Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a process of delivering/enabling scalable/accessible , expandable

and almost perfectly elastic software services using internet technologies

Uses of cloud computing

 an online service to send email, edit documents, watch movies or TV,

listen to music, play games, or store pictures and other files, it’s likely
that cloud computing is making it all possible behind the scenes.

 Create new apps and services

 Store, back up, and recover data

 Host websites and blogs

 Stream audio and video

 Deliver software on demand

 Analyze data for patterns and make predictions

Benefits

1. Cost

Cloud computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and

software and setting up and running on-site datacenters—the racks of
servers, the round-the-clock electricity for power and cooling, the IT experts
for managing the infrastructure. It adds up fast.

2. Speed

Most cloud computing services are provided self service and on demand, so
even vast amounts of computing resources can be provisioned in minutes,
typically with just a few mouse clicks, giving businesses a lot of flexibility
and taking the pressure off capacity planning
3. Global scale

The benefits of cloud computing services include the ability to scale

elastically. In cloud speak, that means delivering the right amount of IT
resources—for example, more or less computing power, storage,
bandwidth—right when its needed, and from the right geographic location.

4. Productivity

On-site datacenters typically require a lot of “racking and stacking”—

hardware set up, software patching, and other time-consuming IT
management chores. Cloud computing removes the need for many of these
tasks, so IT teams can spend time on achieving more important business
goals.

5. Performance

The biggest cloud computing services run on a worldwide network of secure

datacenters, which are regularly upgraded to the latest generation of fast
and efficient computing hardware. This offers several benefits over a single
corporate datacenter, including reduced network latency for applications and
greater economies of scale.

6. Reliability

Cloud computing makes data backup, disaster recovery, and business

continuity easier and less expensive, because data can be mirrored at
multiple redundant sites on the cloud provider’s network.

Cloud computing characteristics and benefits

Five of the main benefits of cloud computing are:

 Self-service provisioning: End users can spin up/rotate computer

resources for almost any type of workload on demand. This eliminates
the traditional need for IT administrators to provision and manage
computer resources.
 Elasticity: Companies can scale up as computing needs increase and
scale down again as demands decrease. This eliminates the need for
massive investments in local infrastructure, which may or may not
remain active.
 Pay per use: Computer resources are measured at a granular level,
enabling users to pay only for the resources and workloads they use.
  Workload resilience: Cloud service providers often implement
redundant resources to ensure resilient storage and to keep users'
important workloads running -- often across multiple global regions.
 Migration flexibility: Organizations can move certain workloads to or
from the cloud -- or to different cloud platforms -- as desired or
automatically for better cost savings or to use new services as they
emerge.

Types of cloud services: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS

Most cloud computing services fall into three broad categories: infrastructure
as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service
(Saas). These are sometimes called the cloud computing stack, because they
build on top of one another. Knowing what they are and how they’re
different makes it easier to accomplish your business goals.

1. Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)

 Organizations make use of the unlimited storage potential of the cloud

infrastructure. They can expand and shrink their storage space as
needed without having to worry about dedicated servers on site.
 The most basic category of cloud computing services. With IaaS, you
rent IT infrastructure—servers and virtual machines (VMs), storage,
networks, operating systems—from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go
basis.

2. Platform as a service (PaaS)

 Companies can run their applications on the cloud service’s platform

(display place) without having to worry about maintaining hard drives
and servers.

 Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) refers to cloud computing services that

supply an on-demand environment for developing, testing, delivering,
and managing software applications. PaaS is designed to make it easier
for developers to quickly create web or mobile apps, without worrying
about setting up or managing the underlying infrastructure of servers,
storage, network, and databases needed for development.
 3. Software as a service (SaaS)

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is a method for delivering software

applications over the Internet, on demand and typically on a subscription
basis. With SaaS, cloud providers host and manage the software application
and underlying infrastructure, and handle any maintenance, like software
upgrades and security patching. Users connect to the application over the
Internet, usually with a web browser on their phone, tablet, or PC.

Other services

 Web Based Cloud Computing: Companies use the functionality provided by web
services and do not have to develop a full application for their needs

 Utility Services: Companies that need to store a lot of data can store all of their
data remotely and can even create a virtual data center.
 Managed Services: These are applications used by the cloud service providers,
such as anti-spam service.
 Service Commerce: It is the creation of a hub of applications that can be used
by an organisation’s members. It provides organisations the applications they
need along with the services they desire.

Types of cloud deployments: public, private, hybrid

Not all clouds are the same. There are three different ways to deploy cloud
computing resources: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.

Public cloud

Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service

provider, which deliver their computing resources like servers and storage
over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. With a
public cloud, all hardware, software, and other supporting infrastructure is
owned and managed by the cloud provider. You access these services and
manage your account using a web browser

In the public cloud model, a third-party cloud service provider delivers the
cloud service over the internet. Public cloud services are sold on demand,
typically by the minute or hour, though long-term commitments are
available for many services. Customers only pay for
the CPU cycles, storage or bandwidth they consume.

Leading public cloud service providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS),
Microsoft Azure, IBM and Google Cloud Platform.

Private cloud

A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively/entirely

by a single business or organization. A private cloud can be physically
located on the company’s on-site datacenter. Some companies also pay
third-party service providers to host their private cloud. A private cloud is
one in which the services and infrastructure are maintained on a private
network.

Private cloud services are delivered from a business's data center to internal
users. This model offers the versatility and convenience of the cloud, while
preserving the management, control and security common to local data
centers. Internal users may or may not be billed for services through IT
chargeback.

Common private cloud technologies and vendors include VMware and

OpenStack.

Hybrid cloud

Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by

technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them. By
allowing data and applications to move between private and public clouds,
hybrid cloud gives businesses greater flexibility and more deployment
options.

A hybrid cloud is a combination of public cloud services and an on-premises

private cloud, with orchestration and automation between the two.
Companies can run mission-critical workloads or sensitive applications on the
private cloud and use the public cloud to handle workload bursts or spikes in
demand.

The goal of a hybrid cloud is to create a unified, automated, scalable

environment that takes advantage of all that a public cloud infrastructure
can provide, while still maintaining control over mission-critical data

How cloud computing works

Cloud computing services all work a little differently, depending on the provider.
But many provide a friendly, browser-based dashboard that makes it easier for IT
professionals and developers to order resources and manage their accounts. Some
cloud computing services are also designed to work with REST APIs and a
command-line interface (CLI), giving developers multiple options.
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing has become the buzzing topic of today's technology
driving largely by marketing and services offered by prominent corporate
organizations like Google, IBM & Amazon. Cloud computing is the next stage
to evolve the internet. Though for some people "Cloud Computing" is a big
deal, actually it is not. In reality, cloud computing is something that we have
been using for a long time; it is the internet facility along with the associated
standards that provide a set of web-services to users. When users draw the
term 'Internet' as a "cloud", they simply represent the essential
characteristics of cloud computing.

Defining Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the latest generation technology with a high IT

infrastructure that provides us a means by which we can use and utilize the
applications as utilities via the internet. Cloud computing makes IT
infrastructure along with their services available "on-need" basis. The cloud
technology includes - a development platform, hard disk, computing power,
software application, and database. This technology doesn't require large-
scale capital expenditure to access cloud vendors. Instead, cloud facilitates
'pay-per-use,' i.e. the users of the organizations have to pay only that
limited amount as much they use the cloud infrastructure. In other words,
cloud computing refers to applications and services that run on a distributed
network using virtualized resources and uses the common internet protocols
for accessing.

Affect of Cloud on Human Lives

 The application became cheaper, easier to find and use.

 The new application becomes more comfortable to develop & create based on
a standard modular part
  Cloud will provide new social services by connecting through social networks
 Lessen the usage of proprietary operating systems in our daily computing
 Connection to the cloud can be done whenever we want

Prerequisites to Cloud

Before learning about the Cloud technology, readers must know about
Networking, computers, database, etc. Terms such as operating system,
applications, programs and their meanings must have to be known before
starting this.

Why This Cloud Technology

The small, as well as large IT companies, follow the old traditions of

managing IT infrastructure, i.e., server room to keep all the details and
maintaining that server. In one word it is a server room, but actually, it
consists of database servers, mail server, firewalls, routers, switches, QPS
(Query per second) & Load handler and other networking devices along with
server engineers. To provide such IT infrastructure, a huge amount of
money has to spend. So, to reduce the IT infrastructure cost, Cloud
Computing technology came into play.

Advantages of Cloud

 Low Cost: To run cloud technology, users don't require high power computer
& technology as because the application will run on cloud and not on users'
PC.
 Storage capacity: The Cloud storage capacity is unlimited & generally offers
a huge storage capacity of 2000-3000 GBs or more based on the
requirement.
 Low cost of IT infrastructure: As discussed earlier, the investment will be
less if an organization uses Cloud technology; even the IT staffs and server
engineers are also not required.
 Increase computing power: Cloud servers have a very high-capacity of
running and processing tasks as well as the processing of applications.
 Reduce Software Costs: Cloud minimizes the software costs as users don't
need to purchase software for organizations or every computer.
 Updating: Instant software update is possible & users don't have to face the
choice problem between obsolete & high-upgrade software.
The Latest Paradigm

Cloud computing technology brings a shift in the real paradigm of technology

in the way systems are deployed. The massive cloud computing technology
was enabled by the likeness & trend of Internet & the growth of some
famous multinational companies. Cloud computing makes user dream come
into reality by the concepts of 'pay-as-you-go', infinite scale architecture and
universal system available with high-speed and accuracy.

With the help of cloud, an organization or individual can start from low
and small grade to a big name within a short time. So cloud computing is
said to be a revolutionary change, even though the technology is still in an
evolving stage. Cloud computing takes services, application & technology
that are similar to the internet world, and convert them into the self-service
utility.

Disadvantages of Cloud

 Internet speed: Cloud technology requires high-speed internet connection

as web-based applications often require large bandwidth amount.
 Constant Internet Connection: Its impossible to use cloud infrastructure
without internet. To access any application or cloud storage, a constant
internet connection is required.
 Security: Data storage might not be secure. With cloud computing, all the
data gets stored in the cloud & hence unauthorized user may gain access to
user's data in the cloud.

Cloud Model Types

If we analyze the Cloud technology intelligently, we will see that most people
separate the cloud computing model into two distinct set:

 Deployment Model: refers to the management of the cloud's infrastructure.

Cloud hosting deployment model designates the exact category of the cloud
environment, its size and accessing mechanism. It also tells the nature and
purpose of the cloud.
 Service model: Cloud computing is a broad term which holds a more
extensive range of services. It is composed of a particular type of services;
cloud computing platform allows its users to access
Cloud Deployments

As the cloud technology is providing users with so many benefits, these benefits
must have to be categorized based on users requirement. Cloud deployment
model represents the exact category of cloud environment based on
proprietorship, size, and access and also describes the nature and purpose of
the cloud. Most organizations implement the cloud infrastructure to minimize
capital expenditure & regulate operating costs.

The NIST Model

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency under

the scope of US Department of Commerce which is responsible for expounding
& defining standards in Science and Technology. The Computer Security
Division of NISD has provided a formal definition of Cloud computing. The US
government is a major consumer of computer technology and also one of the
major cloud computing network users. According to the NIST working definition
of cloud, deployment model is one of the two categories of model illustrated by
NIST. The NIST model doesn't require a cloud technology to use virtualization to
share resources. Cloud support multi-tenancy; multi-tenancy is the concept of
sharing of resources among two or more clients. The latest NIST model of cloud
computing requires virtualization and utilizes the concept of multi-tenancy.

As the cloud computing us approaching towards a set of interacting

components, such as Service-oriented Architecture, users can expect the future
versions of the NIST model may include more features also.

Explaining Deployment Model

To know which deployment model matches your requirement and desire, it is

necessary for users as well as learners to understand the four sub-categories of
models for deployment.

These are:

 Public Cloud Model

 Private Cloud Model
Public Cloud

Public Cloud is a type of cloud hosting that allows the accessibility of

systems & its services to its clients/users easily. Some of the examples of
those companies which provide public cloud facilities are IBM, Google,
Amazon, Microsoft, etc. This cloud service is open for use. This type of cloud
computing is a true specimen of cloud hosting where the service providers
render services to various clients. From the technical point of view, there is
the least difference between private clouds and the public clouds along with
the structural design. Only the security level depends based on the service
providers and the type of cloud clients use. Public cloud is better suited for
business purposes for managing the load. This type of cloud is economical
due to the decrease in capital overheads.

The advantages of the Public cloud are:

1. Flexible
2. Reliable
3. High Scalable
4. Low cost
5. Place independence

This type also holds some disadvantages such as:

1. Less Secured
2. Poor Customizable

Private Cloud
Private Cloud also termed as 'Internal Cloud'; which allows the accessibility of
systems and services within a specific boundary or organization. The cloud
platform is implemented in a cloud-based secure environment that is guarded
by advanced firewalls under the surveillance of the IT department that belongs
to a particular organization. Private clouds permit only authorized users,
providing the organizations greater control over data and its security. Business
organizations that have dynamic, critical, secured, management demand based
requirement should adopt Private Cloud.

The advantages of using private cloud are:

 1. Highly private and secured: Private cloud resource sharing is highly
secured.
2. Control Oriented: Private clouds provide more control over its resources
than public cloud as it can be accessed within the organization's boundary.

The Private cloud has the following disadvantages:

1. Poor scalability: Private type of clouds is scaled within internal limited

hosted resources.
2. Costly: As it provides secured and more features, so it's more expensive
than a public cloud.
3. Pricing: is inflexible; i.e., purchasing new hardware for up-gradation is
more costly.
4. Restriction: It can be accessed locally within an organization and is difficult
to expose globally

Cloud Services

Cloud Computing is considered the latest breed of technology with the

immense flexibility of budget, speed, and infrastructure. It provides self-service
capabilities to users with scalable features to upgrade usage based on
requirement. The cloud computing technology offers particular types of services
that users can access the cloud platform.

Service Models of Cloud

The cloud computing service models are categorized into three different types:

1. Software as a Service (SaaS)

2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Two other services don't fall under the major categories of the service
model.

These are:

 Identity as a Service (IDaaS)

 Network as a Service (NaaS)
1. SaaS
SaaS is defined as the software distribution model that is deployed on the
internet in which a cloud service provider provides applications. It is also known
as "on-demand software" or "pay-as-you-go application". Here the customer
licenses their product via SaaS-providers. SaaS market is a rapid-growing one,
and with this fast-growing service, SaaS will soon become an active cloud
service technology for every organization and companies. So it's important to
understand those users and or buyers the usage of SaaS and why it is suitable.

In SaaS, the software & the applications associated with it are centrally located
on the cloud server, and users can access them via a thin client connecting
application, i.e., using a web browser.

The SaaS provides various applications such as:

 CRM applications
 Solution to Human Resource (HR)
 Pre-existing Billing & Invoicing systems
 Other daily usable application suites

There are various advantages and disadvantages of SaaS. The advantages are:

 Easy to buy: The cost of SaaS is based on a monthly or yearly fees allowing
new organizations to access the world of business at a low-cost, at least
lesser than licensed application.
 Minimization of Hardware Requirement: All SaaS software is hosted
remotely & so there is no or lesser need of hardware for the organizations.
 Special Software: No special software versions are required as all the users
will use the same software version. SaaS reduces IT costs by outsourcing
hardware & software maintenance.
 Low Maintenance: SaaS removes the daily problem of installing,
maintaining and updating software. The set-up cost of SaaS is also less in
comparison to enterprise software.

Disadvantages are also the points that users and vendors must keep in mind
while using the SaaS:

 Latency factor: comes due to a variable distance of data between the cloud
& the end-user, and hence a possibility of latency may arise while
interacting with applications.
 Internet Connection: is a major issue. Without internet connection, SaaS
applications are unusable.
 Switching between SaaS vendors in case of any change is very difficult
 The SaaS cloud service is not very secure than in-house deployment.
2. PaaS
PaaS is a platform for programming developers and brings the benefits - SaaS
is used for but from the software development point. It is the computer
platform that provides the facility to use web applications quickly and with ease,
without buying & maintaining web-development PaaS has a similarity with that
of SaaS except that SaaS deliver software over the web, whereas PaaS provides
a platform for the creating of software, delivered over the web. PaaS has a
feature of point-and-click tool that allows non-programmers to develop web
applications. App-Engine of Google & Force.com, Windows Azure, AppFog,
Openshift and VMware Cloud Foundry are examples of PaaS.

Advantages of PaaS:

 Scalability: of users ranges from hundreds to thousands.

 Prebuilt Business Plan: PaaS vendors provide pre-defined business
functionality for users to directly start the project.
 Low Cost: Development via PaaS requires a computer & a good internet
connection and hence less investment in hardware & software.
 Instant Community: PaaS providers facilitates user providing online
communities where a developer can get new ideas & share their experience
& advice.
 Simple & easy to use

Disadvantages of PaaS are as follows:

 Vendor Migration: Migration from one PaaS vendors' application to another

PaaS vendor will create some problem.
 Data-Privacy: Privacy of data can get hamper if it is not held within the
boundary of the company or organization.
 Mix-up Complexity: Some of the applications developed may be local while
others are from the cloud; which may increase the complexity.
Other Cloud Services

a) IDaas
IDaaS (Identity as a Service) This provides management of employee or user's
identity information as a digital entity. It minimizes the problem of
remembering every different username & password combination or disabling of
account when an employee leaves the company.

IDaaS may include:

 Directory services
 Registration information
 Authentication services
 Risk & event monitoring
 Profile management
 Sign-on services

b) NaaS

NaaS (Network as a Service) allows users to access network infrastructure

directly. This service uses the virtualized network infrastructure & provides
users & customers with network services in a secured manner. The NaaS
providers maintain & manage network resources which decrease the workload
of customers/users. It is also based on the pay-per-use model.