Assignment - Cloud Computing
Assignment - Cloud Computing
Answer 1
A cloud deployment model describes the specific ownership, management, and workload parameters of the cloud
environment. Most cloud hubs have tens of thousands of servers and storage devices to enable fast loading. It is often
possible to choose a geographic area to put the data “closer” to users. Thus, deployment models for cloud computing
are categorized based on their location. The four types of Cloud Deployment Models are
• Public Cloud
• Private Cloud
• Community Cloud
• Hybrid Cloud
Public Cloud
The public cloud deployment model describes clouds available for public use. A third party – often
a well-known service provider – constructs and manages the infrastructure involved. The third party then
allows other businesses and public users to create and store data on its servers.
Public cloud models are popular for a reason – they offer several advantages for users including:
• Convenience: When you choose a public cloud deployment model, the service provider is responsible
for infrastructure setup and use, as well as the vast majority of the everyday concerns of its management.
In short, you won’t need to worry about developing, maintaining, or upgrading your software – the
service provider will do it for you.
• Reliability: Unlike on-site infrastructure owned by a small enterprise, third-party service providers often
have a large network of servers at your disposal, ensuring 24/7 operation and practically eliminating
downtime.
• Scalability: Most public cloud service providers allow you to easily scale your usage up or down as your
needs require.
Cost-effectiveness. Due to advanced scalability and reliability, you’ll only use as many resources as you
need, reducing your cost and eliminating costly downtimes.
While public cloud models work well for many businesses, there are a few disadvantages to this cloud
deployment model, such as:
• Potential security issues: Perhaps the number one concern regarding public cloud models is the data
security and privacy issues that arise when a public third-party controls data storage. While users can
easily access their own data, concerns remain regarding who else has access and where that particular
data is kept.
• Simplicity: Many public cloud service providers rely on scalability and offer only the most basic service
plans. While simple service agreements are beneficial for many users, if you require more customized
service plans that fit your business, it may be difficult to find one to meet your needs.
• Potential diminished reliability: Reliability is often considered a strong suit of a public cloud model;
however, there is still a potential for service outages with such wide-ranging networks.
Private Cloud
While public and private cloud models can seem, on the surface, to be drastically different
deployment models, the truth is that they are actually very similar. Their architectures are constructed in a
nearly identical fashion and incorporate cloud resources in the same way.
• Security and privacy: Unlike public cloud models, private clouds clearly define who has access to
important data and private information and prevent public access. As a result, data breaches are
minimum, and private users can rest assured outside entities do not have access to their data.
• Customization: Compared to public cloud models, private clouds offer superior customization and
uniquely designed solutions tailored to an individual business’s needs. You can determine your
requirements and build or scale a private cloud to suit them with relative ease.
• Reliability: While public cloud service plans can be scaled up or down fairly easily, private clouds are
scaled by adding additional tiers of hardware used only by your business. This dedicated infrastructure
offers ideal reliability since it is only available to dedicated users.
• While there are relatively few disadvantages of a private cloud in general, it may come with a higher
initial cost than other types of cloud deployment.
• Higher Cost: With the benefits that you get, the investment will also be larger than the public cloud.
Here, you will pay for software, hardware and resources for staff and training.
• Fixed Scalability: The hardware you choose will accordingly help you scale in a certain direction
• High Maintenance: Since it is managed in-house, the maintenance costs also increase
Community Cloud
While community cloud deployment models may sound like they are modeled after public clouds,
they are actually much more similar to private cloud models. However, although the infrastructures are
organized much the same way, there is one key difference – the approved user base.
• Cost savings. Once established, you can pool resources with other organizations and split the cost of
maintenance and upkeep.
• Security and privacy. Similar to a private cloud deployment model, with very limited access to user
information, community cloud models offer enhanced data security and information privacy.
• Collaboration. With the availability of data sharing between organizations on the community cloud, users
can collaborate and undertake joint projects.
• Rarity: Community cloud deployment is still less common than other deployment models because it is
necessary to locate other organizations with similar requirements.
• Relatively high cost: Compared to the public cloud model, community cloud models have a high initial
cost and can be somewhat costly to maintain, depending on the number of partners involved.
• Limited bandwidth and storage: With multiple organizations sharing the same resources, bandwidth, and
storage capacity can be a concern.
Hybrid Cloud
In any other sector, a hybrid model selects the best aspects of each traditional model and fuses them
to improve performance, economic sustainability, flexibility, and more. Hybrid cloud models achieve exactly
this goal by melding elements of public, private, and community cloud models.
• Security and privacy: Much like a private cloud, you can ensure your data remains secure when you are
the only organization that uses the private portion of your infrastructure.
• Potential cost savings: The ability to spend more to safeguard your most critical assets while scaling
back on your more general data can save you money long-term.
• Superior flexibility and scalability: While both public and private cloud deployments are flexible and
scalable in their own ways, hybrid cloud deployments allow you to benefit from both flexibilities in a
way that makes sense for your business’s unique challenges.
• Complexity – It is complex setting up a hybrid cloud since it needs to integrate two or more cloud
architectures
• Specific Use Case – This model makes more sense for organizations that have multiple use cases or need
to separate critical and sensitive data
Answer 2
Part A)
Cloud infrastructure services, known as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), are made of highly scalable and automated
compute resources. IaaS is fully self-service for accessing and monitoring computers, networking, storage, and other
services.
IaaS Advantages
Many limitations associated with SaaS and PaaS models – such as data security, cost overruns, vendor lock-
in and customization issues – also apply to the IaaS model. Particular limitations to IaaS include:
• Security.
• Legacy systems operating in the cloud.
• Internal resources and training.
• Multi-tenant security.
Examples of IaaS
Cloud platform services, also known as Platform as a Service (PaaS), provide cloud components to certain software
while being used mainly for applications. PaaS delivers a framework for developers that they can build upon and use
to create customized applications.
PaaS Advantages
• No matter the size of your company, using PaaS offers numerous advantages, including:
• Simple, cost-effective development and deployment of apps
• Scalable
• Highly available
• Developers can customize apps without the headache of maintaining the software
• Significant reduction in the amount of coding needed
• Automation of business policy
• Easy migration to the hybrid model
PaaS Limitations & Concerns
• Data security.
• Integrations.
• Vendor lock-in.
• Customization of legacy systems.
• Runtime issues.
• Operational limitation.
Examples of PaaS
Part B)
Azure
Azure is viewed as both a Platform as a Service (PaaS) and an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering.
Azure is a uniquely powerful offering because of its builder. Few companies have a level of infrastructure support
equal to Microsoft.
• Microsoft was a relative latecomer to the cloud computing stage. As such, Azure is a relatively young
cloud solution.
• Microsoft made up the distance by working with what it already had. Essentially, it sped up Azure's
development process by adapting its pre-existing on-premises solutions for the cloud.
AWS, like Amazon itself, has a vast toolset that's growing at an exponential rate. It's been in the cloud
computing market for more than 10 years, which means that AWS is the frontrunner and has been for some time.
AWS offering services are categorized as Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Software
as a Service (Saas).
• AWS and Azure are both experiencing revenue growth year over year. In a given quarter, AWS and Azure
have shown an increase in the amount they earn compared to the same quarter from the previous year.
• AWS and Azure are both experiencing diminishing revenue growth rates year over year. Although AWS and
Azure have seen an increase in the amount they earn based on the same quarter from the previous year, the
difference in that amount is getting smaller on average each quarter.
• In the past few years, Azure has had higher revenue growth rates when compared directly to AWS. Most
recently in Q3 2020, Azure’s revenue growth was 48% compared to AWS’ revenue growth of 30.3%.
• Although Azure’s growth rates are higher in the last four years, Azure’s revenue growth rate is diminishing
at a faster rate than AWS. AWS’s growth rate between that period decreased by 50%, while Azure’s growth
rate decreased by 60% in the same time frame.
AWS Azure
On-demand cloud computing platform for
Amazon Public cloud platform for Microsoft
Friendly with the open-source model from Not so good relationship with the open-source
the beginning. community.
Has an edge over Azure in terms of Limited reach when it comes to government cloud
government cloud offerings. offerings.
Comparatively less flexible pricing model when
Flexible Pricing Model compared to AWS.
AWS is yet strengthening its offerings to Excels in Hybrid Cloud Space-Organizations can
support Hybrid clouds. integrate onsite servers with Cloud instances.
AWS has a software marketplace with
extensive partner ecosystem -Windows With limited Linux options, Azure is still building
and Linux its partner ecosystem.
S3 – Short-term archiving and retrieval. Blobs, Queues and Tables- Similar to S3.
Long term data archiving and retrieval No long-term data archiving and retrieval option
through Amazon Glacier. yet.
In-house CRM solutions are built by a company for their own usage. Some companies prefer not to let a
third-party vendor handle their data. This is especially true of companies handling sensitive information such as banks
and insurance companies.
Building a CRM in their own premises would incur a lot of initials set up costs. This would include hiring
new people to build the software or outsourcing it to another vendor. Purchasing and installing the necessary hardware
would also burn a hole in your pocket. Additionally, you may have to be ready to incur occasional maintenance and
updating costs.
One thing that you have to remember while building your CRM is that you have to create a disaster
management system. You should build a backup system that is kept far away from the original location. This is to
avoid any losses or damage as a result of accidents or natural disasters.
Here is a list of benefits of using an in-house CRM and drawbacks of Cloud Based SaaS CRM for your business.
• You get complete control of all your data and systems. You can decide and plan your upgrades,
downtimes, and customizations.
• You don’t have to worry about data theft, as your data is not hosted on a third-party website.
• If you have a large number of users, then you can actually save money. Many CRM vendors charge
based on the number of users. Building your own CRM can be prudent in the long run.
• You have full control over your data and the features created. Some cloud CRM’s may include features
that aren’t valuable to the organization.
• All concerning data will be kept private within the organization.
• May save money, as some CRM service charge depending on the number of users. However, this is
usually only cost efficient in the long run.
• If dealing with a cloud-based CRM, you don’t have complete control of your data.
• May experience downtime upon server upgrades or hefty maintenance periods
• If you haven’t hired external CRM programmers, you will have to contact the vendor to deal with any
issues.
Answer 3b
Arguments Mr. Das can make in favor of a Cloud-based SaaS CRM solution are as mentioned below:
Cloud CRM:
The world has been taken by storm (no pun intended), even since cloud services were formally introduced
way back in 1999. With Amazon web services fast becoming a leader in the segment, many followed. So, for the
uninitiated, you may wonder what a cloud service is all about.
A cloud service is any service that a user may access via the internet. The actual program and servers are not
located locally but rather available on the servers of the service provider. Now, there are many CRM tools in the
market that make use of cloud services. You can choose your vendor based on your requirements. If you are customer
facing business, make sure you choose a suitable CRM.
Back in 2008, only 13% of CRMs were hosted on a cloud server. Fast forward to 2017 and a whopping 87%
CRMs are cloud based. This is a huge indication of the adoption rates that cloud CRMs enjoy.
Here is a list of benefits of using a Cloud Based SaaS CRM and drawbacks of in-house CRM for your business.
• There is no need to dish out a huge sum as set up costs as all the hardware and servers for running the
CRM are hosted by the vendor.
• You don’t have to worry about maintenance and the additional costs and hassle that come with it, as it
is the responsibility of the vendor.
• The service provider takes care of upgrades and other technological glitches. As these upgrades are
handled externally, the deployment time of these updates is also less.
• As all the data is stored in the cloud, you have easy access to it. You can use the CRM anywhere, even
when you are on the go.
• Hosting data in the cloud allows you to create mobile CRMs which take data from cloud servers while
on the go. These apps can be hosted on app stores and downloaded by your team.
• Customization of the software is easily and readily available through cloud services and can be deployed
almost instantly.
• You need adequate in-house expertise to create an effective CRM. In-house developers also need to be
comfortable scaling and maintaining a CRM.
• The majority of mobile applications operate on cloud services, making it a hassle to create such apps.
• May have to hire external help for maintenance anyway. This may be costly for startups or small
businesses.