS)
Microsoft Azure.
Google Cloud Platform.
IBM Cloud Services.
Adobe Creative Cloud.
Kamatera.
VMware.
Rackspace.
There are many other service providers in the market as well and a thorough research with regards to the client's location, legal needs and business requirements should be done before opting for any one service.
Three Types of Cloud Computing
There are three types of cloud computing namely;
SaaS
PaaS
IaaS
All three are viewed as a cloud computing stack or pyramid where IaaS is at the bottom, gives more control to the client and basically means that the user can create the infrastructure as a code which is needed to build and manage a cloud computing network. PaaS is in the middle and is mostly used by application developers. SaaS is at the very top and is mostly used by users who use software hosted on the cloud.
An article available on the Rackspace website defines the three types of cloud computing brilliantly using a transport analogy. In the said article, the IaaS serves as the roads, the PaaS is analogous to the vehicles on the roads e.g the cars, bikes, buses etc and the SaaS can be viewed as the people driving the vehicles. All three can be integrated to create a seamless experience, however, each of the three can also be dealt with separately for individual experiences.
SaaS:
In simple terms, SaaS is the available software that users might install to carry out a number of functions.
This software is stored on the cloud host's data servers. Users are not required to buy a packaged software from the market. Instead payment is made on a subscription basis, and users can directly install software to their computers, can automatically update the software since the updates are already available on the server of the host. This eradicates the initial increased cost.
The software also uses the host's sever to diagnose and fix bugs. Moreover, since the data is not saved on the user's end instead it is saved on the cloud provider's end, this helps in making the data more secure and less vulnerable.
The best part about a SaaS software is the flexibility and ease it provides. For starters, users are not required to buy specific devices to avail the software capacity, instead a simple internet access can help them download the required software which can then be accessed when needed.
An example is Microsoft Office 365.
PaaS:
PaaS is usually used by application developers. The main infrastructure is hosted by the cloud server. However, it gives a little more control to the client by allowing them to design and develop the code but ensuring that they don't have to worry about scaling the app to capacity like handling heavy traffic, security of their app or hardware requirements etc. The code is stored on the PaaS service provider's server and subsequently published.
What makes PaaS cloud computing most attractive is it's "pay-as-you-go" model. For many companies this is a gold mine since they only have to pay for greater capacity needs when they require increased capacity. For example, many e-commerce companies require increased capacity during holiday season due to higher traffic. This is termed as "burst computing capability". With cloud computing, these companies only have to pay for increased capacity during these times instead of paying for high capacities during the entire year. However, if companies are not familiar with the payment structures and pricing models of cloud computing, this can serve as a pitfall and lead to unexpectedly exorbitant amounts of money charged to the company.
A good example would be many games available on the Google play store like the angry birds game. Google App engine is a well known PaaS service provider.
IaaS:
The IaaS mode offers the greatest control of the three types to the user hence it is also termed as the most flexible option. The user can develop the infrastructure themselves and host it on the cloud service provider's data center.
Many places can help interested individuals learn how to develop infrastructure by offering infrastructure as a code course.
IaaS helps organizations run applications at a reduced cost but have more options to customize the cloud to their needs. The cloud service provider is usually responsible for the hardware, security etc however the organization needs to monitor strictly as well to avoid any problems regarding scaling and performance. With IaaS, companies can easily and quickly virtually scale with a minimized downtime. IaaS is ideal for start ups and small companies who do not want to invest a large capital in setting up a tech department, train them constantly and update hardware instead they can focus on their business growth.
Similar to PaaS , IaaS also has a pay per use model. What this means, essentially, is that the user only pays for the resources used at a particular time instead of paying for all resources. This helps limit the cost and businesses can focus their financial investment on other business needs.
Examples of service providers include Amazon Web Service (AWS), Rackspace and Microsoft Azure. Azure also provides PaaS solutions.
What are the limitations of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS cloud computing systems?
A cloud computing system has the following disadvantages;
Privacy and security concerns.
Increased data vulnerability.
Technical outages.
Data caps
Limited customizable options
However, cloud computing is very beneficial as well. It helps to efficiently manage and store data, streamline IT divisions and make business more competent and reduces costs of IT drastically. With cloud computing taking over the IT world these days, a certification in infrastructure as code can help anyone update their resumes and set themselves apart from others. A great way to prepare for this is to take the Infrastructure as code course available at https://www.cloudinstitute.io/infrastructure-as-code.html