What is Cloud Computing? Its Uses and Benefits

What is Cloud Computing? : Friends, all of us must have read or heard the word cloud computing often but do we all know that in some way or the other we are all connected with cloud computing and we are also using it knowingly or unknowingly. If you use services like Gmail, Google Photos, Microsoft OneDrive, Netflix, Amazon Prime,and Google Drive, then you are connected to cloud computing.

You will be surprised to know that all these things are based on cloud computing. All these services work on cloud computing only. Cloud computing is in high demand these days, as these on-demand services reach you through the Internet. So you read this article completely. What is cloud computing? What are its benefits, types and how does it work? All these things have been explained in detail.

 What is Cloud Computing?

The real core of cloud computing is that "you can access any of your data from anywhere in the world" for example G-mail, Google drive, etc.

Cloud computing can be understood as a storage that we can use anytime, anywhere. In this we can edit files online. You can share files of any size online and providers like Google Drive provide this service to us for free. This means that cloud computing can be used very easily, very cheaply and very securely. Cloud computing is a model that deals with managing and processing data online through the Internet.

Suppose you have saved a document in a file on your computer. You have to go outside where you can't take your computer but you will need the file. Then you will share that file in any other external device and take that device with you. But if you use cloud computing then you will not need any other external device. You just need to have an internet connection. Then you will be able to access all your files easily.

You can save any file in Google Drive or Drop Box and access that file from anywhere. For this you will not need to take any laptop or computer with you. If your mobile or computer gets damaged, then you can restore your data again with the help of Cloud Computing. Because your data will be safe with a server like Google Drive. Which you can use from anywhere. Through cloud computing, you get on-demand service, this means that you can use the service when you need it. And you have to spend less money in cloud computing as compared to others.

Through the Internet delivery of computing services is known as cloud computing. These services include computing resources such as data storage, networking, servers, software, and databases. It is also called the cloud computing if You access the data by storing it on cloud-based storage instead of local storage device.

Overall cloud computing is one of the best option for the modern era. Cloud computing is not only limited to storing your data. Cloud services can be divided into three types: 1. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS),  2. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), 3. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

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Examples of Cloud Computing

These are all examples of cloud computing that we use every day.

YouTube, Picasa, Google drive, Dropbox, Facebook, Gmail, Flickr, Hubspot, salesforce, Adobe marketing cloud, Google docs, Aws, slide rocket and IBM cloud.

Here I would like to mention that world's most popular channel YouTube is a great example of cloud storage, which hosts millions video files of millions of users. Picasa and Flickr which host digital photographs of Million of users through their servers. Google Docs is a great example of cloud computing that allows users to upload their Presentations, Word Documents and Spreadsheets to their data servers. Along with this, options are also available to edit and publish those documents.

Other examples are Facebook, which has 757 million active users and views 2 million photos per day, 3 billion photos are uploaded every month, 1 million websites use Facebook to perform 50 million operations per second.

Types of Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is divided into four parts which are given below:

1. Public Cloud

2. Private Cloud

3. Community Cloud

4. Hybrid Cloud

We can choose the type of cloud computing according to our need. There are 4 parts of cloud computing based on cloud location, let us now understand these four parts one by one.

1. Public Cloud

This type of cloud infrastructure is hosted by other service providers and later made publicly. In such a cloud, users have no control and neither can see the infrastructure. Providers in the public cloud are operated by a third party cloud service provider. Those who provide service, storage like service through internet. All hardware, software and other provided infrastructure in this type of service is managed by the cloud provider. In this, the user can access and manage their service through a web browser.

SaaS services come under the public cloud, which are deployed globally. These services are available to all users. This service can only access through the Internet. You have to pay according to the amount you use these services. However that it has all kinds of facilities like-,low cost, zero maintenance, high reliability and on-demand scalability, it still carries a high security risk. That is, it is not suitable for important activities.

For example, Google and Microsoft both have their own cloud infrastructures and give access to the later to the publicly.

2. Private Cloud

It is a cloud infrastructure that dedicately hosts all the applications of a particular IT organization so that it has complete control over the data, so that the chances of security breach are negligible.

Private Cloud It is used for any business organization. Which can also be a locket at that company's data centre. It can be managed by the company or by third party service provider.Such type of cloud computing, the infrastructure 

and service and are maintained on a private network.

3. Community Cloud

In this type of computing, there is sharing of data between such organizations. Those who have similar goals and who together form a community. Only members of that community can achieve the benefits use this service.

This type of Cloud Computing is a multi-tenant cloud infrastructure in which the cloud is shared among other IT organizations.

4. Hybrid Cloud

These combinations of 2 or more different types of cloud (private, public and community) form a hybrid cloud infrastructure, where each cloud resides as a single entity, but all the clouds combine to form multiple deployment models. which are beneficial.

Hybrid cloud is a combination of private cloud and public ground. In this type of cloud computing, applications and data are moved between private and public clouds. Businesses get more flexibility by using a hybrid cloud that offers such a feature. Creating opportunities for greater expansion, as well as optimizing business infrastructure and security.

Type of Cloud Computing Service Module

There are three modules of cloud computing service which are given below:

1. Infrastructure as a service (Iaas)

2. Software as a service (Saas)

3. Platform as a service(Paas)

1. Infrastructure as a service (Iaas)

IaaS is one of the most basic cloud service category. It is a cloud computing model, where virtualized infrastructure for businesses is offered and managed by an external cloud provider. Under this, companies can outsource storage, servers, data centre space and cloud networking components via the Internet. IaaS as a Service provide us the highest level of management control and flexibility over our IT resources.

These services are of self-service model which is used for monitoring from remote location to access and manage infrastructure. For example - Servers, Firewalls, Routers, CDNs

This is the highest priced category of cloud computing. In which the user can rent the resources according to his need from the cloud computer. These resources consist of  networking, data storage and visualization servers.

2. Software as a service (Saas)

It is managed by third-party vendors that SaaS accesses the web to deliver applications whose user interface can only be accessed from the client side. Application : Cloud Foundry, Google App Engine, SAP HANA.

SaaS, as a pay-per-use model, allows users to use e-mail, software applications such as Adobe and Google G Suite, etc. Allows access to the Internet. That is, we do not need to install any kind of software separately on the device to use it. While using the software, you don't even need to think about its back-end process. 

This service provides on-demand application service. In this, the user does not need to install software in his personal computer and its cost is also very low.

3. Platform as a service(Paas)

The service provides an on-demand environment to build, test and handle software applications. This service was created to create web and mobile applications instantly, through which a cloud provider today can give you all these features in cloud computing.

The purpose of PaaS is that to the supply of an on-demand environment for delivering and managing software applications,developing, and testing. As a Service it meets the procurement of resources, software maintenance, capacity planning,  patching or any other types of requirement for running your software application. PaaS is designed as a web or mobile application.

It provides for software developers a line of self-service modules to manage computing infrastructure from centralized IT operations. Some examples are – Email services: Gmail, Outlook.com

Some of the services used through Platform as a service (PaaS) are as follows:

➥Deliver software on demand

➥Create cloud native application

➥Store backup and recover data

➥Stream audio and video

➥Test and build application

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

There are many advantages of cloud computing, but there are also some disadvantages which are discussed below:

Advantages

1. We can use Cloud Computing anytime and anywhere.

2. Its cost is very low and many cloud providers also provide this service to us for free.

3. Because cloud computing runs through the Internet, it is very fast.

4. Cloud Computing is secure and it is very reliable.

Using cloud computing saves you costs, as you no longer need to invest on expensive systems or any other infrastructure. Cloud services are very easy and friendly to use. Users can avail the services with the help of computing devices and internet. Companies can store their data in a centralized location, which makes it easier to control the data. Automatic data backup facility is available under cloud computing. That is, you do not face any risk of your hard drive crashing or data being erased. Automatic data backup facility is available under cloud computing.

Disadvantages

1. This service is completely based on the Internet. Means without internet this service can not used.

2. There may be a security problem in this, because all our data is stored with a cloud computing provider.

3. Cloud Computing is managed by a third party, we cannot manage it ourselves.

4. It is a bit lacking in specifications, which is expected to get better in the future.

Cloud computing is completely dependent on the Internet. It is beneficial for the business as well as harmful. When the cloud service provider's Internet connectivity is lost, your business is halted for the time being.

It is not right to rely solely on a cloud service provider for the privacy and security of your important data. Due to this it is very important to choose a reliable service provider. The Internet world is not fully secure, Some bad elements are also active on the Internet, so there is always a risk of cyber attack in it. That's why all internet users always need to be careful and alert.

Data management under the cloud is a headache, as cloud storage systems have their own structure. So it's a bit difficult to match your system. With the IT resources being in remote servers, the user using cloud computing has minimal control over the functions of the software and hardware.

Like everything else, cloud computing also has many advantages and disadvantages. Overall, cloud computing is a great technology. But if used without understanding it properly, it can also cause harm.

Uses of Cloud Computing

We all knowingly or unknowingly use cloud computing in our daily life. Furthermore, from small startups to global corporations, from government agencies to non-profit organizations, we are using cloud computing for one reason or another. Some of the important uses are explained below.

➤ File Storage - Common users use cloud computing to store, manage and share their files in remotely hosted systems. I think its good examples are Google Drive or Dropbox.

➤ Website Hosting – Cloud-based web hosting is a great option for website owners who want to avoid the hassle of hosting and maintaining a website. In addition to hosting your website, cloud hosting providers also provide their own computing resources. It provides security to your website and also takes responsibility for its maintenance.

➤ Testing and Development - Cloud computing also plays a good role in the testing and development of any software and network. Cloud services help to check whether your software is running smoothly or there are no errors in it.

➤ Backup and Recovery - Even today many businesses and organizations manually back up their data in storage devices, although this is not very effective. We can easily back up our data with cloud-based backup, Data recover is also very easy in this way.

➤ Cloud Database - Every business needs a database. But for this you may have to spend a lot of money and apart from this you will also need a specialist. In contrast, a cloud database is a great option. The cloud service provider will not only assist you, but will also take care of the maintenance and operation of the database.

➤ Big Data Analytics - Big data is with a huge size data. In short, this type of data is so large and complex that no traditional data management tool has been able to store or process it efficiently. Cloud computing helps to store and analyze such data.

Characteristics of Cloud Computing

Few important characteristics of Cloud Computing are given below:

Resource Availability: Cloud computing is designed for multiple customers. i.e. each user has access to the resources. This is performed through the multi-tenant model. Users can modify physical and virtual resources as per their demand. This resource is also known as pooling, because in this, resources are pulled from multiple users to access services.

On-demand self-service: User can access computing resources as per his requirement. If it required instance resources like - database, storage space, virtual machine etc. There is no need to request service provider for this usage, so it can be used without requesting service provider.

Broad Network Access: It can be used very easily because the resources of Cloud computing are present all over the Internet. To access the resources, a user required a device and an internet connection.

Low Downtime and Easy Maintenance: Server maintenance is very easy and cheap. Server downtime is also negligible, in some cases the downtime is negligible. The reason for this is the frequent updates of cloud computing, whereby old shortcomings are corrected.

Elasticity: Companies can easily stretch resources to increase their capabilities. They can also be reduced if not required. Overall we can say that cloud computing has the ability to organise the resources.

Pay as you use: The user pays only for the time he has used the resources. That is, no extra charge or unused is taken from the users.

Flexibility of workload: Cloud service providers often use redundant resources to provide flexible storage and with it they can continue to perform critical tasks for users who are present in multiple global regions.

Migration Flexibility: Organizations can migrate certain workloads from one cloud platform to another as per their requirements, without any problem and automatically, thereby saving money.

History of Cloud Computing

If we talk about cloud computing, then it was invented in the 1960s. When the computer industry changed the direction of development of computing as a service income utility based on its potential benefits. But earlier computing was lacking in both connectivity and bandwidth, due to which it was not possible to implement computing as a utility.

This was not possible before the year 1990 as it was not possible before the availability of internet bandwidth on a large scale, only after the year 1990 that there was a ray of hope for thinking about computing and it became possible.

In 1990, Salesforce successfully implemented SaaS commercially for the first time. After which AWS did this in 2002, which provided many services like online storage, machine learning, computation. Today there are many small and large providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, which are providing cloud-based service to individuals, small businesses and global enterprises among others in collaboration with AWS.

Cloud Computing vs. Distributed Computing

If I talk about Distributed Computing, then it connects to other users and resources and provides collaborative resource sharing. Distributed computing always strives to provide administrative scalability (number of domains in registration), size scalability (number of processes and users), and geographic scalability (maximum distance between nodes in a distributed system).

Talking about cloud computing, it believes in delivering service in an on-demand environment so as to achieve the intended goal. Along with this it also believes in providing transparency, security, monitoring, greater scalability and management In cloud computing, services are delivered with transparency, without a physical implementation in the cloud.

Types of Distributed Computing

There are three types of distributed computing which are given below : 

1. Distributed Information Systems

2. Distributed Pervasive Systems

3. Distributed Computing Systems

1. Distributed Information Systems

The main purpose of these systems is to distribute this information across different communication models of different servers such as RMI and RPC.

2. Distributed Pervasive Systems

These systems are mainly composed of embedded computer devices such as portable ECG monitors, wireless cameras, PDAs and mobile devices. These systems can be identified by comparing their volatility to any traditional distributed system.

3. Distributed Computing Systems

In this type of system, computers connected to the network interact with each other through messages to track their actions.

Last Word

If seen, we also need cloud computing in the changing environment because cloud computing has many benefits. So you learned in the article what is cloud computing? Its uses, examples and also about different types of cloud computing. I hope you all will be satisfied with the given information. If you all think that this article is good then please like and share it.