Cloud Computing

Hi Friends

Today I will be discussing about "Cloud Computing" which is becoming very popular these days.

Cloud computing is Internet ("cloud") based development and use of computer technology. It is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them.

The concept incorporates infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) as well as Web 2.0 which have the common theme of reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users.

The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure.



Architecture

The majority of cloud computing infrastructure as of 2009[update] consists of reliable services delivered through data centers and built on servers with different levels of virtualization technologies. The Cloud appears as a single point of access for all the computing needs of consumers.

Characterstics

- Cost is greatly reduced and capital expenditure is converted to operational expenditure
- Device and location independence enable users to access systems using a web browser regardless of their location or what device they are using.
- Reliability improves through the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes it suitable for business continuity and disaster recovery.
- Scalability via dynamic ("on-demand") provisioning of resources
- Security typically improves due to centralization of data
- Utilisation and efficiency improvement

Types of Cloud Computing



Public cloud

Public cloud or external cloud describes cloud computing whereby resources are dynamically provisioned on a self-service basis over the Internet, via web applications/web services.

Hybrid cloud

A hybrid cloud environment consisting of multiple internal and/or external providers "will be typical for most enterprises".

Private cloud

Private cloud is cloud computing on private networks. It capitalising on data security, corporate governance, and reliability concerns.

Using Cloud computing users can avoid capital expenditure (CapEx) on hardware, software and services, rather paying a provider only for what they use. Consumption is billed on a utility (e.g. resources consumed, like electricity) with little or no upfront cost. Other benefits of this time sharing style approach are low barriers to entry, shared infrastructure and costs, low management overhead and immediate access to a broad range of applications.

As customers generally do not own the infrastructure, they merely access or rent, and consume resources as a service, paying instead for what they use. Many cloud-computing offerings have adopted the utility computing model, which improves utilization rates, as servers are not left idle, which can reduce costs.

I will be discussing the implementation of cloud computing in my coming interactions.

Happy Learning !!...

Cheers

Madhu S

Write to me at madhusudan81@gmail.com