Introduction

First Question That Comes to Mind: What Exactly is Cloud Computing and How Did It Originate?

The term "Cloud" originated from the world of telecommunications. it happened when the service providers started using the Virtual Private Network, our so-called VPN. They used it for providing services like data communications.

Cloud computing deals with Computations, software, data access and storage services that may not require the physical location of the user or the end user's knowledge about the configuration of the system.

The General Introduction to Cloud Computing.
Why do we need cloud?
Cloud Service Providers
What Services does Cloud provide?
What are the deployment models?

The General Introduction to Cloud

The National Institute of Technology (NIST) provided the definition for the Cloud Computing:

Cloud Computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to the shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

the main goal of Cloud Computing is to make a better use of distributed resources that are available all over internet and combine them to achieve higher throughput. which can be used to solve many problems related to scaling.

The Need for Cloud

With the increasing number of internet users, managing these users with limited resources has become a challenge. To address this, internet service providers (ISPs) and other technology companies developed cloud computing. This innovation supports a large number of users by offering elastic services that scale with demand, using minimal resources. Cloud computing has evolved from internal IT systems used primarily for cost-saving to a public service that can generate revenue. Initially spearheaded by ISPs, it has now become a crucial component of the telecom industry and beyond.

The Cloud Provide many services like - Storage, Processing power, Databases, networking, software's, analytics services and intelligence. and with the Cloud we can solve many problems related to modern technology infrastructure. It can be used in domains like:

Scalability and Flexibility: it provides the businesses and individual to scale their IT resources up or down based on demand. it provides the users the flexibility to handle their varying demand and workloads without investing for physical hardware. This scalability also saves time, as resources can be adjusted quickly to meet changing needs.
Cost efficiency: it means the Cloud Computing eliminates the upfront investment for hardware resources and the infrastructure. instead, the user pays for what they use. Often knows as Pay-as-you-go Model. This cost-efficient approach helps manage expenses and avoid over-provisioning.
Reliability and Availability: Cloud services are available globally, allowing access from anywhere with an internet connection. They offer high uptime and availability, capable of handling significant workloads thanks to built-in mechanisms like redundancy and failover. These features ensure continuous service and provide disaster recovery solutions to recover data in case of failures or losses.
Security: Major Cloud providers invest heavily in Security Measures which include the encryption of data, identity management, threat detection and more, to protect data and maintain the integrity of their services.

Cloud Service Providers

Let's first look at the three major cloud providers who made cloud computing so popular.

The Three major Cloud Computing Styles based on the underlying resources abstraction technologies are Google Style, Amazon Style, Microsoft Style.

Amazon Style: Amazon's Cloud computing was based on the server virtualization technology. but now it encompasses far more than just virtualization. it offers many cloud services like storage solutions, database services, networking, serverless computing. Amazon released Xen-based Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Object storage services (S3) and the structural data storage service known as SimpleDB under the name of AWS: Amazon Web Services. amazon has introduced AWS as Infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Google's Style: The google cloud is based on a technique-specific sandbox. which provides the Platform as a Service (PaaS). google introduced its first ever cloud platform in April 2008 called App Engine. which allowed developers to run web applications on Google Infrastructure.
Microsoft Style: The Microsoft released its first cloud infrastructure in Oct 2008 called MICROSOFT AZURE which uses Windows Azure Hypervisor (WAH) as the underlying cloud infrastructure and .NET as the application container. Azure also provides services like BLOB object storage, File Storage, Disk Storage, and Table Storage, catering to different data storage needs and SQL services like Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB, and MySQL provide scalable and secure data management solutions

Microsoft Azure provide services like Infrastructure as a Service and Platform (IaaS) as a Service (PaaS)

The Services that Cloud provide

The Cloud provides 3 Types of Services

Infrastructure as a Service: It provides the required infrastructure as a service. The client need not to purchase the required servers and data centers or the Network resources. Also, the client only pays for the time duration they use their service. As a result, customers can achieve a much faster services at low cost.
Software as a Service: this service eliminates the need to install and run the software in users system. instead, it provides the network-based access and the management of commercially available software that are managed from centralized location and enabling customers to access these software/applications remotely though the internet.
Platform as a Service: This service provides customers with a complete platform to develop, run, and manage applications without dealing with the underlying infrastructure. PaaS eliminates the need for businesses to buy, install, and maintain hardware and software required for application development. It offers a pre-configured environment with all the necessary applications, tools, and frameworks, enabling developers to focus on writing code and deploying applications. PaaS supports the entire software development lifecycle, including development, testing, deployment, and hosting of web applications. This streamlined approach enhances productivity and allows for faster time-to-market.

The Deployment Models

The Selection of the type of Cloud to use to Deploy a Cloud Computing solution is very important. Presently, there are three types of Cloud deployment takes place - Public Cloud, Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud.

Public Cloud: Public Cloud lets users to access cloud via Interfaces using web browsers. the public clouds refer to a computing model which makes its resources like storage, servers and applications to public for use over the internet. But all of these resources are managed by cloud service provider.one of major concerns with public cloud is regarding its security. The shared nature of the infrastructure can pose many risks.
Private Cloud: A private cloud is a computing environment dedicated to a single organization. Unlike public clouds, where resources are shared among multiple organizations, a private cloud provides a more tailored and controlled environment. the main advantage here is that it is easier to manage security, maintenance and upgrades. It can be hosted either on-premises within the organization’s own data center or off-premises by a third-party provider.
Hybrid Cloud: It is a combination of the public cloud and private cloud. in this model the private cloud is linked to one or more external cloud services. it allows the party to control data and applications and access the information over the internet in more secure way.

There is one more type of deployment method called Community Cloud. When many organizations jointly construct and share a cloud infrastructure, their requirements and policies then such a cloud model is called as a community cloud. The cloud infrastructure could be hosted by a third-party provider or within one of the organizations in the community.

So far, we have explored the basics of cloud computing, including what it is, why it's important, the different services it offers, and the various deployment methods available. In our upcoming blogs, we will delve into the underlying infrastructure of different cloud service providers, examining how they support and power the cloud services we rely on. Stay tuned!

What is Cloud?

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