What defines a Cloud Platform ?

1. Self-Service (On-Demand):

As one of the essential characteristics of the Cloud, It involves providing cloud users with an API or web interface to request and configure the required resources. In practical terms, users can access and utilize cloud resources whenever needed.

There are several advantages to this particular cloud characteristic; Flexibility, Cost-Efficiency, Speed, and Autonomy.

2. Broad Network Accessibility:

This is another key characteristic of the Cloud, It refers to the ability of users to be able to access cloud resources and services from anywhere in the world as long as they possess an internet connection. This contrasts with the traditional method of data centers, where access to resources is limited to specific physical locations and devices.

Broad Network Accessibility offers several benefits: Global Reach, Flexibility, Scalability, and Device Neutrality.

3. Resource Pooling:

This is another fundamental concept that involves the aggregation of multiple resources on the cloud to serve multiple users. Physical and virtual resources like servers, storage, and network components can be pooled together and dynamically allocated and reallocated based on demand. Unlike traditional computing environments where resources are typically dedicated to specific applications or users, leading to inefficiencies and underutilization of hardware, Resource pooling in cloud computing, allows for more efficient utilization of resources by sharing them among multiple users and applications.

Key characteristics of Resource pooling include Multi-Tenancy, Dynamic provisioning, Elasticity, and Optimization.

4. Elasticity:

The ability of Cloud providers to scale resources up or down in response to changing demand or workload. This means the cloud providers release resources if demand reduces or allocate more if demand increases. All this happens in real-time without human intervention.

The benefits can already be seen from the definition above scalability, automatic scaling, and cost optimization. Elasticity helps maintain System Resilience and performance levels even during ‘’ peak usage periods’’.

5. Detailed Metrics:

Every business individual or organization wants to be able to measure their operational costs, and the cloud does not miss that one. The cloud provides users with specific measurements and data points that give insights into systems, applications, or processes' performance, usage, and behavior. These metrics are typically collected and analyzed to monitor performance, identify trends, diagnose issues, and optimize resource utilization.

Types of Cloud

It is important to note that some clouds are different, and no single type of cloud is right for everyone. Each has unique benefits and sometimes, organizations use more than one.

There are different ways to deploy cloud services. Cloud services can be deployed on :

1. Public Cloud

2. Private Cloud

3. Hybrid Cloud

Public Cloud:

This is the most common type of cloud computing deployment. The Cloud resources (servers, storage, etc) are owned and operated by a third party (Cloud Service Provider) and delivered over the Internet. In a public cloud, the cloud providers own and operate all hardware, software, and supporting Infrastructure. Examples of Public Clouds are Microsoft Azure and AWS. The public cloud as its name suggests is open to the ‘’public’’ and can be used by anybody. It is usually characterized by multiple data centers located widely across geographical areas globally.

Private Cloud:

The Private Cloud is computing resources used exclusively by one business or organization. It may exist on or off-premises. Unlike the public cloud, the private cloud does not share resources among multiple users as it can be physically located at an organization’s on-site data center, or hosted by a cloud provider. The private cloud provides a more isolated and controlled environment, delivering a higher level of security and privacy.

In a private cloud, the individual organization is responsible for the initial set-up cost and subsequent maintenance costs. And only members of this organization have access to the cloud.

Hybrid Cloud:

The Hybrid Cloud is a combination of both Public and Private Clouds. It allows organizations to leverage the benefits of each while addressing specific business requirements and workload needs. In a hybrid cloud environment, workloads can seamlessly move between private and public clouds, sharing data and resources as needed. (E.g IBM Hybrid Cloud, powered by Red Hat)

A hybrid cloud platform gives organizations many advantages— greater flexibility, deployment options, security, compliance, and value from existing infrastructure.

Multi-Cloud: Is there such a thing as Multi-Cloud?

This new trend has been in existence for a while but is starting to become more common. It is the process of combining two public cloud providers to create solutions. This strategy allows organizations to distribute workloads, data, and applications across several cloud environments, rather than relying on a single cloud provider.